John Thune

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, it was another installment of show-vote summer in the Senate this week. Really, the Senate is starting to feel like an arm of the DNC. I say ``show vote'' because, of course, this week's vote and the other show votes we have taken this summer had nothing at all to do with legislating. These were not attempts to pass bills; these were future campaign talking points and television commercials. Had the Democrat leader really wanted to pass legislation, I can think of a number of bills he would have brought up. But he isn't actually interested in getting anything done; he is interested--he hopes--in getting votes in November. With rare exceptions, the Senate has spent essentially the entire summer confirming Biden nominees and conducting show votes, and that is not because there hasn't been important legislation for us to take up. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The Senate has crucial legislation it should have been considering: the National Defense Authorization Act, for one thing--one of the most important pieces of legislation we consider each year--defense appropriations, veterans appropriations, all appropriations. The end of the fiscal year is almost upon us. We have 11 days left. Yet we haven't taken up a single appropriations bill on the Senate floor. And that is not because the Appropriations Committee hasn't been doing its work--again, quite the opposite. By the beginning of August, the Senate Appropriations Committee had passed 11 out of the 12 yearly appropriations bills, several of them unanimously. Just yesterday, Senator Collins, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, was on the floor urging the Democrat leader to take action on the appropriations bills. There is zero--zero--reason why we shouldn't have taken up these bills on the Senate floor. The only reason we haven't is because the Democrat leader has been more interested in scoring political points than in doing the job we were all sent here to do. I hope these hypothetical political points were worth the cost to our military that comes with continuing resolutions, which is what we are going to be forced to resort to now to keep the government running. In a properly functioning Senate, committee work would be reflected on the Senate floor--for example, by taking up the appropriations bills that the committee has produced. But in the Schumer Senate, leadership is top down. So the actual work of the Senate and the hard work of the committees have taken a back seat to the Democrat leader's political machinations. As I said, he is currently ignoring the National Defense Authorization Act and 11 appropriations bills--all passed out of the committee, all available for floor consideration, in some cases for months. In addition to ignoring committee work, the Democrat leader is also happy to interfere with or go around committees when it suits him. The Commerce Committee's final release of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill was delayed for months--months-- because the Democrat leader objected to an amendment that was likely to pass in committee on a bipartisan basis. Rather than letting the democratic process play out, the Democrat leader chose to call a halt to committee consideration of the bill, bringing the Commerce Committee's work to a standstill literally for months. While he did finally allow the Senate to take up the bill, we passed the bill a total of 8 months after the previous reauthorization had expired--again, solely because the Democrat leader didn't like an amendment that was likely to pass with bipartisan support. I was not surprised to learn last week that the leader may proceed right to an informal conference on the National Defense Authorization Act, bypassing consideration of the Senate version of the bill on the floor of the U.S. Senate--again, one of the most consequential pieces of legislation that we do on an annual basis and which should have allowed every Member to have a voice through an amendment process on the floor, but he has made it very clear that Member input is not one of his priorities. As if the Senate weren't dysfunctional enough, if Democrats win the majority, the Democrat leader intends to destroy perhaps the most important Senate rule we have--the Senate filibuster--permanently diminishing, if not eliminating, any meaningful voice for the minority in the U.S. Senate, which is what this institution was created to represent. My great hope is to see a properly functioning Senate again, one where, for starters, we actually take up each year's appropriations bills after they come out of the committee. I want to see a Senate where committee work is recognized and serves as the basis for the floor schedule and where committee chairmen are empowered; a Senate where Members have the opportunity to have their voices heard through a robust amendment process, from committee to final consideration here on the floor of the Senate; and a Senate where the role the Senate plays in the legislative branch is respected and protected, starting with safeguarding the filibuster rule, which helps preserve the Senate's role as the, as the Founder said, cooling saucer of democracy. I don't have much hope that we will see this type of Senate if Democrats are reelected and the current Democrat leader continues in his role, but it is the kind of Senate that I will continue to work for and that I hope a majority of Senators aspire to. In the meantime, I guess we will continue with the Democrat leader's show votes. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Marshall), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis), 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 South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Schmitt), the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis), the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Tuberville), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, August border numbers came out on money, bringing the total number of encounters at our southern border, thus far, for fiscal year 2024 to more than 2 million--2,033,260 to be precise--the third highest total ever recorded, with another month still to go. The highest total ever recorded was in fiscal year 2023. The second highest total ever recorded was in fiscal year 2022. And the fourth highest total ever recorded was in fiscal year 2021. In other words, President Biden and Vice President Harris have presided over 4 years of recordbreaking illegal immigration at our southern border. The problem started right away. On the day he took office, President Biden began dismantling the border security policies of his predecessor, and illegal immigration began surging in response--no big surprise there. For 3-plus years now, President Biden and Vice President Harris essentially just stood around and watched. They watched as recordbreaking numbers of individuals surged across the southern border. They watched as the Border Patrol and border cities struggled under the massive influx. They watched as encounters of individuals on the Terrorist Watchlist nearly quadrupled in fiscal year 2022, and then rose even higher the next year. Vice President Harris was supposed to be President Biden's border czar. I would be hard-pressed to name anything she did to stop the influx. If she did take any action, it was certainly ineffective, based on the steady increases in border encounters. I don't have to tell anyone what the problems are with the kind of unchecked illegal immigration that we have been seeing. As I said, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been stretched thin for pretty much the entirety of the Biden-Harris administration. Cities at the border and around the United States have struggled with the influx of migrants, and migrants themselves have suffered as they have undertaken the perilous journey to our southern border, spurred on by the Biden-Harris administration's open-border policies. Worst of all, the Biden-Harris border crisis has left a gaping hole in our national security. The kind of unchecked illegal immigration we have been seeing is an invitation to dangerous individuals to enter our country. I mentioned that the number of individuals on the Terrorist Watchlist encountered at the southern border has surged, and those are just individuals who were actually apprehended. We have no idea how many terrorists or other dangerous individuals have made their way across our southern border without being apprehended. We are closing in on 2 million known ``got-aways'' in the Biden- Harris administration's watch. Those are individuals the Border Patrol saw but was unable to apprehend. How many of those were dangerous people who should not be entering our country? U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens, in a March interview with CBS News, said the number of known ``got-aways'' is keeping him up at night. This is his quote: This is a national security threat. Border security is a big piece of national security. And if we don't know who is coming into our country and we don't know what their intent is, that is a threat. And they're exploiting a vulnerability that's on our border right now. That same month, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence: We are seeing a wide array of very dangerous threats that emanate from the border. I want to repeat that. We are seeing a wide array of very dangerous threats that emanate from the border. That is from the Director of the FBI. The June arrest of eight men from Tajikistan with suspected ties to ISIS who had illegally entered the country, as well as the identification of over 400 migrants that used an ISIS-affiliated smuggling network to enter our country, 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 at our southern border. In addition to threats from terrorists and other dangerous individuals, the chaos at our southern border has unquestionably facilitated illegal cross-border activity, including the smuggling of deadly drugs like fentanyl, which then make their way around our 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 that the illegal drugs that they are dealing with have entered the country across our southern border. In 2022, Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead estimated that 90 percent--90 percent--of the fentanyl and meth in our State comes from Mexico. That is 90 percent, Mr. President. I could go on. There is a lot more to talk about when it comes to the Biden-Harris border crisis--from the mass amnesty the administration has offered to hundreds of thousands of individuals whose asylum cases have been closed without a decision to the placing of unaccompanied children with possibly dangerous guardians, something that Senator Grassley and Senator Lankford are currently working to rectify and prevent in the future. But I will stop here. Four recordbreaking years of illegal immigration: the national security legacy of the Biden-Harris administration. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis) would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis) would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, before I begin, I just want to say how grateful I am that President Trump is safe after what appears to be a second attempt on his life in the space of 2 months. The trend this election cycle has taken toward violence is disturbing to say the least, and I hope this weekend's events will prompt reflection on our political discourse and the importance of not letting our disagreements lead to the dehumanization of our opponents. I am grateful for all the law enforcement personnel who responded and helped prevent another tragedy, and I look forward to seeing a thorough investigation.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are neccessarily absent: the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis) would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Cotton), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Alabama (Mrs. Britt), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Marshall), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Ms. Ernst), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, like many of our colleagues, I spend a lot of summer days on the road in my home State of South Dakota. The longer summer recesses give me the opportunity to travel the State far and wide, and with so much going on in South Dakota during the season, it is a great time for me to see familiar faces and to meet new folks as well. I spend a lot of these summer days listening because what I hear from South Dakotans informs a lot of the work that I do here in the U.S. Senate. In Howard, SD, I heard from healthcare professionals about some of the important programs that help them provide healthcare in rural areas. Homebuilders in the Sioux Falls area told me about the headwinds they face from the Biden-Harris administration's overregulation, which has made building new homes more difficult and expensive. At a Dakotafest in Mitchell, agricultural producers expressed their frustration that Congress has still not passed an updated farm bill--a frustration that I share. I have been pushing hard for Congress to take up a bill and will continue to do everything I can to advance this legislation. Another extension is no substitute for the certainty an updated farm bill would give farmers and ranchers as they make plans for the future, and getting it done should be a priority for Congress. Traveling around South Dakota also gives me the chance to meet the people who keep our communities going. I dropped in to hear from local officials in Leola and Eureka. I got to learn about some of the things happening at Black Hills State University, and I toured South Dakota State's nursing simulation center in Brookings. I visited the Liberty Center in Box Elder and saw the great work the Black Hills community does to make the area a welcoming place for servicemembers stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base and for their families. Whether it is Kuchen in Eureka, a quick bite at Ricky's Restaurant in Roscoe, or, of course, the Tubby Burger at the Brown County Fair, I know I can always find some good food to keep me fueled wherever I am traveling in South Dakota. What would the summer be without a few celebrations? I was out in Rapid City for the annual Military Appreciation Barbecue, I joined the Fort Pierre 4th of July Parade, and I was back in my hometown of Murdo celebrating the 70th anniversary of the legendary Pioneer Auto Show and honoring the life of longtime museum owner Dave Geisler, who passed away earlier this year. I had the opportunity to travel with my family in the Black Hills. We made stops in Spearfish Canyon, Hill City, Keystone, Lake Pactola, and Spearfish, among other places. This summer was also notable for the successes of South Dakota's athletes. It was great to see two South Dakotans competing in the Olympics and Paralympics this year. Sioux Falls native Taryn Kloth competed in beach volleyball, and Miles Krajewski, a Yankton native and freshman at the University of South Dakota, made history as the first American to medal in badminton at the Paralympics, bringing home a silver medal in mixed doubles. The Sioux Falls Little League All Star Team made it to the Little League World Series this summer, and by all accounts, they played well in Williamsport. They should be proud of their success, and I am glad to hear they were able to befriend fellow players from across the country and the world along the way. It was great to be in Brookings this past weekend for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits' home opener, as they look to defend their back-to-back national titles this season. Summer is a wonderful time in South Dakota, and it is a privilege to be able to spend part of it exploring our great State. The sunshine on the open prairie, the smell of the ponderosa pine, and the good people I meet along the way remind me how lucky I am to be a South Dakotan and what an honor it is to represent this special place in the U.S. Senate. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Montana (Mr. Daines), the Senator from Iowa (Ms. Ernst), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Marshall), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance), and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), 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. President, before I begin, I want to take a moment to acknowledge what today is: 23 years ago, terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and 23 years since a heroic group of Americans prevented even greater tragedy by bringing down a fourth hijacked plane before it could crash into another target. As on every September 11 since that black day, we remember the heroes who rose up--at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and in that bare field near Shanksville, PA--and we mourn all those who were lost. My prayers, as always, are with the families of all those who still grieve their fallen loved ones and with all those whose calling is to respond to danger and stand between us and terror. 2024 Elections Mr. President, there has been a dizzying amount of change in the Democrat Party over the past couple of months. First, and obviously, there was the replacement of President Biden with Kamala Harris on the ticket. Democrat voters who had gone to the polls in the primaries and cast a vote for President Biden were informed that, in fact, the delegates they had chosen would be supporting Vice President Harris instead. That was a big change but not the only one. There is also the new Democrat nominee's attempt to reinvent herself. It began 5 short years ago since Kamala Harris was running for President in the Democrat primary as a leftist. She endorsed, among other things, a ban on fracking, taxpayer-funded gender reassignment surgeries for detained immigrants, decriminalizing drug possession, decriminalizing illegal border crossings, mandatory buybacks of certain guns--and I could go on. Of course, none of that was a big surprise. After all, then-Senator Harris--a supporter of a government takeover of healthcare and the budget-busting Green New Deal--regularly made lists of most liberal Senators. But what is surprising is the apparent 180-degree flip she has made in the past--well, let's say, 7 weeks or so in this campaign. She opposed a border wall; now she apparently supports one. She supported a ban on fracking; well, now she opposes one. She supported Medicare for All--the Federal takeover of healthcare--and now says she won't push for it if she is President. She supported mandatory gun buybacks; now she won't push for them. She supported an electric vehicle mandate; and now, apparently, she doesn't. I could go on, on that list. It is amazing what a brief 7 weeks or so can do or perhaps I should say it is amazing what getting nominated for President can do. But it seems that despite her apparent move to the center, progressive voters should not be alarmed. A far-left compatriot of the Vice President, the senior Senator from Vermont, whose Medicare for All government healthcare takeover she cosponsored, was asked on ``Meet the Press'' last weekend whether he thought Vice President Harris was abandoning her progressive ideals. ``No,'' he answered, ``I don't think she's abandoning her ideals. I think she's trying to be pragmatic in doing what she thinks is right in order to win the election.'' ``I think she is trying to be pragmatic and doing what she thinks is right in order to win the election.'' Well, nothing like saying the quiet part out loud. I suspect he is right, and I suspect that one of the Senate's most liberal Senators could quickly become one of the Nation's most liberal Presidents. I think it is fair to say we have gotten a taste over the last 4 years as to what government under Kamala Harris looks like, and so far it mostly looks like a historic inflation crisis, a raging border crisis, and uncertainty on the global stage. When I say the past 4 years have looked like a historic inflation crisis and a raging border crisis, I do mean the past 4 years. Inflation started spiking within 2 months of President Biden and Vice President Harris taking office, thanks in large part to Democrats' American Rescue Plan's spending spree, a spending spree, I might add, for which Kamala Harris cast the deciding vote. And almost 4 years later, inflation is still above the Federal Reserve's target inflation rate. Americans are now paying a staggering $13,000 more a year just to maintain the same standard of living they enjoyed when President Biden and Vice President Harris took office--$13,000. Vice President Harris recently said in her speech at the Democratic National Convention that her administration would work on lowering the cost of everyday needs like groceries. Well, why hasn't she tried that already? She is not an outsider coming into office. She has been in office for the past 4 years. If there was something she thought she could do to bring down prices, why hasn't she done it already? And Democrats' nearly 4-year inflation crisis has been matched by the Biden-Harris border crisis. Border numbers started spiking almost immediately after President Biden and Vice President Harris took office after they sent the message on day one that border security was at the bottom of their priority list. The ensuing crisis has raged for almost the entirety of the Biden-Harris administration until fears of losing reelection prompted President Biden to at least take some too-little- too-late action this summer. I could go on and talk about the Biden-Harris administration's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan or the deep uncertainty on the world stage that has characterized their tenure. I could also talk about the ways that they are putting us on track for an energy crisis, but I will stop here. Suffice it to say, after the past 4 years, no one has to wonder what Democrat governance would look like, and I hope our country and American families will be spared another 4 years of it. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance.)

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Sentator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Marshall), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Tuberville), 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. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), 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 Idaho (Mr. Crapo), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).