John Thune

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Ohio Mr. Vance and the Senator from Missouri Mr. Wicker.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, the past 4 years have been marked by increasing instability on the world stage. Over the course of the Biden administration, we have seen an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia, China flexing its power in the Indo-Pacific and beyond and increasingly threatening the Philippines and Taiwan, Iran continuing to foment terror in the Middle East, the worst terror attack in Israel's history, and the list goes on. And while the Biden administration cannot be held solely responsible for all of these events, the lack of clear American leadership under President Biden has undoubtedly contributed to the unrest that we have seen internationally. The President often seems incapable of staking out a firm policy position. Again and again, he seems to want to have things both ways, whether he is ordering attacks on Iran-backed terrorists while simultaneously declaring his unwillingness to escalate or drawing redlines for Israel while proclaiming U.S. support or take the war in Ukraine, where President Biden has advocated for the United States providing defense assistance while simultaneously slow-walking approval for critical combat resources, which has unquestionably contributed to the present situation. I don't know whether the President is trying to keep all his interest groups happy or is simply afraid to fully commit, but his indecisiveness telegraphs weakness to our enemies and allies alike, just as his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan did or his policy toward Iran. The Biden administration began relations with Iran on a note of appeasement with an attempt to reinstate the Obama administration's flawed nuclear deal and then followed that up by unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian assets as part of a deal to free American prisoners. Thankfully, the administration ultimately refroze those funds in the wake of Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack, but unfreezing them in the first place was a serious mistake, as were things like the Biden administration's decision to restart funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, despite long-held suspicions--since confirmed--that there were UNRWA staffers with ties to Islamist militant groups. These types of decisions convey a message to our adversaries: a lack of firm resolve and a willingness to compromise and accommodate. And in the face of this kind of message, it is little wonder that terrorists throughout the Middle East have been emboldened and have been attacking not just our ally Israel but American assets and American soldiers in the region. And I have to wonder whether bodies like the International Criminal Court, which recently attempted to put Israeli leaders in the same class as Hamas terrorists by unlawfully issuing warrants for their arrest, have also been emboldened by the Biden administration's waffling. As China flexes its muscle, Iran continues its proxy war on Israel, and North Korean soldiers join Russia's war on Ukraine, it is time for a return to clear American leadership on the world stage, and that doesn't mean an America that intervenes in every conflict or dictates terms to everyone. We neither can nor should attempt to become the world's policeman. But it does mean an America that speaks clearly and doesn't equivocate, that condemns evil and doesn't accommodate, and an America that projects and can deliver strength, the kind of strength that will make our adversaries think twice before tangling with us or our allies. President Trump has made an excellent choice for Secretary of State with our colleague Marco Rubio. He is one of our strongest and clearest voices on national security. And between him and President Trump and other future members of the Trump administration, America's adversaries should be on notice. I think there has already been something of a shift in the air, and I am hopeful that in the weeks to come we will finally see movement on freeing the remaining Americans and other hostages who were captured by Hamas in its October 7, 2023, attack. It is incredible that these individuals are facing their second--second winter--in Gaza. And President Trump's statement Monday about his commitment to freeing these hostages immediately should be a warning to Hamas that the United States will no longer tolerate the captivity of her citizens. The last few years have shown us what a world without clear American leadership looks like. I am confident that the next 4 years will show us what the world looks like with it. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer), the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Hoeven), the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Risch), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Hoeven) would have voted ``nay''.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer), the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Risch), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Marshall), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Marshall) would have voted ``nay.''

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, before I begin, I would like to say a word about the International Criminal Court's issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant. The ICC's decision is outrageous, unlawful, and dangerous. Israel has the right to defend itself, and the ICC's rogue actions only enable the terrorists who seek to wipe Israel off the map. These actions threaten Israel, but, left unchecked, they could pose a threat to the United States in the future. The Senate needs to stand strongly with our ally at this time. I am, again, calling on Leader Schumer to bring a bill to the floor sanctioning the ICC, which the House has already passed with bipartisan support. Last night, the Senate sent a strong bipartisan message of support for Israel by rejecting resolutions that would have denied Israel the lethal aid that they need. Now, the Democrat leader needs to bring up the ICC sanctions bill. If he chooses not to act, the new Senate Republican majority, next year, will. We will stand with Israel and make this bill and other supportive legislation a top priority in the next Congress. In 6 weeks, Republicans will retake the majority here. And when we do, we will make it clear that the United States stands squarely in Israel's corner.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio) and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Braun) and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Braun) and the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Braun).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Braun) and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).

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, it has been clear for a while now that an enduring legacy of the Biden-Harris administration will be the historic immigration crisis at our southern border. And I don't use the word ``historic'' lightly, but it is appropriate, because President Biden and Vice President Harris have presided over 4 years of recordbreaking illegal immigration at our southern border. That is right: The 4 highest years of illegal immigration ever recorded at our southern border have occurred on President Biden's and Vice President Harris's watch. I say occurred on their watch, but, of course, this recordbreaking illegal immigration didn't just occur on their watch. The Biden-Harris administration created this crisis. On the day he took office, the President began dismantling President Trump's border security policies, and illegal immigration began surging in response--and kept on surging. Between official U.S. Customs and Border Protection encounters and known ``got-aways''--individuals the Border Patrol saw but was unable to apprehend--there have been somewhere around 10 million--10 million-- migrant encounters at the southern border during this administration. Now, to put that number in perspective, that is larger than the population of the vast majority of U.S. States, and that is just the individuals we know about. There are undoubtedly individuals who have made their way into our country over the past 4 years who have been neither seen nor apprehended. The past 4 years have displayed the problems with unchecked illegal immigration. Shelters are overwhelmed. Border cities are overwhelmed. Blue cities far from the border are overwhelmed. The Border Patrol is stretched thin. Agents pulled off field work to process the massive amounts of migrants, and the list goes on. And, of course, it is essential to remember the situation at the border doesn't just affect the border. As I said, cities far from the border have struggled to deal with an influx of migrants. Criminals who have made their way illegally into the country have committed crimes far from the southern border. And the effects of cross-border illegal activity are felt all around the country. My State of South Dakota is about as far from our southern border as you can get, but law enforcement officials consistently tell me, in larger and smaller communities, that the deadly drugs they are dealing with have entered the country across our southern border. And then there are the national security issues. The June arrest of eight Tajikistan nationals with suspected ties to ISIS who had illegally entered the country, as well as the identification of more than 400 migrants who used an ISIS-affiliated smuggling network to enter the United States, are just two examples of the kind of threats that we face--and the dangers of the chaos that President Biden and Vice President Harris have allowed to rage and have unleashed at our southern border. Since October 2020, 387 individuals on the Terrorist Watchlist have been apprehended attempting to cross our southern border between ports of entry. Mr. President, 387 individuals on the Terrorist Watchlist. Those are the ones we caught. How many have come in who have been unobserved? How many terrorists or other dangerous individuals have made their way across without being apprehended? Immigration officials are currently preparing for a possible final surge before President Trump takes office, a clear sign, if one were needed, that migrants regard President Biden as the open border President. But final surge or no final surge, the days of this border crisis are numbered. Securing our border and removing those who have entered our country illegally are at the top of President Trump's priority list, and the Republican Congress is committed to doing everything it can to help, for the sake of our security and for the sake of our rule of law. We sometimes forget that aspect--the rule of law. But the area of immigration should not be an exception to the principle that the law has to be respected. Immigrants have played, and will continue to play, a vital role in this country. And that won't change. But immigration has to be legal. We need to end the notion that illegal pathways are a viable way to take up residence in this country, and we will end that notion under President Trump. The Biden-Harris administration heralded the start of a border crisis. The Trump-Vance administration will herald the end of it. Two more months. Two more months. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Braun) and the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Braun) and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Braun) and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).

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, I shouldn't need to tell anyone that the National Defense Authorization Act is one of the most important bills we consider each year. Issues may wax and wane in importance in Washington, but national security is--and must be--a perennial priority. There is never a time when we can afford to put our national defense on the back burner or underfund our Nation's military. Unfortunately, that point seems to be lost on the Democratic leader. It has been 5 months--5 months--since the Senate Armed Services Committee passed the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act--5 months. We are almost 2 months into the new fiscal year, and yet once again this week, the NDAA will not be on the floor here in the Senate. Delays to the National Defense Authorization Act are always problematic. As I said, there is no time at which we can afford to put our national security on the back burner. But delays are especially problematic at a time when our military preparedness is lagging--and America's adversaries are flexing their muscle. In July of this year, the bipartisan Commission on the National Defense Strategy published its final report. And I just want to read a couple of lines from that report. This is from the report summary: The Commission finds that the U.S. military lacks both the capabilities and the capacity required to be confident it can deter and prevail in combat. Let me just repeat that. Think about that for a moment. The Commission finds that the U.S. military lacks both the capabilities and the capacity required to be confident it can deter and prevail in combat. That is a pretty damning statement. Elsewhere, the commission notes: The Commission finds that, in many ways, China is outpacing the United States and has largely negated the U.S. military advantage in the Western Pacific through two decades of focused military investment. Without significant change by the United States, the balance of power will continue to shift in China's favor. ``Without significant change by the United States, the balance of power will continue to shift in China's favor.'' And from the Strategic Posture Commission report in 2023: Today the United States is on the cusp of having not one, but two nuclear peer adversaries, each with ambitions to change the international status quo, by force, if necessary: a situation which the United States did not anticipate and for which it is not prepared. ``[A] situation which the United States did not anticipate and for which it is not prepared.'' In other words, we have work to do--a lot of work to do. And that work is being inhibited by the Democrat leader's decision not to prioritize the National Defense Authorization Act and defense spending bills. And needless to say, while the Democrat leader delays, the world isn't getting any safer. China, which has grown increasingly aggressive in the Pacific, is investing heavily in its military--and is outpacing our military in modern capabilities like hypersonic missiles. This past week alone, China unveiled a new stealth fighter jet, along with other advanced technologies. Russia, meanwhile, continues its war of aggression in Ukraine--most recently with a massive missile attack this weekend on Ukrainian infrastructure. Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Hamas continues to hold hostages it seized in its attack on October 7 of last year, including Americans. And Iran-backed proxies continue to menace both Israel and U.S. assets in the region. Iran has spent decades--decades--fomenting unrest in the Middle East, and the news that it intends to increase its military budget by a staggering 200 percent next year suggests the country has no plans to abandon its destabilizing activities. I could go on. Each day's news is a reminder that we live in an increasingly dangerous world--and that while we never invite conflict, we have to be prepared for it. The Democratic leader may have chosen to spend his time this year on show votes and Biden nominees. But next year, control of the Senate will be different. And I will tell my colleagues right now that in the 119th Congress, neither the NDAA nor military preparedness will be put on the back burner. Under Republican governance, providing for our Nation's defense and supporting our men and women in uniform will not only continue to be one of Congress's most important obligations, it will be treated as such. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso), the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Braun), the Senator from Alabama (Mrs. Britt), the Senator from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy), the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Cotton), the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from Nebraska (Mrs. Fischer), the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), the Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin), the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Scott), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott), the Senator from Alaska (Mr. Sullivan), the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Tuberville), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).