Rick Scott

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, first, I want to thank my colleague from North Carolina for his comments with regard to Canada, Greenland, Mexico, and the Panama Canal. We have to support the President. He is acting in the best interests of the American public. On November 5, the American public overwhelmingly elected President Donald Trump with a very clear mandate. Democrats here in Washington don't have to like it, but it is not up to them. That is what the American people decided. Let's remember, we work for the American people. We don't work for the Democrats' special interests or radical ideologies. Democrats need to get over the fact that Donald Trump won to make government work for the American people. President Trump has put together a great team with the needed qualifications to deliver on that clear mandate. His nominees are fully qualified, and we have the votes to get them confirmed. Think about this: When Barack Obama got elected in 2009, he had seven nominees confirmed on the first day--seven. How many do we have? One. By day three, President Obama had 12. Today is the fourth day of President Trump's term, and because of the Democrats' obstruction, we have only two of President Trump's Cabinet nominees confirmed. That is wrong. In 2021, Joe Biden's Defense nominee Lloyd Austin was confirmed 2 days after Biden took office, but here we are on January 23, 2025. It has been 4 days, and President Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Defense has been reported out of committee but still has not gotten a vote. Now that President Trump has been sworn in, it is time for Democrats to put country before politics and to quit their obstructionist and stall tactics and allow votes to confirm every single Donald Trump nominee. It is time to get to work for the American people. This starts with voting to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense today--not tomorrow, not the next day; today. This Senate should not go home for the weekend until we vote on his confirmation. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and as a Navy veteran, I have seen clearly that we need a leader in the Pentagon who puts America's national interests above all else. I have seen how the Biden-Harris administration pushed the Department of Defense to prioritize wokeness over being the most lethal military force in the world. They prioritized diversity quotas and bureaucracy over recruiting strong individuals who are ready to serve and protect our Nation. The Biden administration put our national security and the safety of our troops at risk, and we need someone who understands the mission and is ready to deliver. The status quo in Washington, DC, has gone unchallenged for too long. The Pentagon, which failed seven consecutive annual financial audits, is the best example of a government that is completely unaccountable to the American taxpayer. Pete Hegseth is a decorated combat veteran who understands the mission and what is needed to advance President Trump's agenda and reform the Department of Defense to make America's military the world's most lethal fighting force. That is what every American expects. He understands the sacrifice our military members and their families make because he has been to war. He has led his fellow service men and women into combat, and he knows individuals who have lost their lives or have been gravely injured in defending our Nation. Pete knows how to hold people accountable, how to make sure we promote based on meritocracy, and how to get rid of the broken, woke policies implemented by the Biden administration. After his Active-Duty service, Pete continued to stand by his fellow servicemembers here at home by leading the Concerned Veterans of America and by demonstrating a commitment to our Nation's fighters rather than to the status quo. Although leftwing media has fixated on an anonymous whisper campaign in an attempt to discredit and dismiss his achievements during his time at the CVA, those who worked closely with him tell a different story, a positive story. The policy priorities he championed were ultimately adopted by Congress and the Trump administration and will benefit veterans for generations to come. The Department of Defense is one of the Federal Government's largest bureaucracies. That requires a leader who understands how to rely on a team, push for accountability, and bring needed reform. Under President Trump and Pete's strong leadership, the U.S. military will once again become the world's most lethal fighting force that our enemies fear and our allies respect, and I will do everything I can to support their mission. Americans elected Trump as a mandate for change, and he is building a team to deliver. Pete is the fighter we need and the right person to get the Department of Defense back on track. We live in a very dangerous world and cannot risk the safety of this Nation any further by not having President Trump's national security nominees in office today. I would like to encourage my Democratic colleagues to get over their loss--I am sure it is hard--and let these nominees come to the floor for a vote. They can vote however they want, but allow us to vote on these nominees. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life of Taylor Elizabeth Long Fishel who passed away on December 23, 2024, at the young age of 31. Taylor was born in Tallahassee, FL, where she graduated from Leon High School and Florida State University. Taylor was a caring friend, wife, and mother who is survived by her husband Howell and their sons Lewis and James. Taylor is also survived by her parents and other family members. Today we acknowledge the wonderful impact she made on all those who knew her.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, I rise to honor the career of Columbia County Commissioner Ronald W. Williams. First appointed by then Gov. Bob Graham in 1981, Mr. Williams is the first Black Columbia County commissioner and the longest serving county commissioner in the history of the State of Florida. He has also served as the Columbia County chairman for a total of 11 years. Mr. Williams was born in Columbia County and graduated from Richardson High School in 1962. As a true lifelong Floridan, Commissioner Williams represents the best of what Florida has to offer. I want to congratulate him on his dedication to public service and thank him for everything he has done for the people of Columbia County.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, it is my distinct opportunity to talk about my good friend Senator Mike Braun from Indiana. Senator Braun and I came up here at the exact same time. He was 99th in seniority and I was 100th in seniority 6 years ago. We both have very similar backgrounds. Both of us had built businesses. Both of us have very similar backgrounds in how we got started. Neither of us started with any money. We got to build successful businesses. We had to figure out how to control our costs because, you know, you are not going to succeed if you don't figure out how to control your costs. He had a very similar experience as I did on how you control healthcare costs: You make your employees consumers of healthcare. You make them be the ones that make the decision on how they are going to spend healthcare dollars. He also is very focused on the problems of Federal debt, the problems of Federal spending. From the time he got up here, he was a champion of fiscal sanity. With our wives, we had the opportunity to travel to Israel--I think our first summer here; I think it was our first summer--and spend a week there just learning everything we could about Israel. Senator Braun has a wonderful family, a wonderful wife--also an entrepreneur like he is. So I am going to miss him a lot. He talked about the fact that we were so naive when we first came up here. They were supposed to have lunch from 12:30 to 2 o'clock, and the business guys would show up on time, and there were only two of us there. The food wasn't out. So we were told that it doesn't really-- they say it starts on time, but it never did. We both saw the difficulty in trying to get things accomplished here and the difficulty in trying to control spending here. But his voice has been very important on the fight for fiscal sanity here, and his voice has been very important on the ability to try to figure out how we get our healthcare costs in line so people can afford it--not just government affording it but individuals can afford it. So I am going to miss him. We both have--we had the worst times together. I think he had the 3 to 6 and I had the 6 to whenever we finished on Thursday. Every Thursday, we were here. So he was very--he was smart. He put it together so that at least every Thursday, one of us could go home a little bit earlier, which was smart. He did talk to Dan Sullivan, who does a great job with--if you haven't had the opportunity to listen to Dan's Alaskan of the Week, talking about an Alaskan, he does a great job with that. He got him to move it up so we could get out of here earlier. He is just a great person. We served on the Aging Committee together and the Budget Committee. He is just a wonderful person to serve with. He is going to love being Governor. I had the opportunity to be Governor from 2011 to 2019. It is a great job. If you care about families, if you want to help people get a job, if you want to help people get a better education, if you want to keep people safe, that is exactly what you get to do. I think Senator Braun is going to be the best Governor in the country soon. He is going to make sure that Indiana is a State where people can get a great-paying job, their kids get a great education, and people feel safe. It is still a little cold for me. Florida is a little bit warmer than Indiana. I just want to say I am very appreciative of Mike's friendship. I am very appreciative of his hard work. I appreciate his tenacity. I can tell you that they are always going to live within their means because Mike will not waste a dime. Indiana will have probably the best budget in the country, and all their debt, if they have any, will be paid off quickly. I just wanted to say to Mike, thank you for your friendship. I look forward to working with you, and I am going to miss you up here. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I rise to honor the life of Martin Copeland Griswold, who died on November 30, 2024, at the age of 92. Martin Copeland was a sixth generation Florida farmer, starting his career as a member of the Future Farmers of America with 80 acres of land and working his way to serve as FFA State president in 1951-52. He was the chief executive officer of Griswold Farms, producing food, fiber, and timber on a 4,800-acre family farm, and at the time of his death, Copeland was still farming. Copeland also served on the Northwest Florida Water Management District governing board for 8 years. As an influential and dedicated Florida farmer making a significant impact in northwest Florida, and across the State, Copeland was inducted into the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame. Martin Copeland Griswold of Chumuckla, FL, is survived by his wife of 72 years Winona; his children Marty (Diane), Von (Lisa), Vicki (Jeff) Miller, Paul (Alesia); 12 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; and three great- great-grandchildren.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Reserving the right to object. On November 5, the American people spoke and demanded change. They demanded a wholesale revamp from the top to bottom. I am committed to working tirelessly to enact these reforms in Congress and, just as important, to confirming new nominees to carry out the next administration's agenda. President Trump is in the process of selecting his administration even today. It would be a colossal mistake to hamstring him now in the lameduck session before he even had a chance to review these nominations. I will be objecting to this unanimous consent request today because we must preserve options for President-elect Trump and his administration to nominate his own choices for this Commission and others, not rubberstamp President Biden's and Leader Schumer's preferred candidates on their way out the door. It is important to point out that should these nominees be confirmed, Democrats will hold a 2-to-1 majority over the Commission and its decisions, which is something that would only further constrain the next administration's commitment to dramatic and needed change. I look forward to considering nominees to the Commission in January once President-elect Trump has had the opportunity to decide on his own nominees to serve in these roles. For these reasons, I object.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 874.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, last week, in both the House and the Senate, legislation was introduced to increase the Secret Service protection for Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees. We all know why this legislation is needed. In the span of just 65 days, President Trump, our former President and the Republican nominee to be the next President of the United States, has been the target of two assassination attempts. In Butler, PA, President Trump was shot in the head but miraculously was spared from death. Unfortunately, Fire Chief Corey Comperatore was killed by the assassin's bullets, and others were gravely injured by his gunfire. Then it happened again in my home State of Florida. It is thanks to the incredible work of President Trump's Secret Service detail that another would-be assassin was unable to take a shot at the President while he was golfing with friends. We know that day could have ended much differently. We thank God that these attempts have not been successful. But each of these events has reminded the Nation of the dangers surrounding President Trump and the need to make sure he, his family, and those around him are safe. That is why I introduced the Protect Our Presidents Act here in the Senate and Representatives Mike Lawler and Ritchie Torres introduced the Enhanced Presidential Security Act in the House. The safety and security of those seeking to lead our Nation should never be in jeopardy and should be applied regardless of party. That is why these bills ensure all Presidential nominees, both now and in the future, are provided the enhanced protection they clearly require and deserve. On Friday, the House passed Representatives Lawler and Torres's bill in a unanimous vote of 405 to 0. This unanimous vote shows that when commonsense and desperately needed legislation come before Congress, we can act quickly to do what the American people expect of us. I am proud to lead this effort in the Senate, and I am on the floor today to request the immediate passage of the Enhanced Presidential Security Act so we can send this good and necessary bill to President Biden's desk so it may become law. Our action today goes beyond the simple language of this bill to increase the Secret Service protection for our party's Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees. Passing the Enhanced Presidential Security Act today, with the unanimous consent of the Senate, sends an important message to the American public and the world that we will not ignore these threats, which are truly an attack on our democratic process and have rightly shocked the world. As in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 9106, which was received from the House and is at the desk.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I want to thank my colleagues for their support of this commonsense legislation, which has now passed with unanimous, bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. I will continue working with my colleagues to ensure nominees for President and Vice President are never in jeopardy and are provided the enhanced protection they clearly require and deserve. This bill will now go to President Biden's desk, and I hope he acts quickly to sign it into law.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

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

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, I have been called many names--some nice and some not so nice--Governor, Senator, husband, Dad; but my favorite is Grandpa. When I first became Governor back in 2010, Ann and I had no grandchildren. Fast-forward to today, and we are blessed with seven beautiful grandkids. As I speak today, my daughter is using in vitro fertilization, or IVF, to grow her family. As a grandpa, of course, I am thrilled. And thanks to the people of Florida, I have also had the opportunity as a U.S. Senator to do what I can to make this amazing science that helps bring beautiful babies into the world more accessible and affordable for millions of Americans. The truth about IVF is that it is one of the few unifying policies that almost all Democrats and Republicans agree with. Earlier this year, a ruling of the Alabama Supreme Court concerned many of us, myself included. Thankfully, the Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature swiftly updated their laws to ensure IVF is protected for citizens of their State. Right after the ruling, I introduced a resolution with my colleague in the House, Kat Cammack, which outlined the overwhelming support in Congress for IVF and the millions of families using it to grow their families. We built on that resolution by then introducing the IVF with HSAs Act to expand access to IVF by doubling the contribution limits of health savings accounts, or HSAs, and expanding eligibility to utilize them by decoupling them from traditional high-deductible health plans. The real-world impact of my bill is that millions of Americans will be able to save more money in tax-free accounts to pay for medical expenses like IVF. We should all be able to agree that it is a good thing for more families to have an opportunity to grow. So many of us here are parents and grandparents. We should all be able to agree that more babies is wonderful. That is why I am here to ask for unanimous consent to pass my bill. If the Senate is serious about ensuring opportunities for families, we can start today by allowing this good bill to get sent over to the House, where I am confident it will pass, and we can send it to the President's desk for signature. Madam President, I am going to wait for Senator Wyden.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of S. 4771 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration. I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, I appreciate my colleague being here. First off, here is the positive. I think we all support IVF. I support IVF. I have a daughter going through it right now. I am glad IVF is legal and available in all 50 States, and there is no actual risk of it going away. I think we all know this. What I propose is the IVF with HSAs Act. It is going to expand access to IVF by doubling the contribution limits of Health Saving Accounts, and it is going to expand eligibility to include them by decoupling them from traditional high-deductible health plans. The impact of this will be millions of Americans will be able to save money and have better access to it in tax-free accounts to pay for medical expenses like IVF. That is all positive. The opportunity we have here is not about whether IVF will be here tomorrow or next year or 5 years from now. Everyone knows IVF is here to stay. Today, our opportunity is to help more people use IVF to grow their families. But Democrats, unfortunately--my colleagues--decided to block this bill. I know my Democratic colleagues are going to call up for a vote tomorrow a bill, but it seems like it is just scoring political points. They are going to bring up the same bill that didn't pass before. And what is frustrating to me is--I support IVF; I think all my colleagues support IVF--there wasn't an attempt between Democrats and Republicans to write a bipartisan bill that we could actually get a bill that we could pass. The last 2 months have just been spent, basically, political posturing. I know it is an election year. I hope the Democrats are going to get serious about doing something that will help benefit hard- working people. I am disappointed, but I thank my colleague for being here.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I rise to honor the life of Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger. Joe Kittinger was born in 1928 in Tampa, FL, and today, his service and life were honored at Arlington National Cemetery. Kittinger's incredible story includes setting a world record by skydiving from a height of over 19 miles and serving three combat tours as a fighter pilot in Vietnam, among many more achievements. His record-setting experiments helped American's human space exploration. I had the honor of meeting Joe a few years before he passed away in 2022 at the age of 94. It was a great joy to hear his story firsthand. He was a true American hero, and we are forever thankful for his service and contributions to our country.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, we shouldn't be here giving speeches about the National Defense Authorization Act. We should be here on the Senate floor voting on the National Defense Authorization Act. Once again, as he has done year after year since I have been here, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is refusing to advance this critical bill to set the policy and funding levels for America's Armed Forces. Washington's failure to move legislation forward is always frustrating, but the majority leader's refusal to act on the NDAA, a bill which passed with strong bipartisan support out of the Armed Services Committee more than a month ago, is more than frustrating; it is actually dangerous. Every single day, our enemies--communist China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea--are actively working with one single goal in mind: to dominate the world stage by destroying the American way of life. And without some of the good policy in the NDAA we passed out of committee a month ago becoming law, communist China has tools at its disposal to do great harm to our country. Our country has fallen into a trap of dependence on our enemies--like communist China--for everything from drugs to food, and we have got to stop that today. When the Senate fails to quickly advance the NDAA, as Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has done year after year, it sends a strong message to our enemies that military strength and cutting dependence on our enemies is not a priority for the U.S. Congress. It is dangerous and unacceptable to allow that message to go out to the world, especially as we watch war after war erupt around the globe thanks to the weakness and appeasement of the Biden-Harris administration. I hope we can all come together and recognize that we cannot be depending on communist China for our medicine, technology, or food, especially if we are at war. The time is now to get serious about securing U.S. interests and decoupling our supply chains from communist China. As a body, we must demand action today. I am a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, along with my colleague who is presiding, and the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Personnel. So I know firsthand how much hard work has gone into crafting a good bill that is essential to maintaining America's military as the most lethal fighting force on the planet. But this bill does so much more than that. The NDAA isn't simply a reauthorization of our military and support programs. This bill sets the policy that ensures America's Armed Forces are on the cutting edge of innovation to not just win wars but to deter threats from our enemies because they know they stand no chance of victory in a conflict with the United States. Try as they might to project weakness, President Biden and Vice President Harris, thankfully, do not have a hand in crafting this legislation. Thank God that is the case. Through the NDAA, we can ensure that the woke vision for the U.S. military that Biden and Harris wish for does not become reality. Nothing could be more important to protecting our Nation and our men and women in uniform than that. Unfortunately, I fear that is the exact reason why the majority leader continues to stall and refuses to bring this legislation to a vote on the Senate floor. The NDAA also ensures our military families are taken care of as they make sacrifices each and every day to support our warfighters and keep America safe. Much of that work is reflected in the big wins we have in this NDAA for my home State of Florida. The U.S. military is incredibly important to Florida. We are home to 21 military bases and 3 unified combatant commands, over 64,000 Active-Duty military, 38,000 reservists, and more than 1.5 million veterans. For our servicemembers and their families, I fought aggressively in this NDAA to secure a 4.5 percent pay raise, along with many of my colleagues. We have continued our work to support military families and expand access to affordable, on-base childcare by securing $3 million for child development center construction in the Florida Panhandle. We have also included language in the bill to eliminate disgusting Chinese garlic from our on-base grocery stores, so no family feeding their family through our on-base commissaries is forced to buy Chinese sewer garlic. Remember, Chinese-grown garlic is widely reported to be grown in human sewage, then bleached and harvested in abhorrent conditions, often with slave labor. And with Russian warships recently 90 miles off our shores, communist China building a spy base in Cuba, and growing partnership between communist China, Russia, and Iran with Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, we made sure that Homestead Air Reserve Base in South Florida will continue to serve a critical mission for years to come and protect our Nation from the growing threats posed by our enemies in Latin America. I am also proud to have personally fought for and secured big wins for the United States against communist China, including making sure the Department of Defense buys generic drugs made in the United States of America to cut dependence on our enemies for these essential medicines. We cannot continue to rely on enemies like communist China for essential medicines. Through this NDAA, I am also fighting to stop the Department of Defense purchase of Chinese computers and printers, which pose a threat to our national security when connected to secure networks. Passing this bill will prevent the DOD from procuring LiDAR technology for manned or unmanned systems from companies based in communist China unless granted explicit congressional approval. It also supports research and development efforts to enhance the U.S. commercial, space-based LiDAR capabilities. We will authorize a report on the operational value of the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, given the concerning relationship the Government of Qatar has with Hamas and other terrorist organizations, as well as its continuing hostility to the State of Israel and other U.S. interests. And, thank God, one of the leaders of Hamas is not alive today. And we will provide support for Israel, America's great ally and the only democracy in the Middle East, with U.S.-Israel counter-tunneling cooperation and an increase of $47.5 million for U.S.-Israel cooperation on emerging technology. Madam President, the United States is at a critical moment where military strength is essential to preserving our national security and fending off the threats of tyranny and terrorism that are rising around the globe. This NDAA reflects what must be done to combat the threats posed by our enemies in communist China, Iran, and Russia; protect our allies and partners in Israel, the Philippines, and across Europe; and protect and grow our military strength in Florida, where we have massive defense assets that are critical to our national security. A strong defense is key to protecting the freedoms that make America great. I will never lose sight of one of the most important roles I have as a U.S. Senator: to protect and serve the families of our great Nation. I look forward to working closely with my colleagues to make sure we are protecting our national security and investing in America's greatest asset: the men and women of our Armed Forces. I want to thank Chairman Reed, Ranking Member Wicker, and all of my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee for their leadership on these important issues. I am proud of the work we have done and again call for Majority Leader Schumer to stop stalling now and put this bill on the floor today. We cannot afford to send any signal of weakness at this time of growing threats and instability around the globe.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, I rise to honor the life of Logan Charles Stryker who passed away on July 13, 2024, at just 10 years old. In October 2022, Logan was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Following his diagnosis, Logan showed amazing courage and was a wonderful philanthropist in southwest Florida, raising an incredible amount of money to help others in his community. In 2023, he was named the Outstanding Philanthropic Youth in southwest Florida after raising over $30,000 for Golisano's Children Hospital. Logan also raised a significant amount of money for ``Barbara's Friends,'' the hospital's pediatric cancer fund. This work to help other children with cancer is an incredible mission that will inspire all who read his story. While his time on this Earth was far too short, the power of Logan's generosity and selfless work to help others will undoubtedly benefit and positively influence others for many years to come. Logan Charles Stryker was a resident of Estero, FL, and is survived by his parents Scott and Rachel Stryker and his younger brother Griffin.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I stand to recognize and congratulate Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross, on her retirement. Gail has been the President and CEO of the American Red Cross since 2008. She holds a bachelor of arts degree from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from Columbia University. Under Gail's leadership, the American Red Cross has helped countless Americans and Floridians in their moments of need. Since 2015, Gail and the American Red Cross have provided help and support for six hurricanes that impacted Florida: Hurricane Hermine in 2016, Hurricane Irma in 2017, Hurricane Michael in 2018, Hurricane Sally in 2020, Hurricane Ian in 2022, and Hurricane Idalia in 2023. In addition, the American Red Cross helped out brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017. Prior to joining the American Red Cross, Gail was a faculty member at the Harvard Business School, president of Fidelity Personal Investments, and executive vice president at AT&T's Consumers Markets Division. One of the best things about the State of Florida is that when Floridians are in need, there is always a helping hand available; Gail, the American Red Cross, and their many committed volunteers are a prime example of that. It is my honor to congratulate Gail on her many achievements and on her retirement.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, in vitro fertilization--or IVF, as most of us call it--has brought beautiful babies to so many families. IVF is a wonderful thing that enables so many Americans struggling with infertility to have children and start a family. For me, it is personal. My youngest daughter has been undergoing IVF treatments to grow her family. But she is just one of countless Floridians and Americans using IVF to grow their families and bring life into the world. While IVF remains available in all 50 States and there isn't any credible threat to it, I believe it is important for the Senate to make clear our unwavering support for current and aspiring parents using IVF to start and grow their families. We ought to celebrate Americans trying to grow their families. I am proud to lead a resolution in the Senate doing just that. My resolution affirms the desire of parents trying to conceive a child to start or grow a family; expresses sympathy for the millions of parents experiencing infertility issues as they strive to start or grow a family and recognizes the immense physical, emotional, and psychological toll of pursuing medical assistance for infertility, including IVF; cherishes the millions of children born through the use of medical assistance to overcome infertility, including through IVF; recognizes that medical assistance for infertility, including IVF, is and remains legal in all States and territories in the United States; affirms that laws enacted by Congress should promote the sanctity of human life and support the development and growth of families in the United States; encourages further clinical research to improve outcomes for parents seeking medical assistance to overcome infertility as they strive to start or grow a family; and supports State, legislative, and regulatory actions to establish health, safety, and ethical standards for medical facilities offering assisted reproductive technologies, including in vitro fertilization. Now let me take a moment to clarify a few things about the bill the Democrats are pushing this week. First, let's be clear, there is not a single State in the country that has outlawed IVF or has expressed any interest in outlawing IVF. This is just empty fearmongering by Democrats who would rather push unnecessary bills like this than take meaningful action to secure our border, improve our economy, or hold the radical members of the Biden administration accountable for their lawless conduct. I think everyone here supports IVF, which is great because Democrats are typically advocating for unlimited abortion, not more babies, which is what we get with IVF. If a State takes action against IVF, I will be the first to condemn it, but that isn't happening. This is ugly politics at its worst. I have the resolution I just outlined. I appreciate the work that Senators Cruz and Britt have done on this important topic. Republicans support IVF, and the Democrats know that. But when we vote against this unnecessary bill, that is exactly what they will say when they attack us. We will not accept this gross purity test from the radical left. The American people, who are much smarter than Democrats hope they are, see right through this. Let's get to work solving real problems, like our wide-open southern border and the skyrocketing inflation crushing American families. That is the important work the Senate should have been focused on these last 2 weeks instead of taking political show votes for Democrats to shamelessly lie to the American people and themselves. But if Democrats insist on taking action that impacts the ability to undergo IVF treatments, I have a proposal for them. We should help individuals and families better plan and pay for medical expenses, like IVF, by decoupling health savings accounts from high-deductible health plans, increasing the current contribution limits on HSAs, and demanding more upfront price transparency and outcome data from providers to allow families to easily shop for services to drive down costs through market forces. I am working on a bill right now to allow every individual and family to better plan and pay for medical expenses, such as IVF, by expanding eligibility for health savings accounts and increasing the current contribution limits on those HSAs. Helping folks financially plan as they try to expand their families is smart and the type of commonsense action that families in all of our States expect from Washington, DC. They want action, not partisan politics or fearmongering, and the legislation I am drafting will be hugely beneficial to current and aspiring parents looking at IVF as a way to grow their families. I hope Senator Schumer and every Democrat will commit to working with me on this and passing a good bill that will truly help countless families hoping to bring more babies into this world. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I rise to honor the life of Mildred Russell who passed away on May 10, 2024, at the age of 75 after a battle with cancer. Mildred Russell was a former Alachua County School Board member and Republican State committeewoman. Before that, she started Miracle Life Ministers and churches in Georgia and England with her husband Rusty. Mrs. Russell lived in Gainesville for more than 40 years, where she was active in different areas of the community. She will be terribly missed by her family, friends, and all who felt the positive impact of her work in the church and Alachua County schools.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I want to thank my colleague from Ohio for his hard work and his commitment to making sure he protects our country. President Biden has shown the American people that he will pander to his anti-Semitic base over supporting Israel. Israel, one of America's greatest allies and the only democracy in the Middle East--the only democracy in the Middle East. One of President Biden's first actions was to resurrect the failed Iran deal. Since then, he has green-lit billions of dollars in sanctions relief to Iran, the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism. His pandering can be seen in our cities and on college campuses where radical extremists rally violently in support of Hamas and the extermination of the Jewish people. This cancer has taken over the Democratic Party and caused violence against our Jewish communities. President Biden has made clear with his decisions that the American people cannot trust his administration. I certainly do not, which is why I am highly concerned that without proper safeguards, the Biden administration will use this aid package as leverage against our great ally, Israel. On October 7, Iran-backed Hamas terrorists burned people alive in their homes, beheaded babies, raped women and young girls, and murdered parents in front of their children. They brutally murdered 1,200 innocent people in Israel, including Americans. And 200 days since the attacks, they are still holding 8 Americans and more than 100 other innocent people hostage in Gaza. I was in Israel last month, my sixth visit to the Jewish State in my years as Florida's Governor and now a U.S. Senator, and I have helped lead the charge in the Senate to support our great ally Israel. I have voted for the Israel aid in this bill only to see it fail the Senate with all the Democrats--all Democrats--voting against it. For years, I have voted for significant funding for the Iron Dome, David's Sling, and other key military assets to help Israel defend itself from Iran-backed terrorism. I am leading the Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act to condition aid to Gaza on the release of hostages and ensure we don't send a single dollar--not a single dollar--of American taxpayer money to Gaza unless the President certifies that it won't end up in the hands of a Hamas terrorist--a pretty simple ask. Unfortunately, the Democrats have blocked this bill from consideration or passage in the Senate three separate times, including when I tried to include it in the Senate-passed foreign aid supplemental in February. It should not be difficult to say that we won't risk even one dollar of American taxpayer money going to Hamas and pass commonsense legislation to stop that from happening. That shouldn't be hard. Here is what makes me so angry and worried about our country: We have a President who is a fool who is stuck in a war that is raging--not overseas but within the Democratic Party right here in America. Joe Biden has ignited a civil war in the Democratic Party because he is allowing and in some cases actively encouraging the takeover of his party by Hamas-loving, terrorist sympathizers. Thankfully, there are still some Democrats who oppose this takeover and continue to stand with Israel, but they are very few, and their voices are being drowned out by the scream of anti-Semitic hate from the radical Hamas lovers in Michigan and New York. We cannot avoid the hard truth here. Joe Biden is destroying U.S. foreign policy in an attempt to pacify Democrats who support terrorism. They have chanted ``Death to America'' in Iran for years, but now Democrat activists are chanting it in New York and Michigan. Look at what is happening at Columbia University. How is this happening in the United States of America? But Democrats are letting this happen because Michigan is crucial for Biden to win. He knows he is losing there, so he is bending over backwards to support the small minority of people in Michigan who support terrorism, and he is doing it hoping it will help him win reelection. I want to stress this because it shows the American people exactly what is wrong with the platform of my colleagues across the aisle. Every single day, we hear Democrats scream about protecting democracy and how democracy is under attack. While they love to point fingers at Republicans as being responsible for this, the truth is that it is them. Between Israel and Hamas, which do you think is a stronger example of democracy? Pretty simple answer. Hamas hates everything that Americans support, especially democracy. If you are a woman, if you are gay, if you like equality, democracy, freedom of speech, none of these things is supported by Hamas--none of them--and some of them will get you killed by Hamas. All of them are supported by Israel. But Democrats are so obsessed with winning an election, they have taken the fringe radicals in their party and put them front and center--center stage. Think about that. Democrats are so terrified of the Hamas-loving lunatics in New York City and in Michigan, they are tearing down the only true democracy in the Middle East and propping up a terror organization that, if given power again, will create one of the most oppressive regimes in the world. Democrats are giving power and voices to people who support terrorism. It is so bad that over the weekend, Jewish students at Columbia University in New York City were told to go home and not return to campus because it is not safe for them. They were told to go home and not return to campus because it is not safe for them. Jewish students at Columbia University in New York City, of all places, are not safe because the campus is being overrun by dangerous, pro-Hamas extremists. Is anyone paying attention? Look at what is happening in our country. We have a President of the United States who is leading a Democratic Party that is cowering to the radical left of their party in a disgusting and dangerous attempt to get votes from Hamas sympathizers. His cowering means that all over our country, even in New York City, Jewish Americans aren't safe. No one, not one Member of the U.S. Senate should be OK with what is happening in our country today. I know that terrorists are being glorified at Columbia University right now, but let me remind my Democratic colleagues who Hamas is as we consider a bill that could provide billions of dollars in aid to these monsters. When I was in Israel, I saw the absolute evil of Israel's enemies-- Hamas, Hezbollah--all backed by Iran, and their brutality. Hamas stormed into Israel on October 7 and murdered Jewish people who were killed for one reason: just for being Jewish. I stood in places where it happened, where the blood of these innocent Jewish people still stains the floors and the walls of their homes and the streets where they once lived and played. When Hamas stormed in, they raped women, murdered families, and butchered and beheaded babies. You cannot imagine. Hamas burned parents alive in front of their children. They dragged people out of their homes and are now holding them hostage. What happened on October 7 horrified the world and struck me personally. One of the places where I saw the devastation of Hamas's terror was Kfar Aza. It wasn't the first time I had visited that small kibbutz. In 2019, my wife Ann and I visited Kfar Aza for the first time. As early reports were coming out, I was really worried about the kibbutz because of its proximity to Gaza, about half a mile away. You can see Gaza right there. It is right there, half a mile away. Open fields. When I heard the news that it was the site of some of the most horrific and barbaric activities, my heart just sank. I wanted to vomit. In 2019, my wife and I had spent an afternoon there, and it was the most peaceful place. I keep thinking about the moms and kids who were playing outside, enjoying the warm summer weather. It is gut-wrenching to think of the fate of the families we met that day. I spoke with Chen, the woman who led our tour of the kibbutz. She was traveling outside of Israel that day and fortunately survived. When I was in Israel a few weeks ago, I talked with Chen and other people who experienced the attack firsthand and thankfully survived, and they told me what happened to them, their families, and friends. I saw parents setting up memorials at the Nova music festival site for their children who have been taken hostage or murdered. I stood in a destroyed home and listened to the last words of a young Israeli woman via audio recording as she talked to her father before Hamas gunned her down. I met with the families of American hostages, whose devastation and grief are overwhelming. I saw firsthand what Israel faces from Iran and its proxies and what they would do to us, too, if they could. They would absolutely do it to us. I have placed a poster outside my office that features the faces of the hostages being held by Hamas, and I am not going to take it down until they all come home. I have been clear that we cannot see a cease-fire until every Hamas terrorist is dead. I want every single one of them dead. I know I said this before, but I won't stop saying what Hamas did. These monsters beheaded children and babies, raped girls, burned innocent civilians alive, and shot people at point-blank just because they were Jewish. They dragged innocent people through the streets and are now holding them as hostages in Gaza, which these terrorists absolutely control. It is unimaginable that the United States would ever consider sending money to a place where we know--we absolutely know--that it will be used to help terrorists who are holding American hostages. That is exactly what this bill does today. I want to make sure everyone understands what I am saying here, which is a fact: Every dollar that goes to Gaza directly benefits Hamas. I have spent every day since October 7 telling the stories of those being held hostage in Gaza by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists. As I said, I have a poster outside my office that features the faces of the hostages being held by Hamas, and I am not going to take it down until they are all released. It has been 200 days since the attacks, and some parents are still waiting for their children to come home. Can you imagine? A parent waiting for their child to come home. Little baby Kfir Bibas's first birthday was spent as a hostage in Gaza. His 4-year-old brother, Ariel, a beautiful little boy, is still being held hostage. I have a milk carton in my office that has Ariel's picture on it. I see it every day, and it makes me think of my own grandkids. Kfir and Ariel's parents have been waiting for 200 days to hold their babies again. Can you imagine? Sadly, we have heard horrible reports that these innocent children may no longer be alive. It just makes you sick to think about it, and you think about your own family. While Israel is dealing with the recovery from these attacks in its own country, it is still fighting the terrorists who want to destroy it. It is still fighting with these terrorists who want to destroy every Jew and destroy Israel. So here is the other takeaway from my recent trip to Israel. In meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli leaders, I saw that while Israel is still dealing with the recovery of its own people, they are also overseeing incredible and unprecedented work to preserve civilian life and get aid into Gaza. War is hell. Tragedies happen, and we wish we could prevent all of them. We wish there could be zero civilian impact of war, but that is simply not possible. When tragic incidents occur, we are right to expect accountability. Israel has shown full accountability for every misstep taken as it fights for its existence against brutal Iran-backed terrorism. Israel is doing more to prevent civilian deaths than any warfighting nation has been expected to do in history and taking responsibility when tragic incidents happen. But it seems that accountability from Israel is not enough for President Biden; it is not enough for the Democrats. It is insane to me that the same President who has never held anyone accountable for the deaths of 13 American warriors at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan and never held anyone accountable for the deaths of the innocent Afghan family killed in a U.S. drone strike during his botched Afghanistan withdrawal is openly attacking Israel for mistakes that it is taking full responsibility for. When President Biden and Democrats again and again attack Israel and talk about sanctions on the IDF, they do the bidding of Iran and Hamas. Let us all remember who the enemy is. Let us all remember who the enemy is and has always been--the evil terror-supporting regime in Iran. Since its first days, the Biden administration has emboldened Iran with appeasement, freeing billions and billions and billions of dollars to fuel Iran's support of terrorism and turning its back on Israel. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and one of America's strongest allies, but it took President Biden months to meet or speak with Prime Minister Netanyahu after he took office, and the world took notice. Since October 7, President Biden and Democrats in Washington have continued to undermine Israel's fight against Iran-backed Hamas terrorists, further isolating our ally in its greatest time of need. America and the freedom-loving nations of the world are less safe and secure because of President Biden's weakness and appeasement of evil regimes and the terror each supports. Now the Senate wants to again pass legislation that gives billions of dollars to Gaza, which is 100 percent run by Hamas--100 percent run by Hamas. I am not opposed to humanitarian aid to people in war-torn places like Gaza, but I am not OK with giving aid that has even the slightest possibility of going to terrorists who want to destroy Israel and the United States. I am especially disturbed by the idea of giving aid that could go to terrorists who want to destroy Israel and the United States and who are also at this point holding American hostages. Can you imagine giving aid to a country that wants to--anybody who wants to hold American hostages? Why would we do that? How is that a minority opinion in the U.S. Senate? How has the Democratic Party fallen so far to the radical pro-Hamas lunatics in its base that saying ``No, we won't provide humanitarian aid unless we can certify it won't go to terrorists who are holding American hostages'' is not an OK position to take, an OK position to even vote on? The eight Americans who are being held hostage in Hamas have been held in captivity for 200 days. We believe five are still alive and three are dead, and Hamas is holding their bodies and robbing their families of the ability to bury their loved ones. Even when we know they are dead, Hamas holds their bodies. Do we see President Biden or senior members of his administration and Democrats in Washington talking about that every day? Absolutely not. What we do see from Democrats is they continue to attack Israel, call for the ousting of its democratically elected government--they call for the ousting of its democratically elected government--and allow the abandonment of our ally at the United Nations. They abandoned our ally Israel at the United Nations and on the world stage. And it is disgusting that, while they launch these attack on our ally, Democrats say little or nothing about the fact that American citizens--American citizens--are being held hostage by a brutal terrorist organization that we know is committing horrific sexual abuse against these innocent people. Why has Biden given money to Gazans who are holding American hostages? Why would he do that? Why would we allow Biden to give more money to Gazans who are holding American hostages? When will this stop? Why the heck are we allowing Biden to send more money to Gaza in this bill when we know that every dollar--every dollar--that goes to Gaza funds the terrorism of Hamas? What are we doing to get American hostages released? What has happened? Have we sent the troops in? Have we done anything? Have you heard anything? Have you watched Biden in the Situation Room do anything? Absolutely nothing. I won't stop stating this fact: Every dollar that goes into Gaza directly benefits Hamas. That is the undeniable truth, and it is why I have been fighting for years to pass--for years--to pass a simple bill, the Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act, which simply prevents U.S. taxpayer dollars from going to Gaza unless the Biden administration can certify that not a single cent will go to Hamas--pretty simple. This isn't a solution in search of a problem. It addresses a very real threat of taxpayer money funding Iran-backed terrorism that seeks to destroy Israel and is holding hostages. How can it be fair to allow an American family with a family member being held hostage in Gaza to see their tax dollars go to the same people who are holding their family member hostage. We have seen reports that the Palestinian Authority has been paying over $300 million a year in monthly salaries to terrorist prisoners, in monthly allowances to families of dead terrorists. The Palestinian Authority that pays terrorists and their families should not receive U.S. tax dollars, and this bill is going to allow more of that. In 2021, President Biden's State Department said: We're going to be working in partnership with the United Nations and the Palestinian Authority to ``kind of''-- ``Kind of''-- channel aid there in a manner that does its best to go to the people of Gaza. The official went on to say: As we've seen in life, as we all know in life, there are no guarantees, but we're going to do everything that we can to ensure that this assistance reaches the people who need it the most. The Biden administration thinks the risk of resources going to Hamas terrorists is OK because ``in life, there are no guarantees.'' I reject that. I do not believe we should leave anything to chance when it comes to preventing U.S. taxpayer dollars from being sent to the brutal terrorists that slaughtered so many Israelis and Americans and are holding American hostages. Senate Democrats have made clear that they are so terrified of losing the votes of radical, Hamas-loving leftists that they cannot bring themselves to support something that simply makes sure we aren't sending money to the thugs who brutally murdered 1,200 innocent people, including more than 30 Americans, on October 7 and are still holding American hostages. They won't even allow us to have a vote on it. It is hard to imagine that this is where we are today, and this bill that is before us does nothing to address this, while approving billions in aid for Gaza that we know will go straight to Hamas. Nothing--absolutely nothing-- in this bill says that money will not go to Hamas, because there is nothing in this bill that prevents it. Again, there is nothing in this bill that prevents your taxpayer money from going to Gaza, where it will directly benefit Hamas. I have heard about my colleagues on the left talking about needing to support the children of Gaza. No child should suffer, but the children of Gaza suffer every day not because of Israel, not because of America but because of Hamas. They suffer every day because Hamas takes aid dollars that come into Gaza to fund its terror against Israel and the United States. If my Democrat colleagues wanted to make sure any U.S. tax dollars only go to help the children of Gaza, they would fully support my Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act, but they won't even let me have a vote on it. It would make certain that no aid goes to Hamas. It would not stop all aid from going to the children of Gaza. It would just make sure that that is the only place it goes and not to Hamas terrorists. But, again and again, Democrats have blocked the Senate from even voting on this. It makes no sense to me. We should aid our ally Israel now. I have been trying to get that done for months, and Senate Democrats have blocked it five times. While it is extremely important to continue to fund Israel's defense efforts--as I have fought to do for years--I fear that President Biden will use this as the leverage he needs to advance his radical, anti- Israel foreign policy to appease the anti-Semites in his own party. I was just in Israel and clearly understood the urgency in delivering aid to Israel. But without safeguards in place to ensure that no money goes to Hamas or that Biden cannot say ``strings attached,'' this aid doesn't protect Israel from being forced into an unacceptable compromise by the Biden administration while it is at war. What Prime Minister Netanyahu said is: Give us time and space to destroy Hamas, and we will. Too often in Washington, compromise means that everyone gets what they want so nobody has to make a tough choice. The bill before the Senate today is a perfect example of this broken way of doing business that has become the norm in Washington. If given the opportunity to vote on these issues independently, as the House did, I would vote to support aid to Israel in a heartbeat, with strong safeguards, as I have in the Senate multiple times--all of which have been blocked by Democrats prior to this vote. I would vote to ban TikTok, unless we see a total divestment from it by entities controlled by communist China. I would vote to sanction the evil regime in Iran. I would vote to support aid for Taiwan so it can fend off threats of invasion by communist China. And I would vote for the REPO Act, which allows for the confiscation of Russian assets, and of which I am a proud cosponsor, while opposing the fact that this bill allows President Biden to send billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars in unaccountable aid to Ukraine--unaccountable aid to Ukraine--including billions to pay the salaries of Ukrainian politicians. Why are we borrowing our money to pay for the salaries of Ukrainian politicians? It makes no sense for the United States to borrow dollar after dollar after dollar so we can pay the salaries of politicians in the Ukraine while our border--our border--is wide open. I have had a redline in the debate about the future of any aid to Ukraine. First, it must be lethal only; and, second, any action taken by the United States to secure the borders of Ukraine must be tied to forcing--it is the only way it is going to happen. You have to force the Biden administration to secure the U.S. southern border. In some of his first actions as President, Joe Biden took multiple Executive actions to dismantle the border security policies enacted by President Trump, which created the most secure U.S. southern border in recent history. The catastrophic results of Biden's open border policies are being felt by nearly every American family. Since Biden took office, more than 10 million--10 million--illegal aliens, unvetted, have unlawfully crossed our border, and more than 6 million have been released into the United States. We have no idea who these people are. Deadly fentanyl, the precursors of which are supplied by communist China and manufactured by the savage Mexican drug cartels, are killing more than 70,000 Americans every year. Why don't the Democrats care about that? Terrorists and dangerous criminals are coming across the border in droves. Why don't Democrats care about this? The FBI Director admitted to me, under oath, that we now have terror cells in the United States because of the open southern border. And we have all seen the horror brought to our communities by violent illegal aliens murdering innocent Americans like Laken Riley. But the Senate won't have the chance to vote on each bill which passed the House individually. No, we won't have a chance to do that individually, the way it was done in the House, and we are not going to have a chance to change this bill. It is up or down. If you don't like a provision, tough luck. You don't get an amendment vote. It is a sad day for our body to be shut out of the process like this. While some politicians will claim that the bill before the Senate today is some magic bullet that will restore order and protect democracy around the world, we know that is a lie. Most bills have some good policy. This one is no different. However, I cannot bring myself to look the other way and vote for policies that will, in many ways, prolong the suffering that Biden's weaknesses and appeasement have caused for Americans and our friends and allies around the world each and every day. I yield to my colleague and I now retain the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, as jurors, we have not had the time to review whether this point of order is contrary to the Constitution. Therefore, I move to adjourn the Court of Impeachment until 12 noon on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, and I ask for the yeas and nays. Vote on Motion

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, I want to thank my colleague from Utah for his commitment to the rule of law, his commitment to the Constitution, all of his efforts today and every day that he has been up here to make sure that the Senate follows the Constitution and doesn't set precedents that don't make any sense. And today is a horrible today. I also want to thank my colleague from Wisconsin for being such a voice on making sure that the public actually knows what is going on here. The information he puts out, the charts he uses, the information he has gives everybody an idea of what is actually going on. But, unfortunately, today, Democrats' assault on American democracy had a banner day. Democrats in the Senate said that impeachments by the U.S. House of Representatives don't matter anymore. You don't have to have a trial. They don't matter. According to what Democrats did today, we don't need to hold impeachment trials here in the Senate, ever. This is a horrible precedent. It is not what the Constitution envisioned. It doesn't matter if, for example, your Cabinet Secretary even instructed your Agency to ignore the law and not execute the laws of the United States. It doesn't matter if, by ordering an Agency to ignore the laws of the United States, Americans are murdered. They are. They have been. It doesn't matter if, by ordering an Agency to ignore the laws of the United States, deadly fentanyl pours into our communities and poisons our children and grandchildren. It doesn't matter if, by ordering an Agency to ignore the laws of the United States, terrorists on the FBI Terrorist Watchlist and migrants with known gang affiliations stream into our country to such an extent that the FBI Director testified, sitting right next to Secretary Mayorkas, before Congress that this is the most dangerous time in America since 9/11. Just stop and think about your family for a second. Think about either your mom or your dad, your spouse, your brother or your sister, a child or a grandchild, a niece or nephew. Just think of one of them. Just pick one of them. You cherish and you love them. You can think about wonderful things about them. Now, for thousands of American families, that person that you are thinking about today is dead. Let me say that again. For thousands of American families, the person that you are thinking about today is dead. They have been taken too soon by the deadly fentanyl crisis that has ravaged our Nation because of the wide-open southern border. I think every one of us knows some family that has been ripped apart by the deadly fentanyl crisis. Everybody does. Some of us have been impacted directly. Fentanyl is killing 70,000 people a year. That is 70,000 families who are torn apart because we have an open southern border. (Mr. OSSOFF assumed the Chair.) This happened, in part, because instead of letting our brave Border Patrol do their job and stop these deadly drugs, Secretary Mayorkas intentionally is using them to let even more people illegally cross the border and come into our country and get all sorts of nice services. They get phones, they get lawyers, they get hotel rooms--all paid for by the U.S. taxpayer. Every victim of Secretary Mayorkas's order for his Agency has a name. Just think about that family member. I have heard a lot of heartbreaking stories in my home State. Florida families are feeling the impact of this administration's lawless border crisis every single day--deadly fentanyl, criminals, terrorists, human traffickers. They pour across Biden's open border. This is all intentional. There are 1,145 children between 14 and 18 years old who died from fentanyl in 2021. So that is like having a classroom of kids die every week--every week. In 2022, I heard from a mom in Kissimmee, just outside Orlando, where her son, who was in the Air Force--and he had a bright future in the Air Force--came to surprise her on Mother's Day weekend. He, unfortunately, visited an old friend whom he didn't know had been dealing drugs. The friend convinced the young man to take a Xanax, which was unknowingly laced with fentanyl. The mom found him dead. He came home to just surprise her for her birthday, and he is dead. Put yourself in the position of that mom. What is she thinking about today? What is she thinking about when she watches the Senate floor, and every Democrat says: The guy who made the decision to open the southern border will not be held accountable. So 26-year-old Ashley Dunn is another American we have lost to fentanyl poisoning. Ashley's mother, Josephine Dunn, says their daughter did not overdose but was poisoned by one-half of one Percocet tablet that was counterfeit. According to Ms. Dunn, her daughter was murdered by products made in Mexico that were welcomed into this country by Mayorkas and his administration. Today, Senate Democrats made certain that Secretary Mayorkas will never have to answer. He is never going to answer for Ashley's death. He is never going to have to answer for any of the other deaths. But do you know what? He will know what he did. People will know too much what he did. He will never, ever--he will never get away with this. America is a more dangerous place because Mayorkas and Biden have allowed criminals, drugs, terrorists, and other dangerous people into our communities, all over the country. Real Americans with families are being killed. Real American families are being torn apart by vicious crimes and deadly drugs because we have a wide-open southern border. If you go to the southern border on the other side, you have IDs everywhere, because they don't want the Border Patrol that meets them on our side to know who they are. Why would you do that? Secretary Mayorkas is the first and only sitting Cabinet Secretary to be impeached. He will always be known as the first sitting Cabinet Secretary to be impeached, and now he is forever going to be blocked from being acquitted of that charge. I wonder how that makes him feel. He will never get that chance to be acquitted because of what the Senate Democrats did today. I still have a question for my Senate Democrat colleagues. Did you silence Mayorkas today because Democrats are terrified of his record and unable to defend him, or just because you don't trust him? Whatever the answer is, I think that every reporter here and every American needs to know this: Democrats put politics over the safety of American families and the security of our great Nation today. I fear the consequences of that unprecedented failure will be devastating beyond our worst fears. I think it is going to take decades to rid the criminals from this country. And, in the meantime, how many people like Ashley are going to lose their life? How many people are going to be raped? How many people are going to be put into slavery? I hope to God it doesn't happen to your family.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I will get to the issue of Secretary Mayorkas's impeachment in a moment, but I would first like to speak to Iran's attack on Israel this weekend. We all saw what happened on Saturday evening. Israel is once again under attack--this time, under direct attack from Iran--and the United States must clearly and strongly stand with our great ally and fully support its right and obligation to defend itself by any means necessary. I was just in Israel, a few weeks ago, to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu and see the terror and devastation that Iran-backed Hamas terrorists unleashed on the Jewish State on October 7, firsthand. More than 1,200 were murdered, and hundreds are still being held hostage by Hamas just for being Jewish. Americans are among the hostages and those murdered that day. The horrors of that attack are difficult to describe and can never ever happen again. Today, I continue to pray for the safety of the Israeli people and call on every Republican and every Democrat to stand unequivocally with Israel as it fights for its very existence against evil terrorism. Again and again, Democrats have blocked the passage of aid for Israel. Democrats have blocked Israel aid four times in the U.S. Senate. The House has passed a good bill that is ready for Senate passage right now. I urge Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to immediately put the House-passed Israel aid bill on the floor, as well as my Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act, tonight. Nothing before the Senate is more important, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that vote happens as soon as possible. Let us all remember who the enemy is here and has always been: the evil and terror-supporting regime in Iran. Since its first days, the Biden administration has emboldened Iran with appeasement, freeing billions upon billions of dollars to fuel Iran's support of terrorism and turning its back on Israel. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and one of America's strongest allies, but it took President Biden months to meet or speak with Prime Minister Netanyahu after he took office. And, unfortunately, the world took notice. Since October 7, President Biden and Democrats in Washington have continued to undermine Israel's fight against Iran-backed Hamas terrorists, further isolating our ally in its greatest time of need. And here is where what has happened in Israel ties into the impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas that we are dealing with here at home this week. Mayorkas Impeachment America and the freedom-loving nations of the world are less safe and secure because of President Biden's weakness and appeasement of evil regimes and the terror each support. That is a fact that the FBI Director confirmed when I questioned him in the Homeland Security Committee, last year. And the terrifying truth is that, while President Biden's weakness has emboldened our enemies, Secretary Mayorkas has shown that he will do absolutely nothing to stop evil people from invading our country through our southern border and launching attacks on the U.S. homeland. This isn't some hypothetical nightmare. The possibility of an attack by terrorists on U.S. soil is something that the FBI and U.S. intelligence community are terrified about. The threats are all up. We know terrorists are coming into America because of the wide-open southern border. That is a fact. America is a more dangerous place because Mayorkas and Biden have allowed criminals, drugs, terrorists, and other dangerous people into our communities. There are real consequences to this failure to secure the border, and each victim has a name. Real Americans with families are being killed. Real American families are being torn apart by vicious crimes and deadly drugs because we have a wide-open border. Innocent Americans like Laken Riley are paying the ultimate price for Mayorkas's failures. Ten million people have illegally crossed, and 6 million have been allowed to stay and had the red carpet rolled out for them, courtesy of the American taxpayers. There have been sexual assaults and murders committed by illegal aliens all across this country--even in my home State of Florida, where a young man was recently killed. The man charged with his death is an illegal alien. Now, because of these failures, the Republican majority in the House has voted to impeach Mayorkas for violating his oath of office. They took their time. They got the evidence. They made the decision to impeach. Whether anyone in this Chamber believes it was right or wrong, that happened, and we should now hold a trial to let Mayorkas make his case. That is our constitutional duty. But unlike what happened in 2019, when Democrats alone voted to impeach the President and Republicans controlled the Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is going to deny Secretary Mayorkas the ability to defend himself in a trial. He will not have the ability to defend himself in a trial. It seems to me that the majority leader doesn't want to let Mayorkas defend himself in a trial for one of two reasons. The majority leader is either acting out of pure political interests to protect his incumbent Members who don't want to talk about Mayorkas's record and the wide-open border he has created and all the crime, drugs, and illegal immigration it is allowing; or the majority leader is just terrified of a trial exposing Mayorkas's failure to a degree that acquittal would be extremely painful for the Democrats to explain to the American people. Here is what I don't understand. Democrats voted against a bill to stop illegal aliens from getting on a commercial flight with no verifiable ID. You have to; they don't. Democrats voted against deporting illegal aliens who hurt police. And Democrats voted against the Laken Riley Act, which simply requires ICE to take illegal aliens who commit crimes into custody before tragedies strike. So it seems to me that Democrats have no problem voting to keep this border crisis going and blocking every attempt the Republicans make to stop the crime and secure the border. But when it comes to Secretary Mayorkas, they shut everything down and don't let him speak. Secretary Mayorkas is a former prosecutor. Surely, he knows how to handle himself and defend his actions. He must believe that he has a case to present to the American people on why he should not be found guilty, but he is not going to get that chance. And Senate Democrats are setting a dangerous precedent and destroying the rules and traditions of the Senate to keep Mayorkas silent. I have one question: Is Mayorkas being silenced because Democrats are terrified of his record and unable to defend him or because they don't trust him? Whatever the answer might be, I urge my Democratic colleagues to get over the discomfort that it is causing them and do what is right for the safety of American families. The events of this weekend have shown, once again, that the world is a much more dangerous place under President Biden's failed leadership. If Democrats put politics over the safety of American families and the security of our great Nation, I fear the consequences will be devastating beyond our worst fears. I want everybody to stop for one moment--just stop and think about their families; think about their mom or their dad or their sister or brother or their wife; think about their children or their grandchildren or their nieces and nephews. Since Biden took office, people like that, just like your family that you love and cherish-- people like that--here is what has happened to them: Some have died in drug overdoses. Some have been raped. Some have been murdered. Some have been sold into slavery, basically. It is devastating. I don't know how anybody could sit there and not care about people just like their mom, their dad, their brother, their sister, their spouse, their children, their grandchildren, or their nieces and nephews. But that is exactly what is going on here when we do not have the opportunity to hold Mayorkas accountable. I yield the floor.