Rick Scott

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, I submit the following notice in writing: In accordance with Rule V of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby give notice in writing that it is my intention to move to suspend Rule XXII, including the availability of a motion to table one or more of the Articles of Impeachment against Alejandro Mayorkas, for the purpose of allowing a full trial in which witnesses may be subpoenaed to testify about the loss of family members to the fentanyl crisis as a result of Mayorkas's actions that have caused ``the flow of fentanyl across the border and other dangerous drugs'' to increase dramatically, as alleged in the first Article of Impeachment against him.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, I submit the following notice in writing: In accordance with Rule V of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby give notice in writing that it is my intention to move to suspend the following portions of the Rules and Procedure and Practice in the Senate When Sitting on Impeachment Trials in regard to debate by Senators during the trial of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas: (1) The phrase ``without debate'' in Rule VII; (2) The following portion of Rule XX: ``, unless the Senate shall direct the doors to be closed while deliberating upon its decisions. A motion to close the doors may be acted upon without objection, or, if objection is heard, the motion shall be voted on without debate by the yeas and nays, which shall be entered on the record''; and (3) In Rule XXIV, the phrases ``without debate'', ``except when the doors shall be closed for deliberation, and in that case'' and ``, to be had without debate'' for the purposes of allowing Senators to debate in open session during any portion of the trial.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, I want to make one thing clear to my Democrat colleagues: Your attempt to brush Secretary Mayorkas's impeachment trial under the rug is disgusting and unacceptable. It is truly unprecedented, violates Senate rules, and is possibly unconstitutional. The House of Representatives adopted two Articles of Impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas. Let me quote for you: Throughout his tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro N. Mayorkas has repeatedly violated laws enacted by Congress regarding immigration and border security. In large part because of his unlawful conduct, millions of aliens have illegally entered the United States on an annual basis with many unlawfully remaining in the United States. Alejandro N. Mayorkas has knowingly made false statements, and knowingly obstructed lawful oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, principally to obfuscate the result of his willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law. Now, it is the constitutional duty of the U.S. Senate to conduct an impeachment trial to determine if Secretary Mayorkas should be removed from office based on those Articles of Impeachment. I want to stress this again: Never in the history of the U.S. Senate has such a procedural move been attempted to completely avoid an impeachment trial. Senate Democrats' efforts to avoid fulfilling their constitutional duty to conduct this trial are just the latest attack by the left against our democratic process and institution. Senate Democrats want to eliminate the filibuster. They want to radically change the U.S. Supreme Court. Now they want to trash the impeachment process. This is a disturbing series of direct attacks on our democratic institutions. My colleagues and I have called on Senate leadership to conduct a trial. I have also personally called on Vice President Kamala Harris, urging her to fulfill her constitutional duty to serve as the presiding officer of Secretary Mayorkas's trial. Her appointment as President Biden's border czar only makes her role in the Mayorkas impeachment trial more critical. President Biden and his administration have created a crisis at our southern border. Secretary Mayorkas--a complete puppet for this lawless administration--has the audacity to come falsely testify before Senate and House committees that the border is secure. Not just once but multiple times Mayorkas has lied under oath in committee that our border is secure. He is lying to the American public. He is not taking the action needed to defend the homeland by securing the border or upholding the law. That is his job, and he is simply not doing it. Our Nation is reeling from the consequences of Mayorkas's failures. Our Nation is a more dangerous place because of Secretary Mayorkas's failures. He is allowing criminals, drugs, terrorists, and others into our communities. These are real consequences, and each victim has a name. Real Americans here to live their dream are being killed. Real American families are being torn apart by vicious crimes and deadly drugs because we have a wide-open border. Biden and Mayorkas refuse to enforce Federal law to secure the border, and innocent Americans like Laken Riley are paying the ultimate price for his failures. Ten million people--ten million people--have illegally crossed, and 6 million have been let into our country. There have been sexual assaults and murders committed by illegal aliens all across the country--even Florida, where a young man was recently killed. The man charged for his death is an illegal alien. I don't get it. I do not understand why my Democrat colleagues don't care. They don't care about 70,000 people dying of fentanyl overdose. They don't care about vicious crimes. They don't care about terrorists being let go in our country. Senate Democrats are saying they simply do not care. They are using every power they have to ignore this crisis, while innocent Americans die, and keep Congress from holding Mayorkas accountable. The proof is not just in this disgraceful effort to dismiss the impeachment trial. Let's remember what Democrats voted against. Democrats voted against a bill to stop illegal aliens from getting on a commercial flight with no verifiable ID. Think about that. You have to have an ID; they don't. Democrats voted against deporting illegal aliens who hurt police, the people who are here to take care of us. Democrats voted against the Laken Riley Act, which simply requires--it is a simple act--simply requires ICE to take illegal aliens who commit crimes into custody before tragedy strikes. Does Biden hope that millions of immigrants will vote for him? Many in his party want to allow illegal immigrants to vote. They even voted to allow the census to keep counting illegal aliens. It is because they want sanctuary cities and States to have more electoral votes and representation in Congress--not from Americans but from illegal aliens. That is the future the Democrats want. Biden has intentionally dismantled every ounce of border security Trump put in place and completely undermined our immigration system, and Mayorkas has done absolutely nothing to stop it. Mayorkas has clearly been derelict in his duties. He has neglected to protect the homeland--his job. He has allowed criminals to come into our country, into each and all of our communities, drugs to flow into our country. When I talk to Floridians, they are terrified. They are concerned about their family's safety because of who and what are coming across the southern border and into each and all of our communities. Mayorkas may simply be a puppet for the administration, but he is fully responsible for his negligence and failure to do his job. Mayorkas needs to either resign or needs to have the full and thorough trial that we are constitutionally obligated to conduct, as the American people, through their representatives, voted for. We must have an administration and DHS Secretary who is willing to secure the border, not ignore failure that is killing our citizens. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the EagleCam CubeSat Camera System, and the students and faculty who are tirelessly working on this project. EagleCam is a camera attached to the Odysseus Lunar Lander with the goal of capturing the world's first third-person views of a spacecraft landing on the Moon and is the first university-built payload on the Moon. The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University EagleCam Roster includes: Shania Melton, Vikas Patel, Emelia Kelly, Sam Horine, Daniel Posada, Daniel Lopez, Roberto Cuellar, Chris Hays, Alex Sholl, Bella Ruiz, Adrian Moraga, Taylor Yow, Joe Nicolich, Andrew Ankeny, Mohammed Effendi, Jarred Jordan. Jayaprakash Shivakumar, Grace Robertson, Hudson Merrick, Aryslan Malik, Madhur Tiwari, Tim Cole, David Zuehlke, Dalton Korczyk, Noemi Miguelez, Kevin Pepin, Justin Parkhurst, Sabrina Yepez, Dr. Troy Henderson, Dr. Eduardo Rojas, Dr. llhan Akbas, Dr. Jennifer Smith. I congratulate everyone involved in this project and encourage them to continue building on their success as the United States continues its mission to once again put men on the Moon.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I rise to honor the life of George E. ``Cotton'' Fletcher. Cotton Fletcher was born in St. Petersburg, FL, and shortly after moved to Newberry, FL, where he led family enterprises and created jobs for hard-working Floridians, including a 2,000-acre farm, the Newberry Fletcher Farm Equipment dealership, a cattle ranch, and a family-run sawmill in west Gainesville. Later he turned to property development as the president and CEO of the Fletcher Family of Companies. Mr. Fletcher also dedicated his life to service. He served in the U.S. Navy and the Air Force, retiring as a major from the Air Force Reserves. His service continued beyond the military, serving 53 years on the Alachua General Hospital Board, which later became Santa Fe Healthcare and included the founding of Haven Hospice in Gainesville, FL. He also served on the Florida Lottery Commission, the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, and as a Paul Harris Fellow Rotary Member. He is survived by his children Cheryl Hartley (Robert), Cindy Thompson, Deborah Diamond, and Blake Fletcher (Ashley); his sister-in- law Mary Fletcher, son-in-law Lester Thompson; 12 grandchildren Matthew, Bryce, Andrew, Ross, Myles, Chelsea, Ryan, Bella, Reagan, Landon, Greyson, Brady; and 6 great-grandchildren Brendan, Parker, Catherine, Emory, Claire, Ellie.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, since Joe Biden took office, inflation has exploded 17.9 percent. Prices on everything, especially groceries, are sky-high, and hard-working Americans aren't able to keep up. Unless we see significant deflation, which will only happen if we cut spending, there won't be a relief from the massive damage that Biden's inflation has caused. One of the best ways to cut reckless spending is to stop earmarks, and this bill has more than 6,600 of them costing taxpayers $12 billion. Earmarks are a corrupt practice. The American taxpayer should not be used as a political piggybank. My answer is simple: We should send this reckless spending bill back to committee and remove all earmarks before passage. Given that my Democrat colleagues have all removed at least one earmark from this bill, this shouldn't be a tough thing to do before government funding lapses.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, since Joe Biden took office, inflation has exploded 17.9 percent. Prices on everything, especially groceries, are sky-high, and hard-working Americans are not able to keep up. So think about what that means. If you haven't seen your pay rise by more than 17.9 percent since January 2021, you are behind because of Joe Biden's inflation. We know that is the reality for millions of Americans because real average weekly earnings have fallen 4.3 percent since Joe Biden took office. So when the press and Biden administration says: Good news, inflation is cooling, nobody in the real word is buying it because they see it is a lie each and every day. Unless we see significant deflation, which will only happen if we cut spending, then there won't be relief from the massive damage that Biden's inflation has already caused. One of the best ways to cut reckless spending is to take a serious look at earmarks. Now, I appreciate that Congress rightfully holds the purse strings under the Constitution. And my colleagues in the Senate know their States better than the Biden administration does. This is not about taking away authority from Congress. Neither Congress nor the President's Agencies should waste your money. Earmarks are pet projects that only benefit a small number of people; they are not voted on separately by Members of Congress. American taxpayers should not be used as a political piggybank. Earmarks have been so badly abused that we can't let it go on like this any longer. The time for forgiveness has passed. In just the Senate, Members requested more than 6,000 earmarks to waste your tax dollars on projects like $3.5 million for Michigan's Thanksgiving Parade Foundation; $1 million for an environmental justice center in New York--New York City has a budget already of $106 billion; don't you think they can do this on their own--$1 million for a social justice organization in San Francisco to make building improvements; $5 million for a theater, opera house, and other renovations in Georgia and Pennsylvania and city hall renovations in Washington and Rhode Island. Why does the Federal Government have to pay for this? The States and local governments should take the lead here. Today, the U.S. national debt is nearly $35 trillion. That is about $6.5 trillion more than it was when Biden took office. Here is an even more disturbing figure: Since January 20, 2023, about 14 months ago, the national debt has grown by more than $3 trillion. This explosion of America's national debt is a grave threat to the civility and security of our country, and it is not going to stop unless we force change. As someone who grew up in public housing and watched my mom struggle to put food on the table and pay taxes all of her life, I am furious about just how much failure in Washington is hurting hard-working families like my mom all across--families in Florida and all across the country. Again, we have seen inflation increase 17.9 percent since Joe Biden took office. In my home State of Florida, that means families have to spend $11,400 more to buy the same things. That is nearly $1,000 more a month each and every single month just to get by the same way they did the day before Biden took office. The status quo is burying America alive. That is why I am hoping all of my colleagues will join me in supporting the resolution against earmarks I will be filing today. My resolution condemns the use of congressionally directed spending and community project funding, known as earmarks, to direct and appropriate taxpayer dollars in any form; reaffirms the previous ban on the use of earmarks and affirms to restore the ban permanently and immediately; and affirms the need for Congress to rein in overspending to help curb the inflation crisis that is crippling the families of the United States. Debt matters because it fuels inflation. Just remember that. Debt fuels inflation. It makes it harder for the Federal Government to do the things it promised to do, like build roads and fund Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and national defense. Americans know that the debt and inflation crisis we find ourselves in today was 100 percent preventable. I believe we ought to fund the things that matter in government, like national defense, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, but that is not going to happen if we don't stop spending money on these worthless projects. If we truly intend to protect and preserve these programs and the core services and responsibilities the Federal Government is charged with providing to American taxpayers, we have to cut the reckless spending. If nothing changes, the interest on our debt, which is already costing us $870 billion this year--more than we spend on defense--is going to keep going up. Soon, the government will not be able to keep its promise. That is not fair to each of you, and we should not let that happen. We all need to work together to end earmarks and protect American taxpayer dollars.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I stand to recognize and congratulate Mr. Jon Shaw on his retirement from Federal Civilian Service after serving over 16 years in U.S. Central Command's Special Staff Office of Legislative Affairs. Mr. Shaw served in various legislative affairs positions including legislative analyst, deputy director, and executive director. In his civilian service, Mr. Shaw has served under nine commanders from Admiral Fallon, General Dempsey, General Petraeus, General Allen, General Mattis, General Austin, General Votel, General McKenzie, and U.S. Central Command's present commander, General Kurilla. During his time in the civil service, Mr. Shaw has been a part of numerous operational planning teams, crisis action teams, councils, and boards providing legislative expertise. Mr. Shaw's 44 years of faithful service to our Nation began on April 4, 1980, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. His 23 years of military service culminated with his retirement as a sergeant major from U.S. Central Command on 1 October 2003. Once again, congratulations to Mr. Shaw on his retirement and for his service to the United States of America.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, some of my Democratic colleagues want you to believe any opposition to their agenda is evil and unjustified. They have claimed for weeks that mere questions about the $95 billion--$95 billion--bill the Senate is now considering are rooted in some radical, rightwing, anti-democracy conspiracy, and the liberal press prints these lies as gospel. It has destroyed the Senate and ignores the history of our great Nation. One of the first decisions facing our new Republic was whether to engage in the conflict raging between French revolutionaries and an alliance of European nations led by Great Britain. As we know, President George Washington ultimately decided to remain neutral in that conflict, knowing the new nation was not prepared to assume the grand responsibilities of supporting a cause, no matter how noble, while properly attending to the pressing matters facing his new government here at home. America was cash strapped and war weary. In the centuries that have passed since that moment, our great Nation has evolved. The United States has grown into the leader of the free world, the true global superpower, representing the ideals of liberty, freedom, and democracy, and standing staunchly against oppression and tyranny wherever they are found. We no longer must wrestle with these decisions the ways our Founders did, but we still face tremendous domestic challenges that I am sure Washington, Hamilton, and Jefferson could never have imaged in April of 1793. Today, we are once again cash strapped, and we are war weary. Like never before, Americans are questioning whether their Federal Government has lost its way and now fails to represent the people they elected. I hear story after story of the decisions made by the Biden administration. People say: Who made those decisions? Less than 25 percent of the country believes we are on the right track--25 percent. That is not good for government. Decades of politicians in Washington being addicted to earmarks and pushing reckless fiscal policy have decimated the financial health of our great Nation--in last year's omnibus, 7,500 earmarks. The United States is more than $34 trillion in debt, soon to exceed $35 trillion, and a budget deficit projected this year of nearly $1.8 trillion. I think, when Ronald Reagan got elected, the national debt was less than $1 trillion. Since 2019, the U.S. population has increased just 1.8 percent. How much do you think our Federal budget is up? If 1.8 percent increase in the population, what would you think? So 5 percent, 10 percent, maybe 20 percent? No, our Federal budget is said to increase by 55 percent. Were Federal revenues up last year 5 percent, 10 percent? No, they were down 9 percent. In the last 3 months, we lost nearly 1.6 million full-time jobs. Now part-time jobs are up. They are up more than 850,000 as more Americans can't find full-time work. Company after company after company doing layoffs. Americans can't find full-time work and have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. When they put out the real labor statistics numbers, and they say, oh, this number of jobs were created, do you think that is a full-time job for that person? That might be a part-time job by the same person-- two jobs, three jobs. Biden's bad economy and reckless policies have created massive inflation. It is up 17 percent since he took office. This causes immense pain for families every day, especially poor families like mine growing up. Go to the grocery store. Look at the cost of food. Go look at the cost of a house and the cost of a car. Then look at what the interest rate is or the mortgage rate when you want to buy a house or the interest rate when you want to buy a car or the interest rate on credit card debt. Unfortunately, the world's evil regimes and tyrants will not wait. They are not going to wait for the United States to be in top fighting financial shape or fiscal shape to launch their attacks. And the weakness--the weakness--in the Biden administration has emboldened them to sow chaos in nearly every corner of the world. Iran and its proxies, like Hamas, Houthis, and Hezbollah, are waging war against Israel and fighting the Jewish State and its people. Russia continues its war in Ukraine, creating instability not seen in Europe since World War II. Communist China continues to threaten the United States and prepare for an invasion of Taiwan that will up-end world trade and destabilize the Indo-Pacific even further. I can't imagine why any American would ever buy a product made in communist China. They steal our jobs. They send precursors here. Madam President, 75,000 people die from drug overdoses every year. They threaten our allies like Taiwan. America is weak under President Joe Biden, and our enemies--they know it. That is why American enemies are exploiting us and our great ally Israel. Look where we are. There is a land war in Europe, Israel is under constant attack, and evil tyrants like Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are watching and waiting to pounce. The conflict in the Red Sea makes this fact indisputable. The increasing number of attacks by the Houthi militia in the Red Sea matter to every American family. The attacks are a huge problem because so many vessels going through this area are critical to world trade. Right now, companies trying to get goods across the globe have a decision to make: Go through an area with a clear and present danger or choose a much longer, more expensive route, which will lead to delays and huge costs to consumers. This is all because of Joe Biden's weakness. This is what happens when you let terrorists and their sponsors, like Iran, run rampant and dictate how the world works. The result is always more violence, less scrutiny, less security, and serious consequences for American families for everything from the price of goods to their safety overseas. That is what we see today as Biden's weakness needlessly pushes America towards World War III. This bill does nothing to hold Iran accountable. Let me repeat that. This bill does nothing--absolutely nothing--to hold Iran accountable. Americans don't want war, but instead of standing up to Iran with a credible deterrent to prevent it, Biden has rewarded them. Biden has rewarded Iran with billions of dollars, which Iranians have used to enrich their nuclear program and fund terrorist enterprises like Hamas and the Houthis. Before Biden took office, the United States oversaw the deployment of more naval assets, which was good for Israel, the United States, and global commerce. Now he is weakening this posture. Biden started his Presidency by removing the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. Why? He never could explain it. He did that on February 16, 2021, which was a massive mistake. This has empowered them to raise funds and grow in power as Iran's proxy against Israel. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that the United States finally redesignated these terrorist thugs as a foreign terrorist organization. It only happened after, week after week after week, the Biden administration tolerated their attacks, which just created danger and disruption to the global economy. The United States and capable partners should have stymied these attacks before they started by destroying key assets months ago when they began terrorizing our trade operations. Biden would have been wise to have taken a page from the Trump playbook sooner and acted quickly and early to show U.S. strength and to deter ongoing attacks. For far too long, Biden refused to do any of this because he is a weak President. For a President who ran on multilateral internationalism, Biden has proven completely ineffective in bringing along most of our allies in times of conflict. This is the reason the world is at war now. Again, nothing in this bill is going to hold Iran accountable-- absolutely nothing. It pains me to say this because we all want the President to be strong regardless of their party. But we know Biden will never be capable of being a strong leader. That is not who he is. That is just not who he is. He will never really stand up to terrorism, hold our allies responsible to truly stand beside us, not behind us, and show the world the grave consequences of threatening the shared economic and security interests of the United States and our allies. U.S. power and engagement ensure the freedom of the seas without interference from bad actors and make the world safer and more prosperous. That has been why Iran is not directly attacking Israel. Currently, the U.S. Navy is the only military force in the world that can see and attempt to control the various battle spaces that exist or could exist. Our superiority and intelligence gathering allow our allies to cooperate in this effort to deter and, when necessary, defeat our enemies. Right now, there is a serious disparity in what the U.S. taxpayers contribute toward this critical issue compared to other freedom-loving nations. I believe this needs to be fixed. This bill does nothing to address this issue. The United States spends $886 billion a year on defense to protect ourselves and our interests around the world. The European Union spends $295 billion. On top of that, the United States has accrued a more than $130 billion trade deficit with the EU. Just as we forced NATO countries to agree to a minimum 2 percent on their own military spending, we must insist on support from all those benefiting from our protection of the seas. These nations need to boost military spending and fix these trade deficits with increased purchases of American goods. More importantly, we need the President to hold them to that. This bill does nothing to address these concerns. Proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen continue to escalate because the Biden administration has shown it will do little to stop them. Communist China, Iran, and Russia want to use intimidation tactics to dictate the flow of goods and services around the globe. The United States must lead the free world to ensure these bad actors are deterred, but we should not do it alone. As President Ronald Reagan said, the key to security and the preservation of our sovereignty is ``peace through strength.'' Joe Biden has never said that. His words echo George Washington's Farewell Address to the Nation, who told us that if you want to live in peace, you must prepare for war. Neither of these great leaders were warmongers, but both understood that diplomacy and international agreements without great strength do not secure peace; rather, it is having the means and the will to deter and defeat enemies that guarantee peace and our sovereignty. While chaos continues abroad, America's national security is actually being threatened each and every day by an invasion of single adult males at our own borders--one that President Biden's lawless actions have created, encouraged, and maintained. These have been self- inflicted wounds by Joe Biden. This is the sad reality for a nation under the weak leadership of Joe Biden, and it has forced this body to deal with world events in a way that I am sure many of us dislike. I say all of this to put the moment we find ourselves in today into the honest context that it deserves but that is so often ignored or purposely manipulated by Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media. The United States cannot ignore the massive threats we face to our national security and prosperity that I have just outlined. On that, I hope we can all agree. But as this body so often does, especially under the control of our Democratic colleagues, the Senate is about to again fail to meet this moment with responsible and appropriate legislation. Rather than negotiating a bill for border security in the public, we were kept in the dark for months and ultimately failed to negotiate a border security deal with Democrats that could actually get Republican support and pass because it did not require Biden to secure the border. This bill completely failed to deliver what most of our conference supported in tying the disbursement of Ukraine aid to real reductions of illegal immigration at the southern border. This bill was our only chance to get Joe Biden to do his job--our only chance. Voters in Florida, my home State, want a secure border today, they want inflation to cease, and they want better paying full-time jobs. Our Republican conference demanded a secure border before we helped Ukraine secure their border--makes sense. Our Republican conference supported tying the disbursement of Ukraine aid to real reductions of illegal immigration at the southern border. In December, I and my good friend and colleague from Wisconsin, Senator Ron Johnson, wrote an op-ed on this topic. We made clear this is where the Republican conference wanted us to go. Let me read it for you: President Biden's open border policy is a clear and present danger to America. We believe a U.S. president's primary responsibility is to defend the country's citizens and our Constitution. When it comes to border security, he is doing neither. Rather than address and alleviate this clear and present danger, President Biden and his Democrat allies in Congress are the root cause. Although the Biden administration and mainstream media are far from transparent when reporting on the current border crisis, what we do know paints a disturbing reality. Since Biden took office, approximately 9.5 million migrants have illegally entered America. Approximately 3 million have been returned, mostly under the pandemic emergency provisions of Title 42. That leaves over 6 million that have taken up residency in America under Joe Biden. To put that number in perspective, 31 States have a population less than 6 million. Even though New York City declared itself a sanctuary city, Mayor Eric Adams now asserts that the 100,000 migrants who accepted the invitation will destroy his city. But the 100,000 migrants Mayor Adams claimed will destroy New York City represent less than 2 percent of the migrants Biden has allowed to enter. The other 98 percent are dispersed all over America, creating enormous burdens for cities of all sizes. When the Biden administration took over, the border was largely secure. Once in office, the Biden administration claimed President Trump's policies that had secured the border were ``inhumane,'' and they abruptly reversed course. The very unfortunate result is that Biden's open border policy is now facilitating the multibillion-dollar business model of some of the most evil people on the planet--sex, drug, and human traffickers. It is hard to believe anybody would want to do that. The depredations caused by this trafficking occur in the shadows and go largely unreported. Overdose deaths, largely from fentanyl coming through the southwest border, topped 100,000 annually--100,000 annually. There is nothing humane about Biden's policies. In addition to its inhumanity, the open border represents a huge national and homeland security threat. Of the 6 million migrants who got in, 1.7 million were detected crossing the border and accounted for as known ``got-aways.'' We obviously don't ``know'' who these people are or where they currently reside. In a recent hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, of which we are both members, FBI Director Christopher Wray stated in response to my questioning: What has now increased is the greater possibility of one of these Foreign Terror Organizations directing an attack in the United States. . . . It is time to be concerned. These are Director Wray's words. ``We are in a dangerous period,'' according to Director Wray. ``The terror threats have elevated'' since Joe Biden took office. These were all Director Wray's words. With an open border, it is obvious how and where foreign terrorist organizations would insert their fighters into our country. President Biden's failure to secure the border means it is up to Republicans to use any leverage we can--including his administration's desire to provide foreign aid to Ukraine--to secure it once and for all. Regardless of how anyone feels regarding support for Ukraine, and we are skeptical, we believe securing America's border and protecting our citizens should take precedence. A recent column stated that support for Ukraine combined with ``modest immigration reform'' would be a ``win/win.'' With a President who actually wanted to secure the border and could be counted on to faithfully execute the laws Congress passes, that might be true. Unfortunately, we have a lawless administration and a President who wants an open border. (Ms. BUTLER assumed the Chair.) Remember when the Supreme Court ruled that an eviction moratorium was unconstitutional? President Biden extended it anyway. SCOTUS also ruled that forgiving student loans was unconstitutional. President Biden continues to forgive them. As a result, the strongest border security legislation probably won't work under President Biden. Republicans must insist not only on strong legislative language but also on making any Ukraine funding contingent on achieving benchmarks proving the border is being secured. The metric should be the number of migrants dispersed in America each month, which would include but not be limited to migrants encountered, processed, and released, regardless of the waiver or program used, plus the detected ``got-aways.'' Each month, the administration would be forced to significantly reduce the number of migrants getting into America, and its ability to disburse U.S. taxpayer money to aid for Ukraine would be tied to achieving those monthly goals. Under existing law, President Trump went from peak to trough of illegal immigration in 12 months using ``Remain in Mexico'' and safe third country agreements in Central America. Using that precedent of releasing aid to Ukraine only as we ramp down to a secure border over a 12-month period is a reasonable expectation. House Republicans should not consider and Senate Republicans should deny cloture on any Ukraine funding that falls short of this requirement. That is what we wrote then, and that is what we believe today. We made our position very clear, and nearly all of our fellow Republican Senators agreed with this when we spoke about it in our meetings. We all agreed. I remain interested in negotiating and voting for a bill that secures our border today, that stops the flow of drugs across our border so fewer Americans die, and that stops more criminals, terrorists, and traffickers from coming into communities now in a fiscally responsible manner. When I was in business, I negotiated and closed a lot of deals, and I knew that if I couldn't walk away from the table, I would never get a good deal. I also knew that I would never get a good deal if the people sitting across from me didn't want the same outcome I did. We have to walk away from the table until we are negotiating with people who share the same goals as our conference--a secure border today. The result, unfortunately, is what we have before us today--a wildly unaccountable foreign aid package that does absolutely nothing to secure the U.S. southern border and could funnel billions in borrowed money to Hamas terrorists and into the salaries of Ukrainian politicians. This bill claims to address the invasion of Ukraine while ignoring the invasion we face here in the United States. This bill could send billions in borrowed money into Gaza, which is still dominated by the Iran-backed Hamas terrorists who killed more than 1,200 Israelis and more than 30 Americans--30 Americans--and are still holding Americans hostage. I am unapologetically pro-Israel. I have had the honor of visiting Israel five times as both Florida's Governor and as a U.S. Senator. What happened on October 7 horrified the world and struck me personally. Two of my grandsons were staying with me that morning, and we watched with horror what happened. I told them about my visits to Israel and visits to one of the kibbutzim that was really close to the Gaza Strip. In 2019, Ann, my wife, and I visited Kfar Aza--one of the kibbutzim that was the site of a complete massacre. As the early reports were coming out, I was really worried about the kibbutz because of its proximity to Gaza. It is only about half a mile away. I told my grandsons this. 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 because I knew so many people there. My wife and I had spent an afternoon there, and it was one of the most peaceful places we had ever visited. I keep thinking about the moms and kids who played outside while 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 lady who led our tour of the kibbutz, who fortunately was traveling outside Israel that day and survived. If she had been home, she wouldn't have survived. Most of the people on her street were murdered just because they were Jews. I was able to talk with her, and she had not yet been able to go home. She said it was unclear if she will ever be allowed back. Can you even imagine? So many of us in this Chamber are so deeply connected to Israel, I will bet many of you will have a story like mine. On the day I went to the kibbutz, we walked all around. We walked to where, you know, they take all their kids to school. It was moms and kids. The dads were all at work. We saw the bomb shelters, and basically what they were set up for is for missile attacks. They told me stories about how Hamas was sending balloons over, and they would have explosives on them, with the hope that kids would grab the balloons and get hurt. We were told that when the missiles came, they had 15 seconds to get ready to get into a bomb shelter. They said the kids learned, as soon as the sounds went off, to raise their hands because hopefully somebody would pick them up and take them to a bomb shelter. We know people in the IDF who have been called to serve, many from my great State of Florida. We have friends all over Israel who have spent days in bomb shelters as rockets have been launched by terrorists intent on wiping Israel and Jews off the face of the Earth. I have met with survivors and hostage families. I can give you one of the stories. A young lady was out at the festival. She had been to the festival the year before, and she had had a great time. So she was going to go this year with her boyfriend, and she invited, I think, every friend she knew to the festival. Every one of her friends was killed except for two who were taken hostage. When I met with her, she didn't know what had happened to them, and she was just in shock because every one of her friends was dead, and it is because she invited them. 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 are home. You know, we have these Hamas protesters coming to the Capitol, and they ask for a ceasefire. I think it is great to have a ceasefire the day after every Hamas terrorist is dead. Every Hamas terrorist should be killed. What they have done is despicable. These monsters--if you have seen any of the videos--beheaded children and babies. They raped girls and burned innocent civilians alive. Can you imagine? It is barbaric. 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 that it will be used to help terrorists who are holding Americans hostage, but that is exactly what this bill does. Do you know what I don't understand? I have not seen one picture of Joe Biden in the White House Situation Room, talking about what he is doing to bring home any American hostages--not one. In that first speech he gave when he talked about what happened on October 7, he talked about hostages like for 15 seconds. It is like he does not care. You know, you talk about the things you care about. He never talks about American hostages--ever. So how does it feel to be an American family, with a family member who is being held hostage in Gaza, and knowing that your President doesn't care? I want to make sure everyone understands exactly what I am saying here, which is a fact: Every dollar--every dollar--that goes to Gaza directly benefits Hamas. How do they pay for all of those tunnels? How do they pay for all of those rockets? How do they pay for them? They take humanitarian aid and use it to do those things. You saw the attack in Israel. They had humanitarian aid--first aid kits--that they took with them. I have spent every day since October 7 telling the stories of those being held hostage in Gaza by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists. I think it is important that the world never forgets, never forgets, never forgets what happened on October 7. I have a poster outside my office that features the faces of the hostages, and I will not take it down until they are all home. Unfortunately, President Joe Biden has not done the same. I don't understand why the President of the United States isn't speaking every single day. He should be speaking every single day about Americans being held hostage by Hamas terrorists and what he is doing to get them out. The IDF just rescued two American hostages in a mission that the Biden administration urged them not to do. Can you imagine? The IDF was urged not to do something by the Biden administration that rescued two American hostages. Who does this? What President would do this? What has Biden done to rescue American hostages? Many of my colleagues recall the name of 9-year-old Emily Hand. Emily and her father Thomas lived in the small kibbutz of Be'eri, which was ruthlessly targeted and destroyed by Hamas during the attacks. I guess quite a few of the individuals I have met with--hostages, people who survived the attack in Be'eri--said that by the grace of God were they alive, and they have not been able to go home. In the days immediately following the attacks, Emily's dad was initially told that his daughter, who had spent the night at a friend's house just a few doors down, was killed. I am a father of two daughters and a grandfather of seven grandchildren. Watching this father speak about the murder of his daughter is heart-wrenching. He said to CNN at the time: They just said we found Emily, and she's dead. And what did he say? Here is what he said: And I went ``Yes!'' And I smiled because that is the best news of the possibilities that I knew. . . . She was either dead or in Gaza. And if you know anything about what they do to people in Gaza, that is worse than death. This is the statement of a father of a daughter who thought it would be better for her to be dead than to be a hostage in Gaza. Soon, to his relief and horror, Thomas learned that Emily was, in fact, alive and being held hostage by Hamas. This beautiful, innocent little girl spent 50 days as a hostage in Gaza. If you go look at the poster outside my office, these are beautiful people, innocent individuals. While I am sure that Thomas thanks God every day to have his little girl back in his arms today, he knows that the child he had on October 6 is no longer alive. Emily will never be the same as she was before she was taken. It has been more than 120 days since the attacks, and some parents are still waiting for their children to come home. Can you imagine? Your child has been kidnapped, and you have no idea what is happening to him. All you can assume is the worst. Little baby Kfir Bibas's first birthday was spent as a hostage in Gaza. His 4-year-old brother Ariel is also still being held hostage. There is a group of individuals who put together milk cartons, with the pictures of the hostages--you know, like the kids who were on the missing list for Americans. They have done it, and they have distributed these around the country. I have one in my office with a picture of Ariel, a little 4-year-old boy. Kfir and Ariel's parents have been waiting for more than 4 months to hold their babies again. Now, unfortunately, we have heard horrible reports that these innocent children may no longer be alive. Why has Joe Biden given money to Gazans who are holding American hostages? What American President would do that? Why would we allow Biden to give more money to Gazans who are holding American hostages? I just can't believe this is happening. 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 that goes to Gaza funds the terrorism of Hamas-- more tunnels, more weapons, more rockets, more destruction? Hamas is there to kill Jews and destroy Israel, our ally. What are we doing to get American hostages released? Do we have a daily report from Joe Biden on what he is doing? Do we have a report by General Austin as to what he has done? Do we have any idea what the Biden administration is doing to get American hostages home? I won't stop stating this fact: Every dollar that goes into Gaza directly benefits Hamas. So Hamas kills Israelis and Americans, they take them hostage, and Joe Biden gives Gazans money that goes to benefit Hamas. You can't make this stuff up. That is the undeniable truth. That is why I have been fighting for years to pass my Stop Taxpayer Funding to Hamas Act, which prevents U.S. tax dollars from going to Gaza unless the Biden administration can certify that not a single cent will go to Hamas. It is pretty basic: They hold the Americans hostage, they shouldn't get money. 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 kill Jews and kill Americans. We cannot allow an American family with a family member being held hostage in Gaza to see their tax dollars go there. An American family, your daughter is being held hostage, and your tax dollars go to the same people who are holding your daughter hostage--Joe Biden is doing that. We have seen reports that the Palestinian Authority has been paying over $300 million a year in monthly salaries to terrorist prisoners and in monthly allowances to families of dead terrorists. You wouldn't think that Joe Biden would want to give any money to the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority who pays terrorists and their families should not receive U.S. tax dollars, but this bill will allow more of that. You can't believe this is happening with your tax dollars. 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'' channel aid there in a manner that does its best to go to the people of Gaza. Don't do your best. No dollars to terrorists, period. 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. Zero dollars. Don't do your best. No dollars. The Biden administration thinks the risk of resources going to Hamas terrorists is OK because ``in life there are no guarantees.'' I completely reject that. I will not leave anything to chance when it comes to preventing U.S. taxpayer money from being sent to the brutal terrorists that have slaughtered so many Israelis and Americans-- American citizens. That is why I wasn't surprised, actually, in August 2021, when the Senate voted 99 to 0 for my amendment to a budget bill that would have made the Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act the law of the land. But as we would learn soon after this vote, the Democrats only voted for it because they knew that in the final text of the bill, written by Democrats, my language would be mysteriously missing. They only voted for it because they knew it didn't matter. I have tried twice more since then to pass a legislation in the Senate, and the Democrats have blocked it twice. Why would a Democrat want money to go to Hamas? I don't get it. Look, I know the left has a big problem on its hands as so many Democrats rally for Hamas and against Israel in the streets of liberal cities and on the campuses of America's universities. You would think that Democrats would be eager to show that they don't support Hamas. Instead, they blocked my bill proving that there is no interest in the Democratic Party to stand up to these people who absolutely hate Israel and hate Jews. That is why I asked earlier today to make my amendment to add my Stop Taxpayer Funding to Hamas Act to this bill. It is common sense. Democrats blocked even voting on this again today--just a vote. I have listened to my Democratic colleagues talk about how we need a cease-fire and how we need to make sure that the children in Gaza get support. Well, if you want aid to go to the children in Gaza, you would want to make sure it doesn't go to Hamas, and you would want to expect this administration to do everything they could to make sure money doesn't go to Hamas. But as you have heard, they are going to work at it. But they are going to work in partnership with the Palestinian Authority. What do you think are the chances that that is going to work out very well? We have also tried twice to pass the standalone Israel aid bill that would not send money to Gaza, but Democrats blocked that too. Each and every Democrat voted against aid to Israel. So don't tell me or my colleagues who oppose this bill that we don't stand with Israel when Democrats have twice blocked our bill, then all voted against it--which has already passed in the House--to immediately send money to Israel. If they had not voted against it, it could have gone to Biden weeks ago, and Israel could have gotten more aid. Let me be clear on one more thing: Since the day that Vladimir Putin launched Russia's unlawful invasion of Ukraine, I have stood strongly on the side of the Ukrainian people. But there are numerous unanswered questions. We don't know what has happened to the $100 billion of aid that has already gone to Ukraine. We have no idea what our plan is. What is our plan to win? Why would we pay the salaries of Ukraine politicians with borrowed money? Will Biden give Ukraine the weapons they need to actually win? If so, why didn't he do it in the beginning, when Ukraine could have absolutely destroyed the Russian military? They were all sitting ducks along the highway. Why didn't Biden give them the weapons to absolutely destroy the Russian military? Why not? Why can't Congress pay for this with savings from other areas? And the most important one is, why is the Ukraine border more important than the U.S. border? Why is this bill being rushed through with no support for securing our southern border? Ukraine must win, and Russia must lose; there is no question. That is what is in the best interest of America's national security. That is why I have said that we should continue to provide lethal aid--lethal aid--to Ukraine, paid for with seized Russian assets, so Ukraine can win its war and have a clear plan for how Ukraine will win. We need to answer these questions and be strategic about how we protect our interests, especially as we add to America's 34 trillion dollars' worth of debt, soon to hit $35 trillion. The American people will no longer tolerate borrowing billions of dollars to pay the government expenses and salaries of the Ukrainian politicians. We are borrowing money to pay for the Ukraine politicians. It is not a loan; it is just a gift. Nor will U.S. voters tolerate this government having no plan for how Ukraine will win, how U.S. resources will help it win, and how we are making sure that every dollar is spent with one mission in mind: defeating Russia. Concern grows when we see that Ukraine has fired another top military official and seems to be struggling to show a clear path to victory. Without more information, we are left to assume the worst--that this entire bill has no clear mission but to accomplish the appearance of unity so that American politicians can fly over with a giant check and deliver hollow speeches about moral righteousness. It doesn't sooth our concerns when we hear the majority whip say on this floor that we must pass this now so that he can go to Munich this week and pontificate about a bill that the Speaker of the House has repeatedly stated will never become law. Let me just read what the Speaker said today: House Republicans were crystal clear from the very beginning of discussions that any so-called national security supplemental legislation must recognize that national security begins at our own border. The House acted 10 months ago to help enact transformative policy change by passing the Secure Our Border Act, and since then, including today, the Senate has failed to meet the moment. The Senate did the right thing last week by rejecting the Ukraine, Taiwan, Gaza, Israel immigration legislation due to its insufficient border provisions. The Speaker said that the Senate ``should have gone back to the drawing board to amend the current bill to include real border security provisions that will actually help end the ongoing catastrophe.'' Instead, the Senate's foreign aid bill is silent on the most pressing issue facing our country. The mandate of national security supplemental legislation was to secure America's own border before sending additional foreign aid around the world. It is what the American people demand and deserve. Now in the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work on its own will on these important matters. America deserves better than the Senate's status quo. So what we are going to do, this bill is going to be rushed through with no amendments. There will not be an amendment on this bill. So a bill that was negotiated in the dark by a few people, changed--only a few people knew that--is now going to pass, and the Speaker of the House has repeatedly stated it is never going to become law. This bill accomplishes nothing. If my colleagues were actually serious about aiding Ukraine in its war against Russia's invasion, they would work with us in good faith, sit down with the Speaker of the House and House leaders, and produce a bill that can pass here and in the House. As I said, I want Ukraine to win, and I want Russia to lose. But that does not mean I am or should be willing to simply accept any offer thrown down by the Democrats that they claim but cannot prove would advance that cause, all while America is being invaded as a result of our open border. So if you are a general, and your left flank is being invaded and you do nothing to shore that up, you get fired, and you lose the battle. We are being invaded. I will not accept anything that ignores the most urgent threat to U.S. national security: Joe Biden's wide open southern border. This should not need to be said here on the floor of the U.S. Senate, but securing America's border is more important than securing the border of any other country. We represent America. We should be able to do both. And, frankly, the fact that we aren't using revenue generated from seized Russian assets to pay for Ukraine aid is ridiculous. But that is how things work here. Your Federal Government cannot continue to stroke massive checks to borrow more money while providing zero accountability to the American people. The people of Florida are sick of this. I am sick of it. I think about all Americans are sick of this. The deal has always been Ukraine aid for border security--not immigration policy, but real border security today. Florida families are feeling the impact of this administration's lawless border policies each and every day as deadly fentanyl, criminals, terrorists, and human traffickers pour across Biden's open borders. In 2021, how many children, 14- to 18-year-olds, died of fentanyl? Over 1,000--1,145. That is a classroom of students dying each and every week. In 2022, I heard from a mom in Kissimmee, FL, whose son was in the Air Force. He came home to visit her and surprise her on Mother's Day weekend. He visited an old friend who he didn't know had begun dealing drugs. The friend convinced the young man to take a Xanax, which was unknowingly laced with fentanyl, and the mom found her son dead. Can you imagine? It is heartbreaking, and there are more stories like this all over the country. I don't understand why Joe Biden doesn't care. Over 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2021--72 percent of those from opioids like fentanyl. Families in Florida and every State across the Nation are being torn apart by these deadly drugs coming over the border. Think about how many families are being just torn apart as a result of this open border? My Democratic colleagues seem to finally be acknowledging this crisis on TV, but they are not willing to stand up to this President and force him to do what we all know is right--secure the border today. I can't imagine why. It is obvious to everyone that the invasion of our southern border is what Biden wants. Let's take a look at the numbers. Joe Biden was inaugurated on January 20, 2021. He inherited the most secure U.S. southern border in modern history. In some of his first acts as President, he used his Executive power to dismantle the policies that President Trump used to secure the border and sent a clear message to the cartels: The border is now wide open for smuggling, and President Biden is not going to do anything to stop you. The surge of illegal immigration started almost immediately. In February 2021, right after Biden was inaugurated, there was more than 101,000 encounters of illegal aliens attempting to cross our southern border between ports of entry. That was a massive increase of what we saw the prior month. From there, the numbers continued to skyrocket. March `21 saw 173,000 encounters with illegal aliens between ports of entry. By July 2021, encounters with illegal aliens between ports of entry skyrocketed to more than 213,000. That is more than 213,000 people attempting to illegally enter the United States in just 1 month. I point this out to make something very clear: The border was secure, and then Joe Biden took office, and the cartels got their message loud and clear. The invasion hasn't stopped since. In fiscal year 2022, the first full fiscal year under the Biden administration, there were more than 2.3 million encounters with illegal aliens between ports of entry. These aren't families searching for a better life; they are mostly single adults. Of those 2.3 million encounters with illegal aliens at our southern border, more than 1.6 million were single adults, most of whom are military-aged men. That is 70 percent of all people who are trying to illegally enter the United States. Even more terrifying, 98 of the people caught trying to illegally sneak into our country in fiscal year 2022 were on the Terror Watchlist. Here is another terrible stat for you from that period: CBP seized more than 14,000 pounds of fentanyl along the southern border. Now, just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be a lethal dose, and they seized more than 14,000 pounds. That is enough fentanyl to kill 3 billion people. Think about how much fentanyl crossed the border without being seized. In fiscal year 2023, things got worse, and we saw more than 2.4 million encounters with illegal aliens between ports of entry. Again, these aren't families searching for a better life; they are mostly single adults. Of those 2.4 million encounters with illegal aliens at our southern border, 60 percent--more than 1.5 million--were single adults, again, most of whom are military-aged men. And 169 people in the Terror Watchlist tried to illegally sneak into our country during fiscal year 2023. And the drugs continued to flow into our country. Last fiscal year, CBP seized nearly 27,000 pounds of fentanyl along the southern border. That is enough fentanyl to kill 6 billion people. Last December--2 months ago--more than 300,000 illegal aliens were encountered trying to unlawfully enter the United States. This is an invasion and a clear and present danger to the safety of every American. Even Al Sharpton called it an invasion on his MSNBC show last week. But Senate Democrats and Joe Biden still won't do what is needed to fix it. Biden's open-door policy is a clear and present danger to every American family. I have gone to the border quite a bit. I go down there--so right after Biden took over, I went down there, and you saw the wall being built. And then they didn't finish the gates. Still just laying there. People pour across. I was at one place where people were just able to fly into Mexico. They took a flight, took a bus up to the border, and they just walked across the border. CBP picked them up, and within days, they were anywhere they wanted to be in the United States. Then we found that they could get on a flight right after they were released without any ID. By the way, they don't have IDs. Go to the Mexico side, there are IDs everywhere. On our side, there are no IDs. On our side, they don't have an ID. They are just given an ICE arrest warrant, and they can go on a commercial flight with you. And the Biden regulations say they don't have to have an ID. They don't have to have a picture. They can decline. They can say they don't want their picture taken. But you try that. An American can't do that. You wouldn't get on the flight. This is a reality that Joe Biden refuses to go see. I want to mention one more thing I talked about earlier again because this really needs to be driven home. My Democratic colleagues want to act like any criticism of the Biden administration is just Republican attacks, but here is what the FBI Director told me just a few months ago. In a hearing at the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last October, I pushed FBI Director Christopher Wray about the threats we are facing because of Joe Biden's open border. In his response to me, Director Wray said: We went through a period where the traditional-structured Foreign Terrorist Organization threat in the U.S. subsided some in favor of this inspired, ISIS-inspired let's say, attack . . . to be clear that threat has not gone away. What has now increased is the greater possibility of one of these Foreign Terrorist Organizations directing an attack in the United States. He went on to say: It is a time to be concerned. We are in a dangerous period. He also said that, since Joe Biden took office, ``The terror threats have elevated.'' Those are the words of FBI Director Christopher Wray. How can anyone ignore what he said? At what point are my colleagues on the left going to be serious about this? I think the answer, unfortunately, is never. The so-called border bill they negotiated in secret wasn't an honest attempt to do anything on the border. And when it was clear that the bill they wrote would fail, they totally abandoned the idea of border security and immediately moved to the bill before us today, which will never pass in the House, will never become law, and does nothing on the border. Let's remember what Speaker Johnson said. House Republicans were crystal clear from the very beginning of the discussions that any so- called national security supplemental legislation must recognize that national security begins at our own border. It will not pass the House. The people of Florida refuse to ignore these threats, threats that are a clear and present danger to the safety and security of the United States. We will not pretend it is OK to take care of the border in Ukraine while doing nothing to stop the invasion we have right here in the United States. I want to get something done, and I will always believe in the ability of our great Nation to answer the call and defend freedom and democracy wherever it is threatened by tyranny. I care deeply about protecting the national security of the United States. It is really very personal to me. At 18 years old, I enlisted in the Navy to defend my country. My adopted father was 1 of the 3,000 American soldiers who did all four combat jumps with the 82nd Airborne and then fought in the Battle of the Bulge. I know there is evil in the world, and America must be the leader of the free world. There is no one else to rely on. But we have to take care of the families we represent first. We have to secure our border. This bill does not secure our border and has too many failures to say it will do what is needed to protect America and our interests. The bill allows Biden to send billions to Gaza, which will go straight to Hamas terrorists, and billions to pay the salaries of Ukrainian politicians. We all know no bill is perfect. It is nearly impossible. But this bill--this bill--is a horrible attempt to basically spend American dollars with no accountability and to do nothing to secure the American border.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, some of my Democratic colleagues, unfortunately, will want you to believe that any opposition to their agenda is evil and unjustified. They have claimed for weeks that mere questions about the $95 billion bill that the Senate is now considering are rooted in some radical rightwing anti-democracy conspiracy, and the liberal press prints these lies as gospel. I think this process has destroyed the Senate and ignores the history of our great Nation. One of the first decisions facing our new Republic was whether to engage in the conflict raging between French Revolutionaries and an alliance of European nations led by Great Britain. As we know, President George Washington ultimately decided to remain neutral in that conflict, knowing that our new Nation was not prepared to assume the grand responsibilities of supporting a cause, no matter how noble, while properly attending to the pressing matters facing his new government here at home. America was cash-strapped and war weary. In the centuries that have passed since that moment, our great Nation has evolved. The United States has grown to be the leader of the free world--the true global superpower--representing the ideals of liberty, freedom and democracy, and standing staunchly against oppression and tyranny wherever it is found. We no longer must wrestle with these decisions in the ways our Founders did, but we still face tremendous domestic challenges that I am sure Washington, Hamilton, and Jefferson could never have imagined in April of 1793. Today, we are once again cash-strapped and war weary. Like never before, Americans are questioning whether their Federal Government has lost its way and now fails to represent the people they elected. Less than 25 percent of the country believes we are on the right track. Decades of politicians in Washington being addicted to earmarks and pushing reckless fiscal policy have decimated the financial health of our great nation. The United States has more than $34 trillion in debt--soon to exceed $35 trillion--and a budget deficit projected this year of nearly $1.8 trillion. Since 2019, the U.S. population has increased just 1.8 percent, but our Federal budget is set to increase by 55 percent. Federal revenues were down over 9 percent last year. In the last 3 months, we have lost nearly 1.6 million full-time jobs. Part-time jobs are up more than 850,000 as more Americans can't find full-time work and have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Biden's bad economy and reckless policies have created massive inflation. It is up 17 percent since he took office. It is causing immense pain for families every day, especially our poor families like mine growing up. Unfortunately, the world's evil regimes and tyrants do not wait for the United States to be in top fighting and fiscal shape to launch their attacks. And the weakness and appeasement of the Biden administration has emboldened them to sow chaos in every corner of the world. Iran and its proxies, like Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah, are waging war against Israel, fighting to destroy the Jewish State and its people. Russia continues its war in Ukraine, creating instability not seen in Europe since World War II. And Communist China continues to threaten the United States and prepare for an invasion of Taiwan that will upend world trade and destabilize the Indo-Pacific even further. While chaos continues abroad, America's national security is also being threatened every day by invasion of single adult males at our own borders--one that President Biden's lawless actions have created and encouraged and maintained. This is the sad reality for our Nation under the weak leadership of Joe Biden. It has forced this body to deal with world events in a way that I am sure many of us completely dislike. I say all of this to put the moment we find ourselves in today into the honest context that it deserves but that is so often ignored or purposely manipulated by Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media. The United States cannot ignore the massive threats we face to our national security and prosperity that I have just outlined. On that, I hope that we can all agree. But as this body so often does, especially under the control of our Democratic colleagues, the Senate is about to again fail to meet this moment with responsible and appropriate legislation. Rather than negotiating a bill for border security in the public, we are kept in dark for months and, ultimately, failed to negotiate a border security deal with Democrats that could actually get Republican support and pass because it did not require Biden to secure the border. This bill completely fails to deliver what most of our conference supported in tying the disbursement of Ukraine aid to real reductions of illegal immigration at the southern border. It is the only way we knew to make Biden do his job. Voters in Florida want a secure border today, inflation to cease, and better paying full-time jobs. Our conference demanded a secure border before we helped Ukraine secure their border only because we thought it was the only way to get Joe Biden to do his job and secure the southern border. Our conference supported tying the disbursement of Ukraine to real reductions of illegal immigration at our southern border. I remain interested in negotiating voting for a bill that secures our border now, stops the flow of drugs across our border, and stops more criminals and terrorists and human traffickers from coming into our communities now in a fiscal, responsible manner. When I was in business, I negotiated and closed a lot of deals. And I knew that if I could not walk away from the table, I would never get a good deal. I also knew that I would never get a good deal if the people sitting across the table from me didn't want the same outcome I did. We have to walk away from the table until we are negotiating with people who share the same goal as our conference, a secure border today. The result is what we have before us today--a wildly unaccountable foreign aid package that does absolutely nothing to secure the U.S. southern border and could funnel billions in borrowed money to Hamas terrorists and into the salaries of Ukrainian politicians. This bill claims to address the invasion of Ukraine while ignoring the invasion we face right here in the United States. This bill could send billions in borrowed money into Gaza, which is still dominated by the Iran-backed Hamas terrorists who killed 1,200 Israelis and more than 30 Americans and are still holding Americans hostage. I am unapologetically pro-Israel. I have had the honor of visiting Israel five times as both Florida Governor and as a U.S. Senator. What happened on October 7 horrified the world, and it struck me personally. In 2019, my wife Ann and I visited Kfar Aza, one of the kibbutz that was site to a complete massacre. As the early reports were coming out, I was really worried about the kibbutz because of its proximity to Gaza, about a half mile away. 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. We had spent an afternoon there in Kfar Aza. It was the most peaceful place. I kept thinking about the moms and kids who were playing outside and 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 lady who led our tour of the kibbutz who, fortunately, was traveling outside of Israel that day and survived. I was able to talk with her, and she had not yet been able to go home. She said it was unclear if she will ever be allowed to go back to her home. I can't imagine. So many of us in this Chamber are so deeply connected to Israel, and I bet many of you have a story like mine. We know people in the IDF who have been called to serve. We have friends all over Israel who have spent days in bomb shelters as rockets have been launched by terrorists intent on wiping Israel and Jews off the face of the Earth. I have met with survivors and the hostage families. I have a poster outside my office that features the faces of the hostages being held by Hamas. I am not going to take it down until they are 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. These monsters beheaded-- they beheaded--children and babies. They raped girls and burned innocent civilians alive. 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 that it will be used to help terrorists who are holding American hostages. And that is exactly what this bill does. I have heard a lot of my Democratic colleagues talk about what is happening in Gaza, and your heart goes out to anybody impacted by war. I wish everybody would start talking more about the hostages. We still have American hostages. I want to make sure everyone understands exactly what I am saying here, which is the fact that 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. I have pictures of the faces of the hostages, and I am not going to take it down. Unfortunately, President Biden has not done the same. I can't imagine why the President of the United States isn't speaking every single day about Americans--Americans--being held hostage by Hamas terrorists and what he is doing to get them out. The IDF just rescued two American hostages in a mission that the Biden administration urged them not to do. What has Biden done to rescue any hostages? Many of my colleagues will recall the name of 9-year-old Emily Hand. Emily and her father Thomas lived in a small kibbutz of Be'eri, which was ruthlessly targeted and destroyed by Hamas during the attacks. In the days following the attacks, Emily's dad was initially told that his daughter, who had spent the night at a friend's house just a few doors down, was killed. I am a father of two daughters and a grandfather of seven grandchildren. Watching this father speak about the murder of his daughter was heart-wrenching. He said to CNN at the time: They just said, ``We found Emily, and, she's dead,'' and I went ``Yes.'' I went ``Yes,'' and smiled because that is the best news of the possibilities that I knew . . . She was either dead or in Gaza, and if you know anything about what they do to people in Gaza, that is worse than death. Those are the words of Emily's father. Soon, to his relief and horror, Thomas learned that Emily was, in fact, alive and being held hostage by Hamas. This beautiful, innocent little girl spent 50 days as a hostage in Gaza. While I am sure that Thomas thanks God every day to have his little girl back in his arms again, he knows that the child he had on October 6 is long gone. Emily will never be the same as she was before she was taken. It has been more than 120 days since the attacks, and some parents are still waiting for their children to come home. Little baby Kfir Bibas' first birthday was spent as a hostage in Gaza. His 4-year-old brother Ariel is also still being held hostage. I have a picture of Ariel on a milk carton. I have four or five milk cartons in my office-- just a beautiful little boy. Kfir and Ariel's parents have been waiting for more than 4 months to hold their babies again. Can you imagine? Now we have heard horrible reports that these innocent children may no longer be alive. Why is Biden giving money to Gazans who are holding American hostages? Why would we allow Biden to give more money to Gazans who are holding American hostages? They are holding Americans hostage. 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 that goes to Gaza funds terrorism or Hamas? What are we doing to get American hostages released? I am not going to stop talking about this fact: Every dollar that goes into Gaza directly benefits Hamas. That is the undeniable truth, and that is why I have been fighting for years to pass my Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act, which prevents U.S. tax dollars from going to Gaza unless the Biden administration can certify that not a single cent will go to Hamas. Any of my colleagues that are interested in having money going to take care of the children in Gaza should want this bill to pass. They shouldn't want any money to go to Hamas. They should want it to go to these children. 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. We cannot allow American families with a family member being held hostage to see their tax dollars going 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 each and every year in monthly salaries to secure its prisoners and in monthly allowances to families of dead terrorists. The Palestinian Authority, who pays terrorists and their families, should not receive U.S. tax dollars. And this bill will allow more of that. That is insane. In 2021, President Biden's State Department said: . . . We are going to be working in partnership with the United Nations and the Palestinian Authority to `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 that the risk of resources going to Hamas terrorists is OK because ``in life, there are no guarantees.'' I completely reject that. I will not leave anything to chance when it comes to preventing U.S. taxpayer money from being sent to the brutal terrorists who have slaughtered so many Israelis and Americans. That is why I wasn't surprised in August 2021 when the Senate voted 99 to 0 for my amendment to a budget bill that would have made the Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act the law of the land. But, as we would learn soon after this vote, the Democrats only voted for it because they knew that, in the final text of the bill, written by Democrats, my language would be mysteriously missing. I have tried twice more since then to pass this legislation in the Senate, and the Democrats have blocked it twice. I know that the left has a big problem on its hands as so many Democrats rally for Hamas and against Israel in the streets of liberal cities and on the campuses of America's universities. You would think my Democratic colleagues would be eager to show that Democrats don't support Hamas. Instead, they blocked my bill, proving that there is no interest in the Democratic Party to stand up to these people who hate Israel. That is why I will be asking today to make my amendment to add my Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act to this bill. I hope Democrats don't again oppose simply going on the record to vote on my commonsense measure. I hope we get a vote, and it passes. We have also tried twice to pass a stand-alone Israel aid bill that would not send money to Gaza, but Democrats blocked that, too. Each and every Democrat voted against aid to Israel. So don't tell me or my colleagues who oppose this bill that we don't stand with Israel when Democrats twice blocked our bill and then all voted against it--which has already passed in the House--to immediately send money to Israel. Let me be clear about one more thing: Since the day that Vladimir Putin launched Russia's unlawful invasion of Ukraine, I have stood strongly on the side of the Ukrainian people, but there are clearly numerous unanswered questions. What has happened to the more than $100 billion of aid that has gone to Ukraine? What is our plan to win? Why are we paying the salaries of Ukrainian politicians? Will Biden give Ukraine the weapons they need? Why can't Congress pay for this with savings from other areas? Why is the Ukraine border more important than the U.S. border? Ukraine must win, and Russia must lose. There is no question that is what is in the best interest of America's national security, and that is why I have said that we should continue to provide lethal aid to Ukraine, paid for with seized Russian assets so it can win its war and have a clear plan for how Ukraine will win. We need to answer these questions and be strategic about how we protect our interests, especially as we add to America's $34 trillion in debt. The American people will not tolerate borrowing billions of dollars to pay the government expenses and salaries of Ukrainian politicians, nor will they tolerate this government having no plan for how Ukraine will win, how American resources will help it win, and how we are making sure that every dollar spent is with one mission in mind: defeating Russia. Concern grows when we see that Ukraine has fired another top military official and seems to be struggling to show a clear path to victory. Without more information, we are left to assume the worst--that this entire bill has no clear mission but to accomplish the appearance of unity so that American politicians can fly over with a giant check and deliver hollow speeches about moral righteousness. It doesn't soothe our concerns when we hear the majority whip say on this floor that we must pass this bill now so that he can go to Munich this week and pontificate about a bill that the Speaker of the House has repeatedly stated will never become law. That accomplishes nothing. If my colleagues were serious about aiding Ukraine and its war against Russia's invasion, they would work with us in good faith to produce a bill that can pass here and in the House. As I said, I want Ukraine to win, and I want Russia to lose, but that does not mean that I am or should be willing to simply accept any offer thrown down by the Democrats that they claim--but cannot prove--will advance that cause or while America is being invaded as a result of our open border. I will not accept anything that ignores the most urgent threat to U.S. national security: Joe Biden's wide open border. This should not need to be said here on the floor of the U.S. Senate, but securing America's border is more important than securing the border of any other country. We should be able to do both. The fact that we aren't using revenue generated from seized Russian assets to pay for Ukraine aid is ridiculous, but that is how things work here. Your Federal Government cannot continue to write massive checks and borrow more money while providing zero accountability to the American people. I know the people of Florida are sick of it. We are all sick of it, and I think just about every American is sick of it. The deal has always been Ukraine aid for border security--not immigration policy but real border security now. Florida families are feeling the impact of this administration's lawless border policies every single day as deadly fentanyl, criminals, and terrorists pour-- pour--across Biden's open borders. There are 1,145 children between 14 and 18 years old who died from fentanyl in 2021. What is the plan to stop that? That is a classroom of students dying every week. In 2022, I heard from a mom in Kissimmee, FL, whose son had a future in the Air Force and came home to visit her on Mother's Day weekend and surprised her. He, unfortunately, visited an old friend who he didn't know had begun dealing drugs. The friend convinced the young man to take a Xanax which was unknowingly laced with fentanyl, and the mom found her wonderful son dead. It is heartbreaking, and there are more stories like this. There are 100,000 Americans who died from drug overdoses in 2021 and 72 percent of those from opioids like fentanyl. Families in Florida and every State across the Nation are being torn apart by these deadly drugs coming across the border. What is Joe Biden's plan to stop these drugs from coming across the border? My Democratic colleagues seem to finally be acknowledging this crisis on TV. Unfortunately, they are still unwilling to stand up to the President and force him to do what is right. We all know what is right: Secure the border. I can't imagine why. It is obvious to everyone that the invasion of our southern border is what Biden, unfortunately, wants. Just take a look at the numbers. On January 20 of 2021, Joe Biden took office and inherited the most secure U.S. southern border in modern history. In some of his first acts as President, he used his Executive power to dismantle the policies that President Trump used to secure the border and sent a clear message to the cartels: The border is now wide open for smuggling, and I won't do anything to stop you. The surge of illegal immigration started almost immediately. In February 2021, right after Biden was inaugurated, there were more than 101,000 encounters--101,000 encounters--of illegal aliens attempting to cross our southern border between ports of entry. If you go to the southern border, what you will see on the Mexico side are IDs everywhere. They want to come, but they don't want anybody to know who they are. If you had a stellar background, would you be doing that? No. That February, there was a massive increase from what we saw just the prior month. From there, the numbers continued to skyrocket. March 2021 saw 173,000 encounters with illegal aliens between ports of entry. By July 2021, encounters with illegal aliens between ports of entry skyrocketed to more than 213,000. That is more than 213,000 people attempting to illegally enter the United States in just 1 month. I point this out to make something very clear: The border was secure. Then Joe Biden took office, and the cartels got his message loud and clear. The invasion hasn't stopped since. In fiscal year 2022--the first full fiscal year under the Biden administration--there were more than 2.3 million encounters with illegal aliens between ports of entry. These aren't families searching for a better life. They are mostly single adults. Of those 2.3 million encounters with illegal aliens at our southern border, more than 1.6 million were single adults, most of whom were military-aged men. That is 70 percent of all people who are trying to illegally enter the United States. Even more terrifying, 98 of the people caught trying to illegally sneak into our country in fiscal year 2022 were on the Terrorist Watchlist. Here is another terrible stat for you from that period: The CBP seized more than 14,000 pounds of fentanyl along the southern border. Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be a lethal dose, and they seized more than 14,000 pounds. That is enough fentanyl to kill 3 billion people. This is how much fentanyl has crossed the border. Think about how much fentanyl has crossed the border without being seized. In fiscal year 2023, things got worse with more than 2.4 million encounters with illegal aliens between ports of entry. Again, these aren't mostly families searching for a better life; they are mostly single adults. Of these 2.4 million encounters with illegal aliens at our southern border, 60 percent, or more than 1.5 million, were single adults--again, most of whom are military-aged men. There were 169 people on the Terrorist Watchlist who tried to illegally sneak into our country during fiscal year 2023, and we don't know where they are. The drugs continue to flow into our country. Last fiscal year, the CBP seized nearly 27,000 pounds of fentanyl along the southern border. That is enough fentanyl to kill 6 billion people. Last December, more than 300,000 illegal aliens were encountered trying to unlawfully enter the United States. This is an invasion and a clear and present danger to the safety of every American. Even Al Sharpton called it an invasion on his MSNBC show last week, but Senate Democrats and Joe Biden still won't do what is needed to fix it. Let me say that again: Biden's open border is a clear and present danger to every single American. In a hearing of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last October, I questioned FBI Director Christopher Wray about the threats that we are facing because of Joe Biden's open border. In his response to me, Director Wray said: We went through a period where the traditional-structured Foreign Terrorist Organization threat in the U.S. subsided some in favor of this inspired, ISIS-inspired, let's say, attack . . . to be clear that threat has not gone away. What has now increased is the greater possibility of one of these Foreign Terrorist Organizations directing an attack in the United States. In the United States. He went on to say: It is a time to be concerned. We are in a dangerous period. Since Joe Biden took office--this is Director Wray--``The terror threats have elevated.'' I refuse to ignore this threat or pretend that it is OK to take care of the border in Ukraine while doing absolutely nothing to stop the invasion we have right here in the United States. I want to get something done, and I will always believe in the ability of our great Nation to answer the call and defend freedom and democracy wherever it is threatened by tyranny. I care deeply about protecting the national security of the United States. At 18 years old, I enlisted in the Navy to defend my country. My adoptive father was 1 of 3,000 American soldiers who did all four combat jumps with the 82nd Airborne and then fought in the Battle of the Bulge. I know there is evil in the world and that America must be the leader of the free world. There is no one else to rely on, but we have to take care of the families we represent first. We have to secure our border today. This bill does not secure our border, and it has too many failures to say it will do what is needed to protect America and our interests. This bill allows Biden to send billions to Gaza, which would go straight to Hamas terrorists, and sends billions to pay the salaries of Ukrainian politicians. That is wrong. We all know that no bill is perfect. It is nearly impossible to write something that all 100 of us love and have no concerns about, but this isn't a situation where we can ignore some parts we don't like. The truth is that the things I have just outlined not only fund threats to U.S. national security by giving billions to Gaza that could go to Hamas, but they also recklessly force American taxpayers to borrow billions to pay for the salaries of foreign politicians while U.S. debt skyrockets to more than $34 trillion while doing nothing to secure our border--nothing to secure our border--nothing to secure the border of the United States where we have drugs, terrorists, criminals, and human traffickers flowing across. That could impact every one of our families. That is unacceptable. We can and must do better. So, today, I am once again going to ask that the Senate be given the opportunity to vote on my amendment to add the Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act to this bill. I am asking for a vote on my amendment. We have heard from colleagues that they were rightly concerned about the citizens of Gaza. If they were concerned about the citizens of Gaza, they should want this bill. They shouldn't want a dime to go to Hamas. They shouldn't want a penny to go to Hamas. They should want every dime--every dime--to go to the children who don't have the food they need. But in the meantime, shouldn't we spend more time thinking about the American hostages? Where is the conversation about the hostages? Where is the conversation about what we are doing to get the hostages home? What have we heard from Biden? What have we heard from my Democratic colleagues? Nothing. As I have said before in this Chamber, in August 2021, the Senate voted 99 to 0 for my amendment to a budget bill to ensure that U.S. tax dollars do not benefit terrorist organizations such as Hamas. It is a no-brainer. The vote was 99 to 0. Everyone in this body seems to agree that American taxpayers should never fund Hamas terrorists, but they don't want to do anything about it. They want to say it but do nothing about it. The final text of the bill written by Democrats does not include my language. We all know that Hamas controls Gaza. Every dollar that goes to Gaza comes under the control of Hamas, who decides what to do with it. We must make sure American tax dollars aren't funding terrorists. What my Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act does is make it so that no funds will be authorized for the territory of Gaza until the President certifies to Congress that these funds can be spent without benefiting terrorist organizations. It would also ensure U.S. funds are not authorized for expenditure in the territory of Gaza through any United Nations entity or office unless the President can certify that--the President will have to certify that it is not encouraging or teaching anti-Israel or anti- Semitic ideas and propaganda. Finally, this bill mandates that the President certify that there are no hostages held in Gaza by any terrorist organization. Senate Democrats have both overwhelmingly supported this commonsense measure and blocked its passage in the past. Can anybody explain that? What will it be today? I sincerely hope that Democrats will stand against taxpayer money flowing to terrorists who want to destroy Israel and are still holding Americans hostage in Gaza. Let me just read the language that some people say prevents the money going to Hamas, and tell me if you come to the conclusion this doesn't. The Secretary of State shall certify and report to the appropriate congressional committees not later than March 1, 2024-- It is just a report. It doesn't mean they have to stop; it is just an after-the-fact report-- that oversight policies, processes, and procedures have been established by the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development, as appropriate, and are in use to prevent the diversion, misuse, or destruction of assistance, including through international organizations, to Hamas and other terrorist and extremist entities in Gaza; and-- It doesn't stop it. They will just say: We will have policies and report on the policies-- such policies, processes, and procedures have been developed in coordination with other bilateral and multilateral donors and the Government of Israel, as appropriate. The easy thing is none. The only policy you should have is, no money. Don't give a report that you had a policy and it wasn't enforced. Tell me that it never happened. Then it goes on to say: The Secretary of State and the USAID Administrator shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees, concurrent with the submission of the certification required in subsection (a), a written description of the oversight policies, processes, and procedures. We don't sign off on them. They are just going to give us a written description of them. We don't get to sign off on them. We don't get to question them. We don't get to change them. We don't get to vote on them. All it is is a written description of ``procedures for funds appropriated by this title that are made available for assistance for Gaza, including specific actions to be taken should such assistance be diverted, misused, or destroyed, and the role of Israel in the oversight of such assistance.'' Israel doesn't have to sign off on it. It just says: What role did Israel play? The answer could be that Israel played no role. There is nothing in this--there will be nothing in this bill that is going to stop money from going to Hamas. There will be absolutely nothing. So anybody who says they are worried about the children in Gaza, there will be nothing to prevent money from going to Hamas instead. And I always say the first thing we ought to be talking about is how we get our hostages home. Unanimous Consent Request--Amendment No. 1542 Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to set aside all pending amendments and motions and make my amendment No. 1542 pending to the text of Murray 1388; I further ask that there be 2 minutes of debate equally divided between the proponents and opponents and that following the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate vote on adoption of the amendment, with a 60 affirmative vote threshold required for adoption.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, what we have just witnessed on the Senate floor, I think, is disgusting. All I ask for is a vote. By blocking the Senate from even voting on my amendment to add the Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act to this bill, Democrats have done the work of Hamas here in the U.S. Senate. Senate Democrats just made clear they are so terrified of losing the votes of radical, Hamas-loving leftists, they cannot bring themselves to vote on an amendment--all I want is a vote; if I can't win it, it is my problem--to vote on an amendment that simply states that we are not going to send money to thugs who brutally murdered 1,200 innocent people, including more than 30 Americans, and are still--they are still holding American hostages. We are giving money to Gazans that can help Hamas. They are holding American hostages, and we are going to give them money. I can't imagine this is where we are, and this bill is going to do nothing to address this, while approving billions of dollars of aid. We have an open southern border, we have hostages in Gaza, and we are going to give Gazans aid that we know is going to go straight to Hamas. If you look at the text that I read, there is nothing that is going to prevent this money from going there. All my bill says is that all the President has to do is certify that the money is not going to go to Hamas, and the money can go to Gaza. I am disappointed. I wish to retain the balance of my time.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I rise to honor the life of Evelyn C. Keiser, who died on February 5, 2024, at the age of 100. Evelyn Keiser was the cofounder of Keiser University, one of Florida's largest private, nonprofit universities. In her 40-year tenure at the university, she, alongside her son Arthur and his wife Belinda, transformed higher education in the State of Florida. Keiser University now serves an approximate 20,000 students, has 3,800 employees, and more than 66,000 alumni. In 2015, as Governor of Florida, I was pleased to induct her into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame. The work she has done to improve higher education in Florida is a legacy that will improve the lives of students for generations to come. Evelyn is survived by her three children Ellen K. Farren, Arthur Keiser, and Jeffrey Keiser; four grandchildren Elizabeth and Robert Farren, William Keiser, and Robert Keiser; and seven great- grandchildren, Alexander and Caterina Piro, Juliette and George Farren, and Isabelina, Rosalina, and Sarafina Keiser.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I am sick and tired of Joe Biden and his administration pointing fingers at everyone but themselves for the crisis they created, and so are the American people. I visited the border five times and have seen it for myself. The crisis at our border is a direct cause of Biden's dangerous and intentional policies. I have heard it from our Border Patrol agents. They are overwhelmed, and Biden has clearly abandoned them. It is sickening. President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas swore an oath to uphold the law and protect our homeland. That means securing our border. Do they do any of that? Absolutely not. That is a fact, and anyone who says it is not true is lying to you. People whom we don't know, including a shocking number of single, military-age men from all over the world, are illegally crossing the border. Countless amounts of drugs are being smuggled into our country and killing Americans. And the administration says the border is secure. It is pathetic. Think about that. Possible terrorists, murderers, and deadly drugs are coming to our country every single day while the President of the United States and the Secretary of Homeland Security tell us the border is secure. Have they lost their minds? Do they think the American people are dumb and don't see it on their local news each and every day? I am from an immigration state. Florida is a beautiful melting pot with people and cultures from all over the world. We love legal immigration. What we don't want is an insecure and unsecure border that allows criminals, drugs, and dangerous individuals to come into our country unchecked. More than 8 million migrants have been encountered nationwide under Joe Biden's watch--more than 8 million. Joe Biden lets them in, and then we have no idea where they are. Secretary Mayorkas is a pawn in Joe Biden's illegal immigration agenda, but he is just as guilty because he has not done his job, and he is doing it at the express direction of President Biden. Millions of people are illegally crossing our border unvetted and with no information provided to State and local officials about who is entering their cities and States. They don't tell Governors, they don't tell law enforcement, they don't tell mayors where they are sending all these migrants. When you see leaders like Texas Governor Greg Abbott doing what it takes to stop illegal immigration in his State, the Biden administration sues to stop him from enforcing the law. You can't make this stuff up. Secretary Mayorkas has abolished border security and interior enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security, but he has replaced it. He has replaced it with the largest illegal alien resettlement program in the history of our country. It is purposeful. It is intentional. This is what the Biden administration and Democrats want. We are dealing with a lawless--a lawless--administration that is empowered by the Members of their party in the House and the Senate to continue the carnage. Fentanyl is killing more than 70,000 Americans a year. But until the border is secure, this battle is not going to stop; it is going to continue. That is 70,000--70,000--families being torn apart because our border is not secure. Why would anybody do this? Our priority must be protecting American families. We have all had enough. It is time for Biden to ditch his failed policies of open borders and amnesty and secure the border now. It is also time for Secretary Mayorkas to be impeached and removed from office, and I think Joe Biden needs to be held accountable too. I am working on that, and we will have more to say on that soon. I don't have any confidence in Secretary Mayorkas to carry out his duties as Secretary of Homeland Security and to protect our borders. That is why I joined this Senate resolution with many of my fellow colleagues, and I want to thank the Senator from Kansas for starting this. We cannot allow this lawless administration to keep doing this without consequences. The American people deserve better. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, I want to thank the Senator from Kansas for his continued effort to make sure we get Israel aid. The United States must always stand with our great ally Israel and with the Jewish people. Israel is fighting against Iran-backed terrorists for its very existence. Iran-backed Hamas terrorists have murdered thousands with the intention of destroying Israel and the Jewish people. Hamas terrorists have beheaded babies, burned them alive, raped and murdered young women. We have seen the news reports of the sexual assaults committed by Hamas terrorists--all too graphic to speak of here, but here are some of the headlines. ABC News: ``New signs emerge of `widespread' sexual crimes by Hamas, as Netanyahu alleges global indifference.'' The Washington Post: ``Israel investigates an elusive, horrific enemy: Rape as a weapon of war.'' The Jewish Chronicle: ``Hamas terror attack: Girls `raped next to their dead friends' at rave massacre.'' We cannot turn a blind eye to these barbaric acts. The world must know what these animals did to innocent Jewish women and girls. Just yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives, the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania were asked, under oath, if calling for the genocide of Jews violates their university's code of conduct or rules regarding bullying and harassment. A simple yes-or-no question. Their response? They could not even answer yes. We have to really let that sink in. They couldn't say yes. The president of three Ivy League schools could not answer yes to that simple question. It is clear that we need to use this moment to stand with Israel and the Jewish people. The House took decisive action by passing this bill. They moved quickly, and the measure is fully paid for. This bill was blocked by the Democrats once, but today the Senate can change that error and pass this bill right now. And I am proud to colead the companion bill in the Senate with the Senator from Kansas. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, on Sunday, October 22, 2023, more than 2 million Venezuelans around the world made their voices heard and cast their votes in support of Maria Corina Machado, the official opposition candidate for the upcoming presidential elections. These brave Venezuelans participated in this election at great personal risk but did so united by their dedication to ridding Venezuela of the brutal oppression brought onto them by Nicolas Maduro and returning freedom and democracy to their country. This is a significant moment in the Venezuelan people's fight for freedom and true representative government--something I have been fighting alongside them to achieve for years. It is imperative that the United States stand with them, recognize Maria Corina Machado as Venezuela's duly elected presidential opposition candidate, and lead the international community in doing the same. The National Primary Commission is to be commended for its ability to successfully organize and carry out the opposition primary election despite facing numerous obstacles, threats, and attacks from the illegitimate Maduro regime. The work of the National Primary Commission advances the cause of freedom in Venezuela and represents the best interest of its citizens. It also is in our national security interest and the best interests of all who strive for peace, liberty, and stability for nations in Latin America and across the Western Hemisphere to recognize and support the fundamental role the Commission is carrying out in Venezuela. The United States must use this opportunity to put the full weight and power of our Nation behind the cause of freedom in Venezuela. Our national security depends on us being strong in this moment. However, we cannot act from a position of strength while negotiating with a murderous, dishonest, and tyrannical dictator. I have been unequivocal in my condemnation of attempts to negotiate with Nicolas Maduro on any issue beyond how and when he will leave power. Recently, I wrote to President Biden urging him to acknowledge this moment and immediately revise the conditions of sanctions relief that the administration has recently offered to the Maduro regime. That is the only way to make clear that Maduro and his thugs, who have horrifically murdered and oppressed the Venezuelan people for years, will see no easing of sanctions until free and fair elections are held and democracy returns to Venezuela and the following conditions are met: No. 1. Maria Corina Machado, as the sole Presidential opposition candidate, should be represented on the opposition delegation of the Venezuelan-led negotiations in Barbados. No. 2. Maria Corina Machado is officially allowed to run as the sole Presidential candidate of opposition in the 2024 Venezuelan Presidential election. No. 3. The release of all political prisoners, including all U.S. citizens, by the illegitimate Maduro regime. It is hard to believe that we are negotiating with somebody who is holding American citizens. No. 4. Reputable election observers are allowed to witness the illegitimate Maduro regime permitting international election observers from the Organization of American States, the European Union, the International Republican Institute, and the National Democratic Institute to ensure that the electoral process is genuinely free, fair, and transparent. Finally, No. 5. Recognize the votes of the Venezuelan diaspora in the 2024 Venezuelan Presidential election. Just a few days after Maria Corina Machado's big win in the 2023 primary elections, we are already seeing Nicolas Maduro, Diosdado Cabello, Jorge Rodriguez, and their thugs threatening, harassing, and attacking the National Primary Commission and everyone who voted for her and the hope she represents. Days after the election, the Maduro regime's handpicked supreme court declared the suspension of ``all effects'' of the Venezuelan primaries. We must all see this for exactly what it is--a clear sign that Maduro's true intention is to never give up his power or allow freedom to return to Venezuela. Lifting sanctions on the illegitimate regime of Nicolas Maduro and permitting the sale of oil and gas would essentially fund Maduro's 2024 Presidential campaign, further empowering the regime, prolonging oppression and genocide and propping terrorism and narcotrafficking in the region. President Biden has a historic opportunity to be a part of the recovery of democracy in Venezuela and to stand up for freedom and democracy--values that define us as Americans. I am here today to ask unanimous consent for the passage of a resolution where the Senate recognizes Maria Corina Machado as Venezuela's official Presidential opposition candidate and commends her for standing up against Maduro and leading the charge for freedom and democracy in Venezuela--that is not easy; condemns efforts by the illegitimate Maduro regime to prevent Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela's duly chosen official Presidential opposition candidate, from participating in Venezuela's Presidential election of 2024; rejects the illegitimate Maduro regime's efforts to carry out fraudulent Presidential elections by barring the participation of the opposition candidate chosen by the Venezuelan voters; demands that the illegitimate Maduro regime permits election observers from the OAS, the European Union, the International Republican Institute, and the National Democratic Institute; calls on the illegitimate Maduro regime to immediately release all political prisoners, including all U.S. citizens; denounces efforts by the illegitimate Maduro regime to persecute members of the National Primary Commission; calls on the U.S. Government and the international community to institute greater pressure and tighten sanctions against the illegitimate Maduro regime in order to restore freedom in Venezuela. This is common sense, but more importantly, it is the right thing to do for America's national security and unapologetic support of freedom and democracy for all people. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to address the Senate in Spanish.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. (English translation of statement made in Spanish is as follows:) More than 2 million Venezuelans voted for a change, and Maduro or his illegitimate supreme court will not change that. Biden and the international community must recognize Maria Corina as the legitimate leader of the Venezuelan opposition and work with her to recover democracy and freedom in Venezuela. I have been very clear: No deal should be made with Maduro and no sanctions can be lifted until we know Maria Corina is allowed to run and the elections are completely free and transparent, not backward. Mr. President, I am thankful for the support of my colleague from Florida, Senator Rubio, and the companion resolution being introduced in the House by Congressman Diaz-Balart. I urge all my colleagues to adopt this important resolution today. Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 486, which is at the desk. I further ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I thank my colleague for his comments about the importance of making sure that we get free and fair elections in Venezuela. It sounds like this is just a procedural issue. There doesn't appear to be--right now, at least--any issue over the substance of the resolution. I look forward to my colleague scheduling a Foreign Relations Committee markup for this important resolution. Hopefully, we will get to the point where we have real, free, and fair elections. Hopefully, we will get to the point where we get these Americans back. Hopefully, all the things that I think both of us care about are going to happen.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I stand to recognize and congratulate Alex Sanchez, president and CEO of the Florida Bankers Association, on his retirement. Mr. Sanchez is a Cuban immigrant and American patriot. Sanchez served in the U.S. Air Force from 1976-1981 and holds a juris doctorate from the Iowa College of Law. Mr. Sanchez has served as president and CEO of the Florida Bankers Association for 30 years and will be retiring on December 31, 2023. Under his leadership, the Florida Bankers Association was instrumental in bringing to light and stopping harmful Federal legislation and regulation programs such as Operation Chokepoint and making nonresident alien account information public. He also oversaw the association's historic merger with the Community Bankers of Florida, combining the two banking organizations to better serve Florida's banking industry and the families and businesses it serves. Mr. Sanchez was appointed by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a board member to the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, where he served from 2003-2010. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush nominated him to the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission, where he served from August 2006-April 2007. Later, he was chosen by the Financial Services Volunteer Corps for a mission to Tunis, Tunisia, to partner with the Tunisian Bankers Association and work with them on banking and priority regulatory reforms. He also led a mission to Arusha, Tanzania, in 2013 to lead a workshop on regional banking for the banking associations in the East African Community, including Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi. The Florida Bankers Association was established in 1888 to advocate on behalf of Florida banks and promote the banking industry in the State. The association provides unparalleled advocacy in Washington, DC, and Tallahassee, excellent educational programming, quality products, and valuable services for Florida's banking industry. It is my honor to congratulate Alex on his many achievements and on his retirement.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I rise to recognize the Associated Builders and Contractors--ABC--Florida East Coast Chapter and the many vital contributions to commercial, industrial, and infrastructural construction that contractors make, improving the quality of life for the people of Florida. The ABC Florida East Coast Chapter was founded in 1968 and recognized as the leader of the merit shop construction industry and one of the oldest organizations representing the construction industry in Florida for 55 years. The ABC Florida East Coast Chapter is the single largest provider of apprenticeship education in the State of Florida, educating nearly 700 apprentices annually. The mission of ABC Florida East Coast Chapter is the advancement of the merit shop construction philosophy, which encourages open competition and a free-enterprise approach that awards construction contracts based solely on merit, regardless of labor affiliation. It represents the profession responsible for the construction of commercial, industrial, and infrastructure projects such as schools, hospitals, office buildings, sports venues, factories, energy production plants, water systems, waste disposal and treatment facilities, roads, bridges, and other public and private facilities that are the foundation on which the economy of Florida stands and grows. I recognize that the ABC Florida East Coast Chapter, through its education trust, is building tomorrow by recruiting, educating, and training approximately 8,500 skilled workers in the past decade who drive the construction industry forward with the merit shop principles of free enterprise and open competition. The ABC Florida East Coast Chapter's tireless collaboration with builders, contractors, and educators has contributed significantly to the resilience and growth of the construction industry. By providing quality education and fostering a diverse and skilled workforce, the ABC Florida East Coast Chapter is playing a crucial role in building a stronger America. I wish to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the ABC Florida East Coast Chapter and the ABC Institute for its unwavering commitment to apprentice education. As we look toward a future of economic growth and opportunity, their efforts serve as a shining example of the positive change that can be achieved through dedication and collaboration.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, the terror and devastation unleashed on Israelis by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists have rightly horrified the world. Innocent families were murdered in their homes. Children were beheaded. Girls were raped. Whole families were burned alive. An elderly, wheelchair-bound woman, later identified as a Holocaust survivor, was brutally dragged through the streets of Gaza. Children who witnessed the murders of their parents have been kidnapped and are being held hostage by Hamas. Hundreds were mowed down at a music festival. Thousands are dead. At least 33 Americans are dead, and reportedly 10 are held hostage. The atrocities are too numerous to fully recount, but the images we have seen will never leave our memories. In 2019, my wife Ann and I had the opportunity to visit Kfar Aza, one of the kibbutzes that was the site of a complete massacre. As the early reports were coming out, I was really worried about the kibbutz because of its proximity to Gaza. It is about half a mile away. When I heard the news that it was the site of some of the most horrific and barbaric activities, my heart just sank. We 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 lady who led our tour of the kibbutz, who was traveling outside of Israel that day and survived. I was able to speak to her right after it happened, and she has not been able to go back home. She said it was unclear if she will ever be allowed to go back home. Can you ever imagine? So many of us in this Chamber are so deeply connected to Israel, and I bet almost everyone here as a story like mine. We know people in the IDF who have been called to serve. We have friends all over Israel who have spent days in bomb shelters as rockets have been launched by terrorists intent on wiping Israel and Jews off the face of the Earth. I have met with survivors and hostage families. I have placed a poster outside my office that features the faces of the hostages being held by Hamas. I am not going to take it down until they get home. Not since the Holocaust has the world witnessed such a brutal attack on the Jewish people. We have to really let that sink in. It is 2023, and it sure feels like history is repeating itself. We also have a President who can barely even talk about the Americans who are held hostage right now in Gaza. The first step to freeing these hostages and helping Israel destroy these terrorists is passing aid for Israel. We must send the world a clear message: Attacking the United States and our allies and partners is a bad idea, and it will only end with us winning. In the days and weeks ahead, Israel is going to once and for all destroy Hamas and its ability to exist as a terror state on Israel's borders. The United States has to support Israel right now and ensure they have the weapons they need to completely destroy Hamas. That is why I am proud to join Senators Marshall, Vance, and our colleagues on the bill. The House took decisive action by passing this bill last week. They moved quickly, and the measure is fully paid for. The Senate can follow suit right now. I am proud to colead the companion bill in the Senate. I yield back to my colleague from Kansas.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Madam President, I rise today to honor the soldiers of Bravo Company (Wolfpack), 3rd Battalion (Warrior), 124th Infantry Regiment Florida Army National Guard. This year marks the 20th anniversary since Bravo Company was deployed to the Middle East. The 137 soldiers were the first Florida Guardsmen deployed to war since World War II. These brave soldiers conducted thousands of patrols, hundreds of checkpoints, performed raids, and participated in countless supporting operations. Most importantly, all soldiers returned home. These soldiers earned their Combat Infantryman Badge and their Presidential Unit Citation. I want to welcome them to Pensacola, FL, 20 years after being downrange protecting our great Nation. As a Navy veteran and the son of a World War II veteran, I know firsthand the sacrifices made by our military members and their families. Thank you for your service; your courage and dedication to our country will never be forgotten.

Mr. SCOTT of Florida

Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.