Chuck Schumer

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Before I ask my question, what a tour de force--you are amazing. It is not only the amount of time that you have spent here on the floor--what strength--but the brilliance of our indictment of this awful administration that is so destroying our democracy; that is taking so much away from working people and the middle class, and at the same time all for tax cuts for the billionaires. You are amazing. We salute you. America salutes you. All eyes are on you. You are incredible. Here is my question that is related to what our Republican friends are trying to do to all the things that you have so opposed. So are you aware that while we were here on the floor today, Senate Republicans are declaring that using the current policy baseline is up to Lindsey Graham, not the Parliamentarian? I believe that this is going nuclear, and it shows how hell-bent they are on giving tax breaks to the rich, even if it goes nuclear, even if it violates all the norms that they have had, even if it breaks all the promises they have made. Do you agree with me that this is just a move that is so, so against what the traditions of the Senate have been about--but not just the traditions of the Senate--fairness, decency, ability to debate issues fairly? They are afraid to debate them. They are afraid to defend tax cuts for billionaires. They are afraid to admit they are taking away Medicaid from so many Americans. And so they come up with this nuclear option, showing that they don't care anymore about norms, about rules, and even about going nuclear, which the leader--the Republican leader-- and all of them said: Oh, no, they are not going to do that. Now they say they are going to do it. What does the Senator think? Does he agree with me that it is going nuclear? Does he agree with me that is a nasty, vicious, and self- seeking for the billionaires--which is what they are doing--way of proceeding?

Mr. SCHUMER. So I am asking the Senator, the great Senator Booker, a question.

Mr. SCHUMER. Does he agree that this isn't just a blow to the people of America, and it shows that the folks--the people--on the other side are only interested not in playing decent, not in playing fair, not in being honest with the American people, but in taking money from the pockets of working people and the middle class and putting it in the hands of billionaires? Is that something that this country should just countenance in because it does so much harm to the country? And does it not show what our colleagues are really like and what they are after?

Mr. SCHUMER. Will the Senator yield for another question?

Mr. SCHUMER. Does the Senator remember that, when this was done in the past, McConnell said they would regret it, and they will regret it sooner than they think? Does the Senator agree that that applies to the Republicans in that they will regret it, and they will regret it sooner than they think?

Mr. SCHUMER. I hate to bring the Senator bad news, but I am asking him a question, and I needed his answer given how eloquent he has been about what America should be and what America should not be. So I yield the floor to the Senator.

Mr. SCHUMER. Would the Senator yield for a question?

Mr. SCHUMER. I just want to tell you, question, do you know you have just broken the record? Do you know how proud this caucus is of you? Do you know how proud America is of you? (Applause, Senators rising.)

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, so first on tariffs, yesterday, President Trump announced a new round of tariffs of 25 percent on all auto imports into the United States, but we have no details, no timeline, no plan, only more chaos. Donald Trump's trade war has accomplished only one thing to date: chaos. In the 66 days since Donald Trump has become President, he has had 66 different positions on this issue. One day he says yes to tariffs; the next day he says no; then the day after he says yes again. Can't make up his mind which country should have them, which country shouldn't, how much, what products. Donald Trump's tariffs--make no mistake about it, I say to the American people. Make no mistake about it. Donald Trump's tariffs are a national sales tax on American families. Tariffs without a plan will only raise prices without anything to show for it. It is like he is playing Russian roulette with the economy. Whatever seems to pop in his mind one day, he talks about; and the next day it is something else. Chaos. His trade war is sending stock markets crashing, hurting people's retirement, increasing the risk of a recession. A lot of the banks have increased their risk assessments of a recession because of Trump's actions. Consumer confidence is cratering. Yesterday, we learned people's outlook for the economy has hit a 12-year low, even lower than it was during the height of inflation--a 12-year low. And how can anyone feel confident about the economy when Elon Musk is taking a chain saw to Social Security? How can anyone feel confident about the economy when Donald Trump is imposing tariffs on people? The average credit card debt, meanwhile, surpasses $10,000 for the first time since 2009. With such chaos in the economy, with such chaos in what is going on with tariffs, it is no wonder that the American consumer doesn't have confidence in Donald Trump and the way he is handling the economy. And as a result, the American consumer is being more cautious about spending, keeping a little more money in their pocket just in case something happens. And now it looks like a lot of bad things will. So the economic alarm bells are ringing. Donald Trump is pouring fuel into the fire by launching America into a trade war with no plan whatsoever. And making things even worse, he is cutting both Social Security and the Agency that helps give Medicaid and Medicare to people. This morning, the Wall Street Journal reported that Donald Trump and Secretary Kennedy are planning to cut 10,000 jobs--10,000 jobs--at HHS. Let's be very clear what these layoffs represent: an assault on Medicare, an assault on Medicaid, an assault on families and consumers from one corner of the country to the next. When you fire people who provide Medicare and Medicaid, that is the same as a benefit cut. When you fire people who prevent the spread of diseases like measles, America will get sicker, schools will get sicker, people, families, will suffer. Mass layoffs to Medicare workers will not make things more efficient. Mass layoffs to Medicaid workers will not make things more efficient. It is more sabotage, just like the attacks on Social Security. Donald Trump and Secretary Kennedy should reverse this attack on Medicare and Medicaid immediately. And where are Republican colleagues? They say they want to protect Medicare. Some of them are worried about cutting Medicaid. We heard them say it. Well, when you cut 10,000 employees from HHS, you are cutting Medicare and Medicaid in terms of the benefits people will receive--similar to what they are doing on Social Security. They don't say outright they are going to eliminate it, but they try to strangle it. They try to strangle it, and the American people suffer. So that happened on Social Security yesterday. Yesterday, after a huge wave of public outrage, the Social Security Administration temporarily delayed its plan to cut phone services for seniors and people with disabilities. But this is only a 2-week delay. This is not stopping it; it is just delaying it because of the outrage, hoping it will subside. But it won't. Americans from one end of the country to the other want to keep their Social Security. The outrage will not stop because they know that Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE want to cut or even eliminate, as Musk said, Social Security. What Donald Trump and DOGE are doing to Social Security is strangulation. They are taking a telephone wire and wrapping it around the neck of Social Security. But, sadly, it is only the tip of the iceberg of the attack on Social Security. Up to 60 percent of all regional offices are shutting down. Dozens of field offices will be closed. Wait times will explode. Disability claims will face months of delay, and people will be in danger of losing the benefits they so desperately need. But the administration doesn't care. Listen to this. This is just incredible. It is hard to fathom who is running the show in the Trump administration. Howard Lutnick, the Commerce Secretary, thinks that if seniors lose their benefits for a month, they won't mind. He said his mother-in-law wouldn't. Spoken like a true billionaire. Once again, I remind Mr. Lutnick not everyone has a billionaire son-in-law, and so many people depend on that monthly check for vital things like food and medicine and rent. And what have Senate Republicans done while Donald Trump and DOGE take a chain saw to Social Security? Absolutely nothing. They are quiet as a church mouse. Instead, Senate Republicans are moving forward with the President's nominee to lead Social Security, who is a self- proclaimed DOGE person. Let me tell my Republican colleagues once again: A vote to confirm Frank Bisignano is a vote to cut Social Security. Senate Republicans should think very carefully about their vote, because once the damage is done to Social Security, there is no going back. Now, on the budget, I want to reiterate something I have said about Republican plans to cut taxes for billionaires while slashing Medicaid for millions of people. It sounds as if Senate Republicans will soon go to the parliamentarian to push their so-called current policy baseline gimmick to hide the true cost of their billionaire tax giveaways. This is budgetary hocus-pocus. Even Chip Roy called it fairy dust. Republicans can try to use whatever baseline, whatever fake math they want, but the American people and the markets can see right through it. Don't be fooled by this hocus-pocus, this current baseline hocus-pocus. It will increase the deficit by $37 trillion over 30 years, and the American people will pay the price in higher interest rates, and American standing in the world will go down. The Atlantic Report Mr. President, finally, on Mr. Hegseth and what happened this week. Yesterday, I said Pete Hegseth should be fired from his position as Secretary of Defense. In the short time that Secretary Hegseth has been on the job, he has already shown--no surprise to us; we said this at the hearing--that he lacks the judgment and character to lead America's national defense. What we learned yesterday regarding the information he shared on Signal is shocking. He sent very specific details about military plans over unsecured text messages. Yesterday's revelations were alarming, but they were not enough. We need answers--more answers--because more damage may have been done than the public and all of us know. That is why my colleagues and I are calling on the Trump administration to release the full, unredacted text conversation from this Signal chat, including everything communicated after the journalist prudently removed himself. We need to know if anyone, if any senior national security official, was using his or her personal devices. Ms. Gabbard's silence on this issue when asked repeatedly in committee was very, very troubling. And we need to know if there have been other sensitive conversations like this on unsecured channels. Senate Democrats across committees of jurisdiction are taking action. It is encouraging that both Ranking Member Reed and Chairman Wicker are calling for a DOD IG investigation. Now for the past day, the Trump administration has tied itself into knots about semantics. They are spending all their energy on what counts as classified or not, what counts as a war plan, an attack plan, and on and on and on. But that is utter nonsense. The plain fact is that if the Russians or Iranians or the Houthis had somehow known about these texts, if someone more nefarious than Mr. Goldberg had been added to the text chain, our troops would have been in danger. The mission would have been compromised. And once he got caught, did Secretary Hegseth take responsibility for his shocking lack of judgment--which is what he should have done? Any upstanding Secretary of Defense would have done that. Did he exhibit the kind of leadership Americans expect from the man who may deploy our troops into battle, from the man who may send our family members, our friends, our neighbors into harm's way? Did he accept that responsibility? Nope, he didn't. Instead of accepting responsibility, Secretary Hegseth attacked the journalist--amazing, amazing; it is like an Alice in Wonderland world--and called him deceitful. He pointed fingers. He blamed the liberal media, moaned about hoaxes. Mr. Hegseth, this is not a hoax. It is very real and very serious. You should not be in your job. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, the more we learn about the unsecured text exchange of sensitive military operations, the more questions we have about how such an egregious breach of military intelligence occurred in the first place. What the Atlantic released today is confounding and extremely disturbing to any American who worries about our national security and our safety. It is appalling. Worst of all, it confirms our darkest assumptions about mishandling of sensitive military operations. The release of this letter was extremely important, but many outstanding questions are not answered by this letter's release, so we need the full text exchange released by the administration. This morning's report reinforces the need for immediate answers, transparency, and accountability from President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, and all the others who were involved. So today I wrote a letter with top Senate Democrats to President Trump and Secretary Hegseth demanding they release the full, unredacted transcript of all texts in their Signal chats. Many outstanding questions are simply not answered by the Atlantic's release of the text messages this morning. That is why we need all the texts in the Signal chat. This includes all text exchanges that occurred after Mr. Goldberg removed himself from the group chat. Goldberg released his information, so now the administration must release theirs. Again, what is so damaging is not just the presence of a reporter--as bad as that was. It is that these sensitive conversations happened on an unsecured channel at all. And that is why we need all the texts. Director of National Intelligence Gabbard testified that no classified information was shared in the text chain. So what is the administration hiding by not releasing the full and complete transcript of this text chain? If no classified information was shared, the administration should have no issue with the full transcript being shared with Senators. Again, this is something that cannot be answered by this morning's report from the Atlantic, as important as Mr. Goldberg's release was. We have other questions in our letter too. Americans need to know if any officials in the chat used personal devices that lacked government overwatch and cyber security protections. How many of these officials were overseas during these conversations, susceptible to foreign surveillance? It is alarming--alarming--that Director Gabbard refused to answer repeated questions on whether or not she was using her personal phone. That should be a very easy, ``Of course not.'' But it didn't come from her. Were there any other individuals without any security clearance erroneously included in the text chain? Has the intelligence community fully assessed the damage caused by the potential leak of classified information? Are there any other Cabinet-level officials using unsecured channels like Signal to discuss classified or sensitive information? And another important question: Are there any other conversations that have taken place like this? These are all questions we have asked in our letter. They are all very important. They all follow on what Mr. Goldberg released. But as I said, there are so many outstanding questions, even after the release of Mr. Goldberg's text, that we need answers to. The American people need answers to these questions. What we learned this morning from the Atlantic is appalling, confounding, disturbing; and it reinforces the need to get answers to the questions in our letter. Our letter seeks to get to the bottom of these things to ensure this never, never happens again.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, yesterday, it was reported that classified war plans were leaked by the Secretary of Defense over unsecured text messages. These text exchanges, confirmed by the administration as authentic, included the Defense Secretary, the National Security Advisor, the CIA Director, the Vice President of the United States, and, unintentionally, a journalist with no security clearance. For the Defense Secretary to coordinate war plans in such a haphazard and dangerous way puts our national security, our troops, and every single American at risk. They intentionally put highly classified information on an unclassified device. Every single Senator, Democrat and Republican and Independent, must demand accountability. I am calling for a bipartisan investigation in the Senate of this mishandling. I am also calling for the Defense IG to fully investigate. This is too serious not to know exactly what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent it from ever happening again. The Senate and the executive branch have an obligation to fully investigate how this mishandling of sensitive national defense information was allowed to happen. Republicans must not just shrug their shoulders and call this incident ``one of those learning moments''--no, no, no. This is a serious matter--a potential breach of classified intelligence, of imminent war plans against America's adversaries. The Senate as well as all relevant authorities within the executive branch must investigate this incident fully. We need to know how this conversation was allowed to happen in the first place on an unsecured channel. We need to know the potential damage it could have caused our national security. We need to know how to prevent this from ever, ever happening again. Any Senate Republican who was up in arms years ago about emails and unsecured servers should be outraged by the Secretary of Defense's carelessness. What if Russian intelligence gained access to this text thread and shared it with their Iranian allies? What if the Iranians had shared it with their allies the Houthis--a terrifying thought, putting American lives, the lives of our Armed Forces, in jeopardy. At best--at best--Secretary Hegseth showed a colossal lack of judgment. At worst, he put America's national security and perhaps American troops in danger. Once he got caught, did Secretary Hegseth take responsibility for this fiasco? Did he exhibit any kind of leadership Americans expect from the man who may deploy our troops into battle, from the man who may send our family members, our friends, our neighbors into harm's way? Did he show how he would do things differently next time? No, he did not. Instead of accepting responsibility, outrageously, Secretary Hegseth attacked the journalist and called him deceitful. He took the ``deny till you die'' approach even though these messages were already authenticated by the National Security Council spokesperson. Secretary Hegseth's refusal to accept responsibility yesterday was eerily similar to the way he conducted himself during the confirmation process. I fear how he will react to future moments of crisis. Again, when Pete Hegseth came before the Senate as a nominee, Democrats warned something like this could happen. These people--Secretary Hegseth and so many others--are clearly not up for the job. We warned that confirming them was dangerous, that they would behave recklessly, and unfortunately--unfortunately--we were right.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, earlier today, The Atlantic magazine released a stunning and alarming report about the accidental leaking of the Trump administration's coordination on classified military operations targeting the Houthis in Yemen. According to the report, a member of the press was somehow added to an unsecured text chain with the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the CIA Director, and other national security officials. The text chain was not a secure conversation. The app used is not approved for discussing classified military operations. Nevertheless, on this text chain, conversations went at length about imminent military operations, including specific targets, weapons, and attack plans. These text messages very likely included classified U.S. intelligence. The entire time, nobody seemed to realize that a private citizen without security clearance had access to this conversation. This is one of the most stunning breaches of military intelligence that I have read about in a very, very long time. What we have here are senior U.S. leaders, including the Vice President and Secretary of Defense, having classified discussions of military action over an unsecure app. It is bad enough that a private citizen was added to this chain, but it is far worse that sensitive military information was exchanged on an unauthorized application, especially when that sensitive military information was so, so important. If these detailed exchanges about coordinating military operations fell into the hands of America's enemies, it could get people killed; it could severely harm our military; it would put America's national security in danger. This debacle requires a full investigation into how this happened, the damage it created, and how we can avoid it in the future. If our Nation's military secrets are being peddled around over unsecured text chains, we need to know that at once, and we need to put a stop to it immediately. Every single Senator, Republican and Democrat and Independent, must demand accountability. If a government employee shared sensitive military plans like this, they would be investigated and face very harsh consequences. Again, this kind of carelessness is how people get killed; it is how our enemies can take advantage of us; it is how our national security falls into danger. If you were up in arms over unsecured emails years ago, you should certainly be outraged by this amateurish behavior. I ask that Leader Thune and my Republican colleagues work with Democrats right away to hold a full investigation into why these military operations were coordinated over an unauthorized messaging service instead of the secure communications channels funded by taxpayers. I want to finish with this: When Pete Hegseth came before the Senate as a nominee, Democrats warned that something like this might happen. These people are clearly not up for the job. We warned that confirming them was dangerous, that they would behave recklessly. Unfortunately, we were right. Now we must have accountability, and both parties in the Senate should investigate how this blunder was even possible.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Hickenlooper), and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), are necessarily absent.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, well, as everyone knows, government funding expires at midnight tonight. As I announced yesterday, I will vote to keep the government open. I believe it is the best way to minimize the harm that the Trump administration will do to the American people. Clearly, this is a Hobson's choice. The CR is a bad bill. But as bad as the CR is, I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option. A shutdown would allow DOGE to shift into overdrive. Let me repeat: A shutdown will allow DOGE to shift into overdrive. It would give Donald Trump and DOGE the keys to the city, State, and country. Donald Trump and Elon Musk would be free to destroy vital government services at a much faster rate than they can right now and over a much broader field of destruction that they would render. In a shutdown, Donald Trump and DOGE will have the power to determine what is considered essential and what is not, and their views on what is not essential would be mean and vicious and would decimate vital services and cause unimaginable harm to the American people. Making matters even worse, in a shutdown, there is no check on their determinations, Trump and DOGE's determinations on what is essential and what is not. In fact, on February 26, OMB, led by Russell Vought, told Agencies to work with DOGE to create a list of nonessential workers so that they could reduce staffing even faster in a shutdown. They are already preparing for a shutdown. Musk has told everybody he wants a shutdown because he knows it will help him achieve his horrible goal of just decimating the Federal Government from one end to the other. In other words, if government were to shut down, DOGE has a plan in place to exploit the crisis for maximum destruction. In a shutdown, American families would be hurt in ways they almost have never been. It could disrupt regional Veterans Affairs offices, curtail mental health services, and accelerate plans to slash staff at Social Security offices. The list goes on and on and on of the damage-- the severe damage--they could do, virtually unchecked. They can stay in a shutdown as long as they want. There is no off- ramp unless they decide to take that off-ramp, and they won't because this is their best tool for achieving their goal: slash government, slash spending, and use that money for tax breaks for billionaires. So a shutdown would be the best distraction Donald Trump could ask for--distraction from his awful agenda. Donald Trump owns the chaos in government. He owns the chaos in the stock market. He owns the damage happening to the economy. But he knows that if government shuts down and all the fighting is over which Agencies should be kept and which shouldn't and Republican Senators and Congressmen in just obeisance to Trump keep putting bills on the floor to decide that, it will totally distract from the most important fight of all: fighting Republicans for eviscerating Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid while giving trillions in tax cuts to the ultrarich. That is the fight American people must know about. A shutdown will be a costly distraction from this all-important fight. Finally, I want to close by reminding everyone it was Republicans who pushed this false shutdown choice. Their inability to govern has led us to this precipice. Our caucus Members have been torn between two awful alternatives, and my colleagues and I have wrestled with which alternative would be worse for the American people. Different Senators come down on different sides of this question, but that does not mean that any Senate Democrat supports a shutdown. Whatever the outcome, our caucus will be united in our determination to continue the long-term fight to stop Donald Trump's dangerous war on our democracy and on America's working families. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. I announce that the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) are necessarily absent.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, before we finish today, I would like to say that soon, the Senate will vote on a bipartisan piece of legislation that will make an important DC funding fix. This legislation will make sure that we take care of the residents of the District; that we will support law enforcement and firefighters and teachers and city services. The legislation is very good news for the residents of the District of Columbia. I am happy we are passing the bill today. I thank my colleagues for working quickly to bring this bill to the floor. Once the Senate acts, we urge the House to act quickly. Government funding expires at midnight tonight, and the vote before us is a Hobson's choice. The CR bill is a bad bill, but as bad as the CR is, I believe that allowing Donald Trump to take even more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option. A shutdown would allow DOGE to shift into overdrive. It would give Donald Trump and DOGE the keys to the city, the State, and country, and that is a far worse alternative. I want to remind everyone that it was Republicans who pushed this false shutdown choice. Their inability to govern has led us to this precipice. Our caucus Members have two bad choices. Different Senators will come down on different sides of the question, but that does not mean that any Senate Democrat supports a shutdown. Whatever the outcome, our caucus will be united in our determination to continue the long-term fight to stop Donald Trump's dangerous war on our democracy and on America's working families. Now, I want to be clear about what this bill does and does not do. The full-year CR is a law that sets funding levels for the full year. The President and executive branch have a legal and constitutional duty to faithfully execute the CR. The CR does not change the underlying law making the Trump administration's impoundments and mass firings illegal. This is true as a matter of law. Nothing in the CR changes the Impoundment Control Act, the foundation of Congress's appropriations authority, and the authorization laws that require USAID and other Agencies to exist and to operate the programs as Congress has assigned to them. Nothing changes title 5, governing the civil service, the Administrative Procedure Act, and so on. One of the reasons I am voting for cloture is for the very reason that these actions are illegal and no new law is needed to declare that. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, yesterday, it was reported that Elon Musk and DOGE have been pressuring the Social Security Administration to cut phone services--phone services--that millions of Americans rely on to help get their benefits from Social Security. DOGE knows that all their claims of massive fraud within Social Security are nonsense. So what do they do? They are trying to cut telephone services that help the elderly and disabled people get their benefits. How cruel. How mean. Why? So some billionaires can get another tax break. That is appalling. What DOGE is doing to Social Security is not government efficiency; it is cruelty--cruelty. It is a direct attack on some of our most vulnerable people--seniors and the disabled. Social Security support lines are vital for seniors who struggle to get out of the house. Many seniors don't have the ability to drive themselves to an in-person local office, many of which are closing. If they can visit an office in person, guess what. DOGE is working on closing the local offices too. It is almost as if cruelty is the point for DOGE. Elon Musk and DOGE are trying to drive Social Security into the ground, to make it so dysfunctional, so they can scream about fraud and justify cutting benefits. And for what? Giving billionaires another tax break. Remember what Elon Musk said a few days ago: Most of the federal [government's] spending is entitlements. So that's the big one to eliminate. Imagine the cruelty of the richest man in the world--he is trying to sell his Teslas on the White House lawn--telling tens of millions of seniors that he wants to eliminate their benefits, that their checks are part of one big scam. Elon Musk is utterly clueless--clueless--about what it means to rely on that $1,100 check that seniors need for their food or their medicines. He has no empathy, and that lack of empathy will create immense suffering for people who aren't as fortunate as he has been. That is why DOGE has already pushed to close Social Security offices. They are getting ready to fire 7,000 Social Security employees, and this is just the beginning. If DOGE keeps going, people could see their benefits disappear. Are my Republican colleagues fine with these attacks against Social Security? Do they support closing Social Security offices? Do they agree with Elon Musk that Social Security is a scam? Why are they silent as Elon Musk and DOGE try to take Social Security apart? I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, over the last 2 months, the United States has confronted a bitter--a very bitter truth: The Federal Government has been taken over by a nihilist. Donald Trump, in 2 months, has taken a blowtorch to our country and wielded chaos like a weapon. Republicans in Congress, meanwhile, have caved to his every whim. The Grand Old Party has devolved into a crowd of Trump sycophants and MAGA radicals who want to burn everything to the ground. Look no further than what DOGE is doing. Now Republicans' nihilism has brought us to the brink of disaster. Unless Congress acts, the Federal Government will shut down tomorrow at midnight. I have said many times that there are no winners in a government shutdown, but there are certainly victims--the most vulnerable Americans who rely on Federal programs to feed their families, to access medical care, and to stay financially afloat. Communities that depend on government services to function will suffer and suffer greatly. This week, Democrats offered a sensible way out: Fund the government for another month to give appropriators more time to do their jobs. Republicans rejected this proposal outright. Why did they reject it? Because Donald Trump doesn't want the appropriators to do their job; he wants full control over government spending. He isn't the first President to want this, but he is the first President to cower his party into submission. So that Republican rejection leads us to a decision. That Republican rejection leads us to a decision. And it is not really a decision; it is a Hobson's choice: Either proceed with the bill before us or risk Donald Trump throwing America into the chaos of a shutdown. This, in my view, is no choice at all. While the CR bill is very bad, the potential for a shutdown has consequences for America that are much, much worse. For sure, the Republican bill is a terrible option. It is not a clean CR. It is deeply partisan. It doesn't address far too many of this country's needs. But I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option. Before I explain why, let me be clear about one thing. No one on my side of the aisle wants a government shutdown. Members who support this CR do not want a government shutdown. Members who oppose this CR do not want a government shutdown. Members who oppose this CR want the Republicans to take their responsibilities more seriously and to negotiate spending bills that will address the many needs of the American people. I respect them for that. Unfortunately, though, this Republican Party is the party of Trump. As bad as passing the CR is, as I said, allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option. First, a shutdown would give Donald Trump and Elon Musk carte blanche to destroy vital government services at a significantly faster rate than they can right now. Under a shutdown, the Trump administration would have full authority to deem whole Agencies, programs, and personnel nonessential, furloughing staff with no promise they would ever be rehired. The decision on what is essential would be solely left to the executive branch, with nobody left at the Agencies to check them. In short, a shutdown would give Donald Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE, and Vought the keys to the city, State, and country. A shutdown would give Donald Trump the keys to the city, the State, and the country. And don't take my word for it. Musk has said aloud he wants a shutdown, and public reporting has shown he is already making plans to use the shutdown to expedite his destruction of key government programs and services. Musk told reporters: If the job is not essential or they are not doing it well, they obviously shouldn't be on the public payroll. Many Federal employees and government experts are rightly worried that a temporary shutdown could lead to permanent cuts. Second, if we enter a shutdown, congressional Republicans would weaponize their majorities to cherry-pick which parts of the government to reopen. In a protracted shutdown, House and Senate Republicans would pursue a strategy of bringing bills to the floor to reopen only their favorite departments and Agencies, while leaving other vital services that they don't like to languish. Third, a shutdown is not a political game. Shutdown means real pain for American families. For example, veterans services: I believe a shutdown could cause regional VA offices to reduce staff, delay benefit processing, and curtail mental health services, abandoning veterans who earned and depended on those resources. Social Security and seniors: I believe a shutdown could green-light Trump to slash administrative staff at Social Security offices, delaying new applications and benefit adjustments and forcing seniors to wait even longer for the benefits they earned. Justice and courts: Extremely troubling, I believe. A shutdown could stall Federal court cases, one of the best redoubts against Trump's lawlessness and could require furloughing critical staff at the courts, denying victims and defendants alike their day in court, dragging out appeals, and clogging the justice system for months or even years. This administration has shown an unfathomable willingness to sacrifice American families and their well-being to advance their own political agenda. A shutdown positions them to do this on overdrive. Finally, there is one more reason I oppose a shutdown. President Trump and Republican leaders would like nothing more than to pull us into the mud of a protracted government shutdown. For Donald Trump, a shutdown would be a gift. It would be the best distraction he could ask for from his awful agenda. Right now, Donald Trump owns the chaos in the government; he owns the chaos in the stock market; he owns the damage happening to our economy from one end of the country to the other. The stock market is crashing; consumer confidence is plummeting. Donald Trump is hoping for a shutdown because it will distract from his true agenda of delivering massive cuts to the rich paid for on the backs of American families. He wants to gut Social Security, hollow out Medicaid, slap taxes on consumer goods through his reckless trade wars. In a shutdown, we would be busy fighting with Republicans over which Agencies to reopen, which to keep closed--instead of debating the damage Donald Trump's agenda is causing the American people. Mr. President, I believe it is my job to make the best choice for the country, to minimize the harms to the American people. Therefore, I will vote to keep the government open and not shut it down. There is nobody in the world--nobody--who wants to shut the government down more than Donald Trump and more than Elon Musk. We should not give it to them. And make no mistake: Democrats will continue to fight what Donald Trump is doing. Everything that Trump, Musk, and Republicans have done so far has a clear goal: again, cutting taxes for billionaires, eviscerate Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. This is the fight that matters most and the fight we must focus on-- all the chaos we have seen, all the lawlessness, all the grift and corrupt behavior. It is all about rigging the system in favor of the ultrawealthy at the expense of working Americans. This is the fight the American people need to see. This is the fight that Democrats will win. A shutdown will be a costly distraction from this all-important fight. 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. SCHUMER. Mr. President, Donald Trump and Republicans have wanted to take away Americans' hard-earned entitlement benefits for a very long time. This week, Elon Musk said the quiet part out loud, and every single American should be alarmed. He said: Most of the Federal spending is entitlements. So that is the big one to eliminate. Of course, he is referring to Social Security. Elon Musk is saying it plainly: Republicans' big goal is to eliminate--his words--Social Security and Medicare benefits. The American people deserve to know where Senators stand on protecting Social Security. The American people deserve to know that. Are Senate Republicans fine with the terrible things Elon Musk and DOGE are doing to Social Security? Do they agree with Mr. Musk that it is one giant scam? We have seen the Social Security offices slashed so that people get less services. Is that the first step to eliminate Social Security? It seems to be. Donald Trump ridiculed Social Security by just lying about people who have been on the books 200 years and making people think they got benefits, which, of course, they didn't. It seems he is in on the plan. It is not just Musk; it is Trump, too. Well, all of these are simple questions, and Americans deserve to know the truth. If Republicans truly support Social Security, they need to break their silence and condemn Musk's attacks. DOGE has already-- already--taken over the Social Security Administration and accessed the private data and benefits of tens of millions of Americans. Why are they after that? Why are they after that data? My guess is so they can hurt the program, close the program, eliminate the program. Republicans and Trump and DOGE are gutting the Agency. They are firing thousands of staff, leading to office closures, longer wait times, and deteriorating service. In my State, they have already announced a few offices being closed. I am sure that is true in every other State. If Mr. Musk and DOGE are allowed to keep going, at the moment, seniors will have to wait longer for their benefits, but in the future, they may not get them. People with disabilities will wait longer times for their claims to be processed, but they may not get them. Americans will spend more time waiting to talk to someone on the phone to get help with their benefits. But it seems, where they are headed, there will be no one on the phone to talk to and no benefits to be received. Social Security is one of the most popular programs. Why the heck would any President--any erstwhile Vice President--Musk--maybe he is President--why would any party want to eliminate Social Security? Why would they want to cut Social Security, one of the most popular Federal programs we have? I will tell you why. They are frenetic on tax breaks for the billionaires, and they are taking away things from Americans. This is not what the American people want. This is not efficiency. For Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, to not understand how a senior citizen depends on the $1,100 a month to buy food, to purchase vitally needed medicines--what arrogance. What arrogance to not even deign to understand it. We will cut the government. Social Security is not the government; it is people. It is the money they put in. It is the money they now get back. It helps them live a decent life. If Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Republicans continue to go after benefits like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid--I have no reason to think they won't--Democrats will fight it, but most importantly, the American people will not stand for it.