John Thune

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, as we begin our proceedings this morning, I want to take a moment to recognize a milestone here in the Senate. On this day 40 years ago, C-SPAN broadcast the U.S. Senate for the very first time. On June 2, 1986, the American people were able to turn on their televisions and see the Senate come to order and their Senators engage in debate until the gavel dropped later that day. Gavel-to-gavel coverage. That is the C-SPAN way. And over the last 40 years, C-SPAN hasn't missed a beat. It has captured 43,830 hours of Senate proceedings, broadcast 169,000 speeches by hundreds of U.S. Senators who have served in these Halls, and captured the moments--large and small, historic and human--that make up the U.S. Senate. On that first day 40 years ago, the Senate was considering an education bill, and what a fitting topic of discussion for C-SPAN's first day covering this Chamber. Education is C-SPAN's entire mission. C-SPAN urges its viewers to ``make up your own mind.'' And for 40 years, C-SPAN has enabled the American people to make up their own minds about what we do here in the Senate. It has helped countless American students see the legislative process in action, and it has ensured that what happens here is lost neither to the day's news cycle nor to history. And I trust that C-SPAN will continue to offer the American people a front row seat to the Senate for many decades to come. South Dakota Mr. President, C-SPAN captures a lot of our work here in Washington, but just as important is the work that Senators do back in our States. Last week, the cameras were off here in the Chamber, and Senators were back at home hearing from the people that we all represent. I spent last week back home in South Dakota traveling around my State and hearing directly from South Dakotans. I had a chance to catch up with mayors of Webster and Lennox. Mayor Danny Fergen of Lennox took me around the city. He showed me new housing developments in Lennox. I saw that city's infrastructure needs, and we went down Main Street to a few businesses--including El Mariachi restaurant. I also spent some time up in northeastern South Dakota. As I mentioned, I met with the mayor of Webster Mike Grosek, and I dropped by a few local businesses that are benefiting from the permanent tax relief Republicans delivered in the Working Families Tax Cut. I went to the Three22 Kitchen & Cocktails in Aberdeen and saw the Main Street expansion that the owners had undertaken, including the first rooftop lounge in the city. I visited ``Quite Possibly the Coolest Store Ever!''--the Hitch'n Post--a family-owned business that has been an icon in Aberdeen for over 50 years and was recently named one of America's best western retailers. And then over at the Meathouse in Andover, I had a conversation about the local agricultural economy with the ranchers who run that business and who take pride in their home-raised beef. I have always valued the opportunity I have had lately to spend some time hearing from South Dakota's young people. This past month, I have been in classrooms in Winner and Rapid City and Sioux Falls, and we have had a number of school groups visiting Washington, DC, as well. I attended the Dakota Relays at the beginning of May and then the State track meet this past Friday. And last week, I had the privilege of speaking at Boys State at Northern State University and then at Girls State at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. It is always a pleasure to get to talk with young people and to hear what is on their minds and what their dreams are for their futures. And I suppose that is because, on any given day here in the Senate, that is what our focus as Republicans boils down to: cultivating a brighter future for young people and for all Americans, a future that is secure with greater prosperity and more opportunities to get ahead. That is our focus here in the Senate, and it is what we continue to work toward every day. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each; further, that if Senator Whitehouse or his designee makes a motion to proceed to S.J. Res. 188, the Senate vote on the motion to proceed at 2:15 p.m. tomorrow.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, enforcing our Nation's laws is not optional. Securing our borders isn't optional. Supporting the men and women who do this important work--funding law enforcement--isn't optional either. That should go without saying, but unfortunately, Members of the Democrat Party have made it clear that they disagree. Incredibly, Democrats have refused to provide a single penny for border security and immigration law enforcement for fiscal year 2026--that is zero dollars for a physical presence at our Nation's border; zero dollars to deport criminals who have made their way into our country illegally. If Democrats had their way, illegal immigrants would be allowed to flood across our Nation's southern border entirely unchecked. I guess we really shouldn't be surprised. After all, it is hardly the first time Democrats have demonstrated that border security and immigration enforcement are at the very bottom of their priority list. For decades now, Democrat-led cities and States have implemented sanctuary policies that prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with Federal immigration authorities. These policies have had deadly consequences. Yet Democrats have defended them and continue to uphold them across the country. Then there was the crisis at the southern border. There were 4--4-- straight years of recordbreaking illegal immigration at our southern border under Democrats and President Biden. The New York Times reported: After Mr. Biden became president, migrant encounters at the southern border quickly doubled, then kept rising. New arrivals overwhelmed border stations, then border towns, and eventually major cities like New York and Denver. That from the New York Times. Contrast that with today. Illegal crossings have plummeted to a trickle, and as of the end of April, not a single illegal immigrant has been released at the border and into our country for an entire year. But Democrats are apparently determined to bring back unchecked illegal immigration. To do that, they are embracing the far-left ideologies of ``defund law enforcement'' and ``abolish ICE.'' These were once considered fringe positions among Democrats. Today, they are basically the official positions of the Democrat Party. The junior Senator from California said in January: I'm not giving ICE or Border Patrol another dime. The junior Senator from Massachusetts told a crowd in February: We know that we must defund and abolish ICE. One Democrat Senate candidate has even said: Dismantling ICE is the moderate position. This is today's Democrat Party--a party in thrall to its far-left base and a party that has completely abandoned its national security responsibilities when it comes to enforcing immigration law and securing our borders. Needless to say, as long as Republicans are in charge, we are not going to let Democrats defund border security and immigration law enforcement. So we are moving forward with a bill to fund these important responsibilities for the remainder of the Trump administration so that Democrats cannot again put our Nation's security and Americans' safety in jeopardy. I don't know who Democrats think benefits from blocking funding for Border Patrol and ICE. The American people certainly don't benefit from there being no law enforcement at the border. They don't benefit from human traffickers and drug smugglers being able to enter our country unchecked or from rapists, murderers, and other criminals being allowed to live freely in our country. Democrats' position puts illegal immigrants in danger as well. Border Patrol agents are the ones pulling illegal immigrants out of the Rio Grande and rescuing dehydrated migrants in the desert. But Democrats don't support these agents' work. If Democrats' position helps anyone, it helps the cartels, the coyotes, and other criminals who prefer to act without risk of detection and apprehension. And I suspect that is why we haven't heard much from Democrats in recent weeks about the core of this legislation. Democrats haven't exactly demonstrated an eagerness to come to the floor and defend open borders, and I strongly suspect that is because at some level, they know their position is completely indefensible. President Trump and Republicans have cleaned up Democrats' mess at the border. We have secured the southern border and put criminals on notice that they will no longer be living freely in our country. And we plan to keep it that way. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, the postcloture time with respect to Executive Calendar No. 736 be expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Democratic leader, tomorrow; further, that the cloture vote with respect to Executive Calendar No. 743 occur following disposition of Executive Calendar No. 736; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I understand that there is a bill at the desk that is due for a second reading.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I would object to further proceeding.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to consideration of S. Res. 755, submitted earlier today.

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 2; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Lane nomination; further, that at 11:15 a.m., the Senate execute the order in relation to the Lane nomination; that following the disposition of the cloture motion with respect to the Kuhlman nomination, the Senate recess for the weekly conference meetings until 2:15 p.m.; and that if cloture is invoked on the Kuhlman nomination, the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination at 2:15 p.m.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the provisions of S. Res. 755.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 727.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, the Democrat Party has gone off the rails. It is no secret that the Democrat Party has drifted sharply leftward in recent years and that it has become increasingly divorced from the concerns of ordinary Americans. ``Many Americans Say the [Democrat] Party Does Not Share Their Priorities''--that was a headline noted last year from the New York Times. But it is remarkable just how extreme Democrats have become. Everyone remembers the Democrat Party's flirtation with ``defund the police'' a few years ago. But when it rapidly became apparent that we actually need the police, Democrats seemed to rein things in. But no more. In today's Democrat Party, ``defund the police'' is back and more strongly than ever. The reason we are here today, I would say the sole--sole--reason we are here today is because we are considering this reconciliation bill because Democrats refuse to fund law enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security. They refuse to fund Border Patrol, and they refuse to fund Immigrations and Customs Enforcement--at all. They wouldn't agree to provide a single dollar for either of these Agencies--not a single dollar for a physical presence at our border, not a single dollar to take criminal illegal aliens off of our streets. Really think about that for a minute. Is there any country in the world that doesn't have officers to protect its borders? Well, if Democrats had their way, that would now be the United States of America. The public record provides ample evidence of the fact that among those who try to make their way illegally across the border, there are bad actors whose presence in this country would endanger Americans. Democrats don't want there to be a single individual at the border to stop those individuals from entering our country, and they don't want there to be a single individual to enforce immigration law in this country. The various women who were murdered by illegal immigrants who entered the country under the open borders Biden administration--what about them? Well, Democrats apparently don't think that even one of those individuals should have been deported. If what I am saying sounds extreme, let me confirm: It is. But it is also an accurate description of the Democrats' position. If this were about making reforms to the way ICE or Border Patrol does business, then Democrats would have accepted the robust package of legislative reforms they were offered by the White House or engaged in serious negotiations to tweak the package, but they didn't. They put up a good show for a little while. But it rapidly became clear that Democrats were not interested in actually reaching any kind of agreement, and eventually they just walked away presumably because they felt that it was more valuable for them to have a political issue than to actually agree to any reforms. Of course, I am not sure what political constituency they were appealing to because I don't think mainstream Americans believe in, for example, completely defunding our Nation's Border Patrol. But then again, I am not too sure the Democrat Party really understands or thinks about mainstream Americans. They are in the pockets of the far left, and so they embrace positions guaranteed to appeal to the far left, no matter--no matter--how out of step those positions are with those of mainstream Americans. In recent days, perhaps realizing just how extreme ``defund the police'' could seem to mainstream American, the Democrat leader has attempted to obfuscate what is happening here by suggesting that Republicans' consideration of this bill somehow means that Republicans are not concerned with the challenges facing ordinary Americans. To which I say: Give me a break. This from the same Democrat leader who oversaw passage of legislation that plunged our country into an inflation crisis. From legislation to drive down the cost of prescription drugs at the pharmacy counter to our signature Working Families Tax Cut, which permanently cut American taxes and put more money in workers' pockets, Republicans have been focused--focused like a laser--on making life easier for hard-working Americans. But, remarkably, it is possible to walk and chew gum at the same time. And we can protect Americans by protecting our borders and continue to pass legislation that will alleviate some of the pressures facing hard-working Americans. We not only can do both; we have a responsibility to do both. Republicans are going to fulfill that responsibility. As long as we are in charge, there will be agents at our borders to prevent terrorists, traffickers, and other dangerous individuals from making their way into our country, and there will be agents to take criminal illegal immigrants off of America's streets. Our Nation's security demands nothing less. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 743.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session for a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 736.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the upcoming adjournment of the Senate, the President of the Senate, the President pro tempore, and the majority and minority leaders be authorized to make appointments to Commissions, committees, Boards, conferences, or interparliamentary conferences authorized by law, by concurrent action of the two Houses, or by order of the Senate.