Chuck Schumer

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, funding the government should be a bipartisan effort, but Republicans chose a partisan path drafting their continuing resolution without any input--any input--from congressional Democrats. Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR. Our caucus is unified on a clean April 11 CR that will keep the government open and give Congress time to negotiate bipartisan legislation that can pass. We should vote on that. I hope--I hope--our Republican colleagues will join us to avoid a shutdown on Friday. 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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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, yesterday afternoon, Elon Musk confirmed what many of us have been warning about for a long time: Republicans are getting ready to gut Social Security and Medicare. Let me repeat that. Elon Musk confirmed what many of us have warned about: Republicans are getting ready to gut Social Security and gut Medicare. Here is what he said during an interview with FOX Business. The richest man on Earth repeated again a bevy of lies that entitlement programs that tens of millions of people rely on are riddled with fraud and abuse. That is a pretext to slashing, but it is false. He added that ``most of the Federal spending is entitlements''--that is true--``so that is the big one to eliminate,'' meaning Social Security. Let me quote Elon Musk again: ``That is the big one''--Social Security--``to eliminate.'' It is rare to hear Republicans tell the truth about their plans so directly. What Elon Musk is saying is that sooner or later, Republicans are going to target people's Social Security and Medicare benefits. The outrage that the richest man in the world would tell millions of seniors who depend on those checks each month that it is fraud, that it is waste, is outrageous. He doesn't have any idea the harm it would do, and it isn't fraud. Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Republicans know that the math on their billionaire tax cuts will not work without going after these benefits, and all they care about is cutting their taxes further--outrageous. As America begins to hear this, America is going to realize what a bad bargain Donald Trump was in the election. It is another awful reminder that under Donald Trump and Elon Musk and Republicans, billionaires win, American families lose. There is something truly rotten about the Republican agenda when a multibillionaire--the richest man in the world--is allowed to lie so casually about one of America's most sacred programs in order to justify taking benefits away from hard-working Americans. Few programs have done more good, have helped more people, have been more popular than Social Security has for nearly a century. Few programs are as beloved by Americans as Social Security. Americans, of course, support eliminating waste, but they do not want to see their Social Security benefits get taken away. How is Elon Musk trying to do this? He is using the oldest trick in the book: shamelessly lying about Social Security--just as Donald Trump did in his State of the Union Address, where he listed hundreds of people who were born 120 years ago and couldn't show a single one was getting Social Security. Musk is shamelessly lying about Social Security, claiming it is riddled with fraud, in order to justify taking benefits away from seniors and retirees. He ignores the very bold, plain fact that the Federal Government already conducts an audit of Social Security every year. It is a legit audit, not a partisan audit. It has been done during Trump's Presidency and Biden's Presidency. What did it find? Less than 1 percent--1 percent--less than 1 percent of all payments from 2015 to 2022 were made in error. That, Mr. Musk, is not what fraud looks like. He cherry-picks data to suggest that tens of millions of dead people are getting checks. This is a lie. To be sure, this isn't just about Elon Musk's rhetoric. The assault on Social Security is taking shape in practice. DOGE has already taken over the Social Security Administration Agency and has free access to the private data and benefits of tens of millions of Americans. The Trump administration has already begun to fire 7,000 staffers, which means local offices will shut down, customer service wait times will explode, and the risk of delayed benefits will skyrocket. So I ask my Republican colleagues: Are you all fine with this? Are they fine with Musk calling Social Security one giant scam? Let's find a single person here on the Republican side who starts rebutting Musk once and for all when they know he is doing what the American people hate and is not telling the truth. Do our colleagues agree with Musk's lie that hundreds of billions of dollars in outright fraud has compromised Social Security? Mark my words, if Elon Musk and DOGE continue their attacks against Social Security, if the President continues his attacks, which he made in the State of the Union, sooner or later, benefits are going to be delayed, mistakenly halted, and the political uproar from Americans from one end of the country to the other--red, purple, and blue--will be immense. And more trouble for the Trump administration--the Trump economy. Donald Trump promised Americans a golden age on day one. Well, today is day 50, and Americans are wondering, scratching their heads, where is this golden age? You can't find this golden age in the inflation numbers because inflation has gone up under Donald Trump, from groceries, to retail, to cars. He campaigned prices will begin going down on day one. That is by the wayside, that is for sure. You can't find this golden age in the stock market either. We know the stock market is Donald Trump's favorite measuring stick. But right now, because of him--his actions, his erraticness--his own actions have plunged markets and therefore people's retirement accounts into chaos. Yesterday, the Dow fell by almost 900 points, 2 percent. The S&P 500 plunged 2.7 percent. The NASDAQ Composite fell by 4 percent. Why is this happening? One of the reasons is the President's tariffs on Canada and Mexico, but the other is pure chaos--no stability, no certainty for businesses, total confusion in the economy. One thing businesses tell us: They want certainty, and they want stability. One thing they are getting from Donald Trump: uncertainty and chaos. By starting this foolish and chaotic trade war--on again one day, off again the next day--Donald Trump has singlehandedly poured a bucket of ice water on the economy. Trump thinks he can just yak: Oh, I am for it, and then the next day, I will say I am not for it. But businesses can't plan that way. If they think there is a chance he will come back and do it, they don't plan, they don't buy, they don't go forward. Businesses right now are in a state of total confusion. They have no idea what Trump is going to do next. Is he going to impose tariffs today? tomorrow? next month? How big will they be? What countries? What products? Every day, you hear a different answer on something that is so important to the American economy and the world economy. American consumers are also anxious. If you don't know what tomorrow will bring, you are going to spend less today. Donald Trump himself knows that tariffs will hurt working families. When asked on FOX Business about the possibility that his tariffs could trigger a recession, he refused to even downplay the possibility it could happen. This was a rare moment of truth from Donald Trump. He said: Yeah, my tariffs can cause a recession. And then he seemed to say with his body language: Who cares? Amazing. The guy who said he would lift the economy not only is beginning to cause the beginnings of an economic downturn, but he seems to be proud of it. Wow. Is that what America bargained for? I don't think so. When Donald Trump says there is a ``period of transition,'' it is just gibberish. What Donald Trump means when he says ``period of transition'' is that ``I will hurt you slowly, not all at once.'' It means ``Yes, my tariffs will raise prices on the American people.'' Donald Trump knows his tariffs could wreck the economy, but he is doing it anyway, all so he can use the income from tariffs to pay for tax cuts for billionaires--his North Star. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, for the 119th Congress, I ask that the Democratic cochair of the Senate NATO Observer Group be Senator Shaheen and, at her recommendation, the following Democratic Senators participate in the group: Senators Merkley, Coons, King, Booker, Van Hollen, and Rosen.

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, last night, reports came out that President Trump is preparing to sign an Executive order to abolish-- end--the Department of Education as soon as today. If this report is true, this would be one of the most destructive and devastating steps Donald Trump has ever taken--and the main victims of this decision: American children. This right here is why every single Democrat said ``hell no'' to the nomination of Linda McMahon. This is why we did it. Linda McMahon is an Education Secretary who personifies nails on the chalkboard. I have never heard before of a Secretary who wanted a Cabinet job solely for the purpose of detonating the very Agency she seeks to lead. I have never heard of an Education Secretary who wants to give every teacher in America a rotten apple. But this is where we are. These are not just metaphors of the moment. They are the perils of the present. This would be horrible for our schools, our school leaders, our families, and the children Secretary McMahon is supposed to serve. The blast radius of this order will harm nearly every child, every teacher, every family, and every community in the country. Don't forget: Defunding education means property taxes will go up to make up the funding gap. Homeowners are about to get blindsided by the toxic brew of seeing their property taxes go up while seeing the quality of many schools that depend on funding go down. But nobody--nobody--will suffer more from Donald Trump's decision than our kids. Almost 90 percent of the students in America attend public schools, and they will suffer because of what Donald Trump is doing. Why? The Department of Education is a lifeline for public schools across the country. It is particularly strong in rural areas because there is not much choice. There is one school in the town. With Federal funding, many rural schools will vanish and some schools will crumble at the foundation, literally. Education is the best investment for turning a struggling community around. With good schools and without the funding to support these schools, our children will be hurt, our country will be worse, and the notion of the American dream will fall by the wayside. Rural schools will be particularly hard-hit because rural communities often only have one school in the area, and if that disappears, the communities will deteriorate. Kids with special education needs will be left out in the cold. Public schoolteachers already worked to the bone will be thrown into chaos; class sizes will explode; job training programs will vanish; school districts will be at the mercy of State budgets that are already struggling to fund education; and the albatross of student debt will become insurmountable for tens of millions of Americans, many of whom come from working families. Every single one of us wants our schools to do better, our students to perform better, and eliminate wasteful spending. Education reform is necessary, but to make things better--to improve education--you do not use a chain saw. Using a chain saw will make things worse because it doesn't discriminate between the funds that are needed and the funds that may be necessary or should be redirected. Erasing the Department of Education in the blink of an eye is not what education reform looks like. Donald Trump should immediately reverse course before he causes irreparable harm to our students and our classrooms. Again, let me just repeat that you do not--you do not--hire a Secretary whose purpose--whose very purpose is detonating the very Agency she seeks to lead. That makes no sense.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, last night, Donald Trump subjected the American people to a deluge of falsehoods, misrepresentations, and outright lies. What Americans heard last night was easily the nastiest, most divisive, most partisan, and most dishonest Presidential address in American history. In a speech that lasted almost 2 hours, Donald Trump spent over 10 minutes falsely ridiculing and delegitimizing Social Security, following DOGE's lead alleging this program, which serves tens of millions of Americans, is a scam. They seemed to be preparing to go full steam ahead to take benefits away from you, the American people. It is amazing. Tens of millions of Americans depend on that check, that Social Security check, to buy food, which is becoming more expensive under Donald Trump; to pay for prescription drugs, and they want to repeal the laws we did that made them cheaper for the average American; and so much else. Calling it a scam, ridiculing it with false information, and cutting 7,000 out of Social Security offices shows you where they are headed: to hurt Social Security, one of the most sacred programs in America. Why are they doing this? Why would they do this? So unpopular. Only for one reason: The motivation of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the Republican Party is tax cuts for the billionaires. That is their No. 1 goal, and they will twist America in knots, hurting people--many people, millions of people--to get it done. Trump also lied about his plans to eviscerate Medicaid and lied about his plans to cut taxes for billionaires while making working Americans pay the costs. Mr. President, there was more truth in 10 minutes of Senator Elissa Slotkin's rebuttal than in 2 hours of Donald Trump's long-winded, self- serving diatribe. Senator Slotkin did an outstanding job last night dismantling Donald Trump's nonsense with clarity, with facts, and with some desperately needed common sense. I am so glad I asked her to deliver the Democratic response because she knocked it out of the park. Now, when Donald Trump wasn't lying, he was distracting. He talked again about renaming the Gulf of Mexico. He talked about renaming mountains. He said that he was a better President than George Washington. What a bubble this guy is in. What planet is he on? For a moment, I wondered if Donald Trump was utterly clueless of the disaster his administration has been under his watch. The one thing Donald Trump did not mention last night was a real, serious plan to bring down costs--the No. 1 thing Americans wanted to hear most. Instead, Donald Trump doubled down on his plans to send costs skyrocketing by starting a trade war with Canada and Mexico. Let's be very clear about this. Donald Trump's tariffs are a tax on working- and middle-class families. The average American household could see an extra $2,000 a year in expenses. Tariffs mean the cost of pretty much everything would go up, not just cars, although he could destroy the car industry--remember, about 40 percent of the parts that are in American cars come from Canada--but also housing and groceries and food--beef, dairy, eggs--and the cost of furniture and smartphones and laptops and fertilizer for farmers. Even going out to dinner with friends will be more expensive because of Donald Trump's tariffs. Tariffs will slow growth. They will erode profits. They worsen unemployment and inequality and wreak havoc on supply chains that tens of millions of people and businesses depend on. Let's be clear. The administration has obviously not thought through these tariffs. They seem to be changing their plans by the hour. Even this uncertainty is extremely harmful to the economy. It makes it impossible for businesses to plan ahead. It depresses spending, slows growth, and eats away at consumer confidence. Yes, there are certain tariffs--particularly against China, which is competing with us economically in unfair ways--that might make some sense, but these have been unthought through. They are creating chaos for the economy. That is the one thing that the tariffs are accomplishing--chaos for the economy, stock market plummets. Why are they doing this? Well, it is not different here than Social Security or Medicaid. Why is Donald Trump hell-bent on starting a trade war when virtually every expert knows the casualties of a trade war will be families and consumers? The reason is very simple--one reason he and DOGE say that Social Security is a scam: They want to take away people's benefits to pay for billionaire tax cuts. That is the whole ball game. I can't think of a time where any President ridiculed Social Security the way Donald Trump did, and I can't think of a time where someone was more chaotic and deleterious on tariffs than Donald Trump was. What they are seeking in return is the greatest transfer of wealth from working families to billionaires in the history of America. They want to take Social Security benefits away from you, the American people. They want to take healthcare away from you, the American people. They want to take away education and medical research and infrastructure and basic public services. Why? Well, it is pretty expensive to give tax cuts to the wealthy and elite, but that is what they are doing. That is what a transfer of wealth looks like to the average American--taking so much away from you, the things you need and depend on. But Donald Trump and Republicans forget one thing: The American people aren't just going to roll over and let Republicans ruin this country. Democrats and, frankly, all Americans of good will, regardless of party, are organizing and mobilizing to defend healthcare and Social Security and the livelihood of American families. Americans are organizing in public, and Republicans have seen these frustrations at townhalls. That should be the first clue that they should drop their terrible agenda. When a lead Republican in the House tells Republicans ``You better cancel your townhalls,'' they are running away from their policies and priorities. We are organizing online. I set up a call with some of the leading activists, people who have been out there on the frontlines protesting in New York last week. I thought about 500 people would get on the Zoom; it was 3,000. I met with 3,000 on Zoom--a turnout exceeding all expectations--to talk about how to defend healthcare, defend public services, stop tax cuts for the very wealthy, and make people's voices heard in the halls of power. We are organizing in the courts. New lawsuits are happening every single day. Since just March 1--that is 4 or 5 days ago--at least 35 court rulings have come down halting or pausing some of the administration's worst abuses. The courts are one of the best tools available for protecting the rule of law and preventing the worst abuses of the administration. Organizing is not easy. It takes persistence. But it works. It makes change happen. It is the cornerstone on which democracy is founded. Donald Trump's exhausting speech is now in the rearview mirror, so Democrats will keep fighting every day to protect this precious democracy and hold the line against Donald Trump's attempts to rob American families of their livelihoods, taking so much away from the average American family and giving it to the very, very wealthy. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I want to note that we just learned that the Trump administration is getting ready to cut nearly 80,000 employees from the VA. Slashing nearly 80,000 VA staff is a benefit cut by another name. No one should think this doesn't dramatically hurt our veterans who have served us so well. This staffing cut is a betrayal of our promise to our servicemembers--a betrayal to the promise of our servicemembers. It is going to mean longer wait times, fewer appointments, and ultimately less healthcare for our veterans. It is outrageous. No one in America bargained for this, and Democrats are going to fight this tooth and nail, working with our veterans service organizations to fight these awful, unfair cuts that take out the desire to give tax cuts to billionaires on our veterans who served us so well. This is just one of the most outrageous things they have done, and there is a long list. Ukraine Now, another outrageous thing that is happening with the Trump administration is what is happening in Ukraine. First, I want to thank my colleagues for bringing these five resolutions to the floor. I thank Senator Sanders for taking the lead on this issue, Senators Bennet, Van Hollen, Durbin, Blumenthal, and Welch. Let's start by speaking some much needed truth. Three years ago, Vladimir Putin brought war and destruction to the people of Ukraine. He started the war, not any mythology that comes from Donald Trump or our Republican colleagues. Vladimir Putin started the war. Full stop. His tanks and airstrikes have obliterated homes and schools. He is slaughtering civilians as a way to try and win territory in Ukraine. He has kidnapped children. The people of Ukraine did not ask for this war. President Zelenskyy did not start this war. Putin did. That is the truth of this lie after lie after lie that comes out of the Trump administration. This is one of the most egregious. The people of Ukraine have struggled. President Zelenskyy has led them valiantly, risking his own life, and now the nerve of Donald Trump and others to say Zelenskyy started the war. Donald Trump is trying to rewrite history and gain favor with Vladimir Putin. He blames Ukraine for starting the war, and now he is shutting off, halting, military aid that Ukraine desperately needs on the battlefield--desperately needs--and we need to restore it. He has frozen critical intelligence sharing between our countries. He has allowed Putin to launch cyber operations against us, here in the United States. That jeopardizes the privacy of American citizens. He has frozen intelligence sharing between our countries, and he has brought President Zelenskyy to the Oval Office, only to lecture and insult him in front of the whole world. Guess who was laughing as he watched. Vladimir Putin. To side with Putin is to put America at risk. My Democratic colleagues will make that clear over the next several hours. To side with Putin is to betray the values that define America, values our troops have died for in battlefields across the world, from Gettysburg to Normandy, to Iwo Jima. The Senate must respond. Democrats and Republicans have done so before. I worked with then-Leader McConnell to get Ukraine desperately needed aid. And today's resolutions affirm very basic bipartisan ideas that, hopefully, still remain with our Republican colleagues--that the U.S. Senate stands with democracy, stands with the great people of Ukraine, and against the dictator--the brutal dictator--Vladimir Putin and his war crimes. History is clear--perfectly clear. Appeasing autocrats is like putting out a fire with kerosene. In the long run, it will only make autocracy more powerful and the citizenry of America less safe. That is why today the Senate must speak in one voice, Democrats and Republicans together, and pass these resolutions. I hope that is what happens, and I yield the floor to my colleague from Vermont, who has led the charge on this so important an issue.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. So, Mr. President, tonight, Donald Trump will address the Nation before a joint session of Congress. This will be the fifth time Donald Trump speaks from the House Chamber, and by now, the American people know just what to expect. They can expect Donald Trump to launch a deluge of mistruths and falsehoods. But tonight, we won't hear one peep from Donald Trump about his broken promise to bring inflation down on ``day one.'' We won't hear one syllable about how Donald Trump's policies are making inflation and the costs that average American families pay worse. So this morning, let's start with that here, starting with tariffs. Last night, for the first time in decades, the President of the United States imposed 25 percent tariffs on nearly all goods coming from Canada and Mexico. What does this mean for the American people? What do Donald Trump's tariffs mean for the American people? They are going to pay more. Everyday costs are about to become more expensive. It means, according to the CEO of Target, to take one example, consumers could see higher prices within days. This is not something 6 months out. That includes everything: the price of gas, produce, cars, cheese, dairy products, coffee, even chocolate. American farmers will pay more for fertilizer, which means food prices go up. New furniture will become more expensive, as Canada is a major supplier of lumber. Refrigerators, washers, microwaves, laptops, smartphones, clothing, and shoes all will likely see increases. Hold on to your hat, Mr. and Mrs. America. When you bring it all together, the average U.S. household could see $2,000 in increased expenses a year, and that is a conservative estimate. Let me repeat that. The average American family--$2,000 more out of their pockets, their hard-earned dollars that they are struggling to stretch. And now another added increase, all that didn't have to happen, because Donald Trump is imposing tariffs on Canada and Mexico. It has been clear that in the past, when applied intelligently and precisely, tariffs can be a useful tool against adversaries that engage in unfair trade practices that harm American workers. The tariffs against China years ago are one example of this. But the situation today is completely different. It makes no sense to start a trade war with America's closest trade partners because the casualty of that trade war will be consumers and American households. So let's get it straight: Donald Trump's tariffs are a tax on working Americans to the tune of $2,000 or more a year. Why are they doing this? Why are they doing this? Well, he says fentanyl, but less than 1 percent of the fentanyl that comes into the country comes from Canada. It is one of the ways they can close that budget hole when they take huge tax breaks for billionaires. This is another place--another place--where Donald Trump and the Republicans are raising your costs so they can cut taxes for billionaires. It is unbelievable. I don't think this is going to be seen very positively by the American people. Now let's talk about 1 month into the Trump administration. So, on his first day in office, Donald Trump promised a golden age was coming over the horizon. But when Donald Trump speaks tonight, his promise of a golden age will feel like ancient history. So this morning, let's talk about Donald Trump's many broken promises. As a candidate, Donald Trump promised, ``When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one.'' ``Grocery prices will come tumbling down,'' he said, when he gets elected. Instead, what has happened? Inflation has gone not down but up. Gas prices were 2 percent up from the previous month. Chicken, pork, beef-- all more expensive. Eggs, 15 percent higher than last month. And what is Donald Trump's solution to all of this? The Secretary of Agriculture said yesterday Americans should just buy their own chickens to lay their own eggs. Is he serious? This is the Agriculture Secretary? Americans should buy their own chickens to lay their own eggs? Whom are they kidding? As a candidate, Donald Trump also said, ``Vote Trump and your incomes will soar. Your net worth will skyrocket.'' Now, to be fair, if you are a billionaire, he is telling you the truth. But if you are not rich, Donald Trump and Republicans' signature legislation is to cut Medicaid and Social Security and other programs by hundreds of billions of dollars in order to pay for tax breaks for the billionaires club. Let's look at another claim by Donald Trump: The next economic boom will begin the instant . . . Donald J. Trump has won 4 more years. That is his quote. He said: The next economic boom will begin the instant . . . Donald J. Trump has won 4 more years. Well, let's look at what has actually happened. Last month, consumer confidence took its biggest nosedive in years. Retail sales dropped unexpectedly by 0.5 percent. Unemployment filings hit their highest levels since last fall. The S&P 500, one of Donald Trump's favorite measuring sticks, has erased all the gains this year, and now Donald Trump has started a trade war with our closest trading partners. That is not what an economic boom looks like. This is economic anemia created by Donald Trump's own policies. I could go on because there are so many people being hurt and such policies of foolishness. Donald Trump promised to take care of veterans. Yet DOGE tried to fire hundreds of critical staffers from the VA, including crisis hotline staff and funding for cancer treatments. Housing costs are up. Electricity bills are up. If there is any golden age to be had under Donald Trump, it is a golden age for lawlessness; it is a golden age for billionaires and their club. It is not a golden age for Americans who work hard every day to live an honest life to make ends meet. But I doubt we will hear any of that from Donald Trump tonight. Finally, I am proud to welcome seven New Yorkers to tonight's joint meeting of Congress. These New Yorkers are examples of some of the very people whom Donald Trump promised to help but whom he has left behind. First, I am honored to welcome Emma Larson, a 12-year-old middle school student from Long Island with a rare genetic disease which has been treated thanks to NIH-funded research. Emma was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy as a 1-year-old. At the time, there was no cure. Her parents were anguished. But thanks to research at an NIH- funded lab in Cold Spring, NY, Emma received a breakthrough drug that changed SMA's prognosis. Emma's story shows why NIH funding is lifesaving, and we should stand up against efforts to slash funding. Imagine slashing funding to NIH, which helps people like Emma live, so you can give a tax break to billionaires who are already doing very well, thank you. I am also proud to welcome Alissa Ellman, a disabled Army veteran recently fired from the VA in Lockport, NY, in Western New York. Alissa served honorably in Afghanistan and was diagnosed with a rare cancer associated with toxic burn pit exposure. Even while receiving treatment, she wanted to work; she wanted to serve her fellow veterans. She got a job at the Buffalo VA. But guess what, last week, Alissa found herself locked out of her computer and later found out DOGE eliminated her position. This woman served in Afghanistan, got sick after serving our country, working in the Veterans Administration to help other veterans. All of a sudden--no word, no notice--locked out of her computer, and found that DOGE eliminated her position. Is that the golden age? For whom? Alissa is 1 of 2,500 VA employees who were fired by DOGE, putting the care of our Nation's veterans at risk. Tonight, I also welcome Tiffany Ramos from Rome, NY, who worked at the USDA office in Syracuse and was fired from her job helping rural farmers and businesses across Upstate New York. Tiffany is just one of many USDA employees fired with no notice despite years of service, leaving farmers across America wondering who is left to help. It is amazing. These people worked hard. There was nothing against them. They didn't get a notice saying: You didn't do this, this, this; you can improve this way, this way, that way. They were just fired. It is cruel. It is heartless. It is nasty. It is lacking knowledge and fact-based, and it hurts America--in this case, our farmers. I am also proud to welcome two Medicaid recipients, Jessica Martinez and Ana Medina Garcia. Jessica and Ana are both cancer survivors who depended on Medicaid to afford their medication and receive treatment. And, finally, it is truly my honor to welcome Oran Neutra, mother of Omer Neutra, and Ruby Chen, father of Itay Chen. As we all know now, Omer and Itay were tragically murdered by vicious Hamas thugs right on October 7, the day of the massacre, the day of the invasion of Israel. In the case of Omer's family, it wasn't until a year later they learned he was murdered by Hamas on October 7--how cruel. Hamas let them worry. I met with them numerous times: Is our son alive? Is he dead? Is he OK? Is he wounded? Viciousness of Hamas-- the viciousness. As for Itay, he was taken hostage and tragically murdered by Hamas on the border of Gaza on October 7. After months of fighting for his return, Itay's family learned that he was also murdered that terrible day. This is the depths of Hamas' cruelty. For months, they refused to even acknowledge that Omer and Itay had been murdered. They kept these families in anguish, in the dark. What a horrible feeling to wonder if your child is alive or dead. Hamas knowing it, dangled cruelly the possibility of maybe they are alive when they weren't. The families wondered over and over again: Are our children alive? Are they dead? And, of course, tragically, their worst fears happened. What Omer and Itay's family have endured is beyond comprehension. I am inspired by their perseverance, by their resolve to keep calling for the safe return of remaining hostages, even though their loved ones are gone, and for the return of the bodies of their loved ones, which is essential by Jewish law. There is no time to waste. I will continue working for as long as it takes to finally bring every last hostage and the remains of the hostages no longer with us home to us. It is an honor to welcome all my guests to the Capitol. 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, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, tomorrow, President Trump will address a joint meeting of Congress for the first time since taking the oath of office. It is my honor--my true honor--to welcome seven incredible New Yorkers tomorrow who will tell the story of what is under threat by Donald Trump's agenda, from Medicaid beneficiaries to disabled veterans fired from their jobs at the VA, to fired USDA workers, to home healthcare workers. It will also be my profound honor to welcome Orna Neutra, mother of Omer Neutra, and Ruby Chen, father of Itay Chen, both who were tragically killed by vicious Hamas thugs on October 7. Orna's son Omer was taken hostage by Hamas during the attacks on October 7. It wasn't until over a year later that Omer's family learned he was murdered by Hamas on October 7. Ruby's son Itay was also taken hostage and tragically murdered by Hamas on the border of Gaza on October 7. After months of fighting for his return, Itay's family learned that he was also killed by Hamas on October 7. I spoke to Itay's dad and I spoke to Orna as well many times between October 7 and when they were notified that their children had been murdered. It was vicious cruelty of Hamas for whom viciousness seems to be part of their way not to let the families know what had happened. Over and over again, especially Ruby Chen, whom I got to know well, and we had Brooklyn roots together, would wonder, Is he dead? Is he alive? Is he alive? Is he dead? And Hamas kept him dangling, as I said, viciously and cruelly. What Omer and Itay's family have endured is beyond comprehension, but I am inspired by their perseverance, by their resolve to keep calling for the safe return of remaining hostages and for the return of the bodies of their loved ones. We must bring all the hostages home now. But it is an honor--a true honor--to welcome all of my guests, the Neutras, the Chens, and, of course, the others to the Capitol.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, before my colleagues vote on the next vote, Linda McMahon's nomination for Secretary of Education, they should remember that a vote for Mrs. McMahon is a vote for draconian cuts to education and rising property taxes for middle-class and suburban American families. That is why I am so proud that every Democrat will vote no to stand up for our schools, for our kids, for our teachers, for public education, and to prevent property taxes from going up further. Donald Trump is clear. He wants to eliminate the Department and push never-before-seen cuts to public schools. Mrs. McMahon will make that happen. Her whole background is anti-public schools. When you slash Federal funding for education, it leads to higher taxes back home. So many of our school districts--they could be urban, suburban, or rural--depend on Federal funding, and when you cut that, it leads to higher property taxes to make up for the loss of money. Communities will also be forced to slash other programs, including helping disabled kids, for funding for the schools. This is not what the American people want. This is not what they bargained for. The Senate should reject Mrs. McMahon because funding cuts for schools, students, parents, and teachers all for the sake of billionaire tax breaks--whose kids probably don't go to public schools--is an awful idea. I am proud every Democrat will vote no. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for a little more than a minute.

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, when Donald Trump and DOGE began their work, they kept saying the same thing. Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE said: This is about cutting waste; it is about efficiency; it is about meritocracy. Unfortunately, the truth has not been as advertised. It has been utter chaos. Yesterday, the Department of Veterans Affairs said they were reversing course on canceling billions of dollars in contract work because, as it turns out, slashing billions in funding that helps veterans is extremely harmful for veterans. These VA cuts were lauded by DOGE as an example of eliminating waste. The VA Secretary claimed these contracts were for consultants ``to make PowerPoint slides and write meeting minutes.'' That is not even close to the truth. Let me read some examples of what DOGE was actually prepared to cut: Funding for chemotherapy and imaging services, those were going to be cut--hardly make-work, hardly writing meeting minutes. Funding for veterans with disabilities--cut--even funding to help veterans suffering from toxic exposure in burn pits. One contract would help over 20,000 veterans track down their military service records from DOD in order to prove their toxic exposure, as is required. Without these records, getting affordable treatment would not likely be possible, and DOGE said: Let's cut that, too. Even if the VA reverses course, canceling these contracts and firing VA staff is still immediately damaging--very damaging. There is the risk that you can't rehire workers back in time because they have moved on to other jobs or contracts aren't available because they took their business elsewhere, and, by then, the damage is done. Vital services and operations that serve veterans can't continue as before. It could take months--maybe even years--to build this back, which had been built up carefully to help veterans over the years, and many of us in Congress worked for those things; so to cut these services and then say ``never mind'' still ends up being very destructive. Sadly, this is only one example. Yesterday, Elon Musk led his first Cabinet meeting of this administration. He admitted that DOGE's approach has led to many erroneous cuts to staff and programs that are not wasteful but, on the contrary, vital. For example, he said: With USAID, one of the things we accidentally cancelled very briefly was Ebola prevention. Those are his words. Are you kidding me? Cutting funds to stop one of the deadliest diseases in the world is reckless, especially when there is an Ebola outbreak in Uganda as we speak, and flights leave Kampala every day and go all over the world. When epidemics hit America, they oftentimes begin abroad, and U.S. funding is essential to prevent those diseases from reaching us here at all. I should also note that the claims that Ebola funding is back online are false. Reports are out from last night that 95 percent of all USAID funding is now being cut. So we are not sure where it all is. What DOGE is doing is not what efficiency looks like. If DOGE actually cares about efficiency and meritocracy, then it is failing, in many ways, its own test. It would be better to look at these programs, see which might be wasteful, see which are needed, and then make the cuts to the wasteful programs, not take a meat-ax or a blowtorch--call it what you will--cut everything, and then say we will restore some of the things that we shouldn't have cut, because once you make those cuts, it is very hard to put the pieces back together. Taxes Mr. President, on Republican taxes, last month, consumer confidence took its biggest nosedive in 4 years--the biggest nosedive in 4 years. This is how confident consumers, average Americans, feel about the economy. Inflation is trending back up. The price of eggs is sky high. The threat of a trade war looms over our country, and Americans are fearful that things are not going to get any better anytime soon. And what are Republicans doing about all of this? They are trying to cut taxes for billionaires--trying to cut taxes for billionaires--and make the American people pay for it. The Republican agenda is quickly taking shape. Under Donald Trump's Republican Party, billionaires win; American families lose. It doesn't matter if Republicans go with 1 bill or 2 bills or 50 bills. That is what they are debating right now. Their endgame--House and Senate Republicans--has always been cutting taxes for billionaires and forcing American families to pick up the tab. Of course, Senate Republicans know that cutting Medicaid by over $800 billion to lower taxes for billionaires is wildly unpopular. They know that increasing the deficit by up to $5 trillion to help the ultrarich contradicts everything the so-called party of fiscal responsibility stands for. They say they have to cut all this stuff to reduce the deficit, and then, with their tax breaks for billionaires, they increase the deficit, no matter what sleight-of-hand accounting method they use. What are Republicans doing about fiscal responsibility? Are they admitting that their plans would be a disaster for the deficit? No. Instead, Senate Republicans are engaged in budgetary hocus-pocus to hide the true cost of their tax cuts for the ultrarich, and there may be signs that House Republicans are going along. Instead of admitting the truth about the consequences of their plans, they are pursuing a gimmick called ``current policy baseline''--a gimmick, if there ever was one--which is essentially an attempt to magically turn $5 trillion of deficit spending into zero dollars of deficit spending. Well, that can't happen and doesn't happen, and the economy will realize it doesn't happen. Any junior high school math student could tell you this is a bunch of bunk. You can't pass $5 trillion to cut taxes for the rich and pretend like it doesn't affect the deficit. The issue isn't complicated. Republicans are trying to hide the true cost of their billionaire tax cuts from the American people. Meanwhile, they are getting ready to eviscerate funding for healthcare that serves over 80 million Americans--kids, seniors, rural communities. These cuts to Medicaid will dramatically hurt rural America, people with disabilities, and more. The only people who seem to be opposing this is the hard-right Freedom Caucus, because they seem to really care about the deficit. Let's hope they stay strong for the sake of the economy and this country. Of course, the American people are not going to take these Medicaid cuts lying down. Last night, I got on a Zoom. Over 3,000 New Yorkers, worried about the attacks from Republicans on healthcare, got on the Zoom, many more than we expected. These were rank-and-file folks, healthcare advocates, union members, and concerned citizens from all walks of life. They were all upset about the cuts to Medicaid and putting those cuts in place in order to give tax breaks for billionaires. It was a great call. It was an energizing call. I urge my colleagues to do the same, as many of them are. It is a stark reminder of what is at stake but also a reminder that the American people don't like these cuts. We heard from New Yorkers who are in danger of having their Medicaid coverage taken away if Republicans proceed with their actions, on this Zoom of over 3,000 people. But we also talked about taking action. I urged participants to call their Members of Congress. I urged them to mobilize online and to organize in their communities. We urged everyone to make their voices heard, like we are seeing in the townhall meetings. I reminded folks that organizing is not easy, but it works. It changes things, and it is going to make a difference in making sure Medicaid is protected. Nomination of Linda McMahon Mr. President, on our Education Secretary nominee, today, the Senate will vote on whether to advance the nomination of Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education. Mrs. McMahon's nomination comes as President Trump has been clear about cutting funding for education and abolishing the Department of Education entirely. Is Mrs. McMahon going to go along? I hope not. Cutting education is not what the American people want. The American people don't want a radical, out-of-touch billionaire slashing funding for public schools. When you slash Federal funding for education, guess what happens. Since so many of our school districts--urban, suburban, rural--depend on this Federal money, it leads to higher property taxes for people back home. If you eliminate the Department of Education as a whole, that means local communities are forced to pick up the tab to fund the schools. It means that families in these communities will pay in the form of higher property taxes to make up the loss of Federal funding. But communities will also be forced to slash other programs to make room for funding for schools. Again, this is not what the American people want. This is not what they voted for. Mrs. McMahon, in my judgment, is not qualified to lead America's public education. She seems not to care very much about it. But that is precisely why President Trump nominated her. She is the perfect choice to bring our public education system burning to the ground. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, every American should be paying close attention to what is about to happen on the floor. In just a few moments, the Senate will vote on a Republican resolution that is straight from the wish list of Big Oil and Big Gas. Instead of spending floor time pushing legislation that will lower costs for American families, Republicans are bowing to Big Oil and Gas billionaires by trying to reverse the methane waste emissions charge which Democrats passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. Donald Trump and DOGE claim to care about efficiency, but Republicans are undoing a measure to reduce oil and gas waste and are making prices for the consumer go up--prices going up--when they are saying they want prices to go down. The rule we passed has been one of our most important tools to lower energy prices, to hold Big Oil and Big Gas accountable, to keep excessive and harmful levels of methane out of our atmosphere, which my friend Mr. Whitehouse, who has done such a good job on this issue, tells me is 80 times as poisonous as CO2. Without this safeguard, Big Oil and Gas can waste as much natural gas as they like and then pass the cost on to consumers. Why are Republicans doing this? Well, it is simple. They are putting the needs of Big Oil and Gas companies over the needs of the American people, over the health of the American people and the health of our environment, our climate, our globe. And the consequences for the American people, for their health and their energy bills, are going to be very harmful. I urge my colleagues to think carefully, one last time, before voting to overturn it.

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, last night, almost every single House Republican signed their names to what would be the largest Medicaid cuts in American history. The havoc, the damage that that would do to tens of millions of American families would be almost unprecedented when it comes to Medicaid. Why did Republicans do it? So they could cut taxes for the billionaires club. The Republican agenda is quickly taking shape. Under Donald Trump's Republican Party, billionaires win; American families lose. Last night proved that Senate Democrats are right. It doesn't matter if Republicans go with 1 bill or 2 bills or 50 bills. The endgame for Republicans has always been the same: cutting taxes for billionaires and forcing American families to pick up the tab. Now the attention returns to the Republican Senate. Republican Senators know these billionaire tax breaks are unpopular, particularly because it will push deep, nasty cuts to Medicaid. When I hear the Republican leadership talk about the bills they propose, they never mention the tax cuts to billionaires, which is the crown jewel, in their minds, of what they are doing. But they are afraid to mention it because they know how unpopular it is with the American people. They know it is going to increase the deficit by up to $5 trillion. These deficit hawks over on the other side of the aisle and the House are willing to increase the deficit by that much. So what are they doing about it, knowing how high it would increase the deficit, rising interest rates, rising costs, risk of economic downturn? What do they do? Instead of facing the problem head-on, they are resorting to budget gimmicks to hide the true cost of their billionaire tax cuts. They want to use something--some of them--called a current policy baseline. In essence, current policy baseline is an attempt to magically turn $5 trillion of deficit spending into zero dollars on their balance sheets. The deficit would still be there. It would still go up by $5 trillion in actual terms, but this sleight of hand, this hocus-pocus, says it is not going to appear on a balance sheet because we are calling it current policy baseline. Congress--Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative--has never used a ``current policy'' baseline for reconciliation and for good reason. Any junior high school math student could tell you their current policy baseline gimmickry is utter nonsense. It is an attempt for Senate Republicans to hide the true cost of their billionaire tax cuts from the American people. At least House Republicans are being honest about the outrageous cost of their tax cuts in terms of the deficit. In fact, the House Freedom Caucus is being far more honest about the deficit than our Senate Republican colleagues. Maybe the Freedom Caucus should send the debt clocks that Representative Thomas Massie wears on his lapel to the Senate Republicans. What happened in the House last night and what happened last week in the Senate is only the beginning. Democrats are going to fight these billionaire tax cuts tooth and nail. Democrats are glad to have this debate because the American people will be aghast when they learn what is really in the Republican tax bill, and that is tax breaks--huge tax breaks--for their billionaire buddies who are all doing well, God bless them. The last thing America needs is another tax break for them--who are so rich already. Americans are worried that with these tax breaks, inflation is going to get worse. Americans are worried that Donald Trump will start a trade war with our allies and make trips to the grocery store an utter nightmare. We learned yesterday, for instance, that consumer confidence saw its biggest drop last month in 4 years--in 4 years. So this idea that the Republicans can hide what they are doing to the American people is not working, and we Democrats are going to make sure that Americans know exactly what they are doing in terms of their tax breaks for billionaires hurting the average American. The issues that Americans are actually worried about are costs, are inflation, are getting decent healthcare. But what are the Republicans spending their time on here in Congress? Cutting taxes for billionaires and then hiding the true cost on the deficit with a sleight of hand. They are also slashing away at Medicaid and SNAP and so many other services that bring down the cost of living. This is absolutely not what the American people signed up for, and Republicans know it because they don't talk about it. Talk about how close to $2 trillion in your plan goes to the very wealthiest in America. You can't talk about it. Do you know why you can't talk about it? Because you know how unpopular it is. Yes, it is true that the small number of very wealthy, greedy people who want their taxes even lower has a disproportionate hold on the Republican Party in the House and Senate. So they are doing it, but they are afraid to talk about it. And for sure, when it comes to these tax cuts, when it comes to the cuts in Medicaid, and so many other bad things their budget does, Democrats will fight tooth and nail to prevent them.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, on the methane CRA, today, Senate Republicans will advance a measure undoing one of the most important tools we have to lower energy prices and hold Big Oil and Gas accountable. The Republicans, once again, in obeisance to the oil and gas industry, are pushing a resolution to reverse the methane emissions charge, which Democrats passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. It makes big oil companies pay when they leak excessive and harmful levels of methane. Typically, the more methane a company leaks during drilling, the more these companies will have to charge for the methane they do deliver and the more gas prices will go up for families and businesses. The oil companies, they don't believe in what our economists call externalities. They think they can just throw methane into the air and let everyone else pay the price in terms of climate change, in terms of bad health for people, et cetera. What they want to do, our Republicans colleagues, will make gas prices go up for families and businesses. Our law was a reasonable, commonsense, and a carefully tailored safeguard to prevent consumers from footing the bill of Big Oil's methane waste, paired with Federal funding to help big oil companies reduce their waste. Reducing methane waste in the atmosphere saves consumers money. It protects local communities from pollution; and methane, as you know, is a superpotent greenhouse gas. Scientists agree that reducing methane is one of the best things we can do to combat climate change. Its deleterious effects on the atmosphere are many, many times greater even than CO2 is. So why do Republicans want to overturn it so badly? Because, as typical, Republicans are putting the needs of big oil and gas companies over the needs of the American people, over the health of the American people, and over the health of our globe. Americans don't want Big Oil and Big Gas running the show. Americans don't want more pollution in their communities. Americans don't want higher gas prices. But that is what the Republicans are doing with today's CRA vote. Today's vote will show the American people, once again, who is on your side and who is on the side of Big Oil and Gas. I hope everyone watches closely. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.