John Thune

Mr. THUNE

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

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 when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 6; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate resume consideration of H.J. Res. 61 under the previous order; further, that following the vote on the motion to proceed to S.J. Res. 13, if made, the Senate recess until 2 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Tuesday's session, 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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, tomorrow afternoon, runners will take their marks for the 100th returning of the Howard Wood Dakota Relays. I have to say, I look forward to this event every year. It is more than a track meet. It is one of the hallmarks of sports in South Dakota and an incredible tradition that is now marking 100 years. Each year, thousands of high school athletes come from across the upper Midwest to compete at the Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls, SD. But the Dakota Relays is not about where you are from or how big your school is; it is about the best competing against the best. And it is a thrilling 2 days--hurdles, relays, the long jump, javelin, and, of course, the special event on Friday night that showcases some of the best runners in the region. Athletes get to compete against other athletes they won't see during a season or even at their statewide track meets, and it is incredible to see how hard these high schoolers work, to see them give it their all, and to see their sportsmanship in both victory and defeat. For generations, the Dakota Relays has been the ultimate proving ground and a tradition shared by many South Dakota families. My own family's involvement in the relays stretches from the very beginning. My wife Kimberley's grandfather--the legendary ``Smokey Joe'' Mendel-- ran in one of the first Dakota Relays, and he was the first person to be inducted into the Dakota Relays Hall of Fame in 1959. My dad coached a relay team from Murdo--my hometown--that made it to the relays a couple of different times. Both of my daughters competed in the relays when they were in high school. In fact, both were gold medalists. I have a son-in-law who is also a gold medalist at the relays, and my daughter Brittany's 4 x 800-meter relay team still holds the meet record that they set back in 2005. The Dakota Relays has been a highlight of high school athletes' careers for as long as it has been around. When legendary Washington High School coach Howard Wood established the relays, he did it to give student athletes an opportunity to compete at a high level. That first year featured athletes from nine schools. Today, it is much more than I think Coach Wood ever would have imagined: 3,000 athletes and 20,000 fans are expected this year; 17 future Olympians have competed in the Dakota Relays. It is now the longest running high school track meet in South Dakota and one of the longest running in the entire country. Even as it has grown, the Dakota Relays still draws its support and strength from the local community, especially from the volunteers who work hard to keep the events running smoothly. The relays couldn't run without these men and women, and I always enjoy the chance to help out when I can; although, these days, I am helping to move hurdles or presenting medals now that technology has replaced me as a timer. Sioux Falls native Terry Nielsen has volunteered in various roles at the Dakota Relays for almost 50 years. After all those years, he says: The success of this meet is based on small town South Dakota. I couldn't agree more. The Dakota Relays represent what I love about South Dakota, about our small towns, and about the people and values that make our State great. At the entrance of Howard Wood Field is a plaque that reads, ``Howard Wood . . . Molder of Youth,'' and I have to say that is what a good coach does: shapes youth, pushes athletes to do more, to be better, to think about more than just themselves. Coach Wood believed that athletics develops character and knowledge that serve athletes in every stage of life. He said: Athletics should teach the following [lessons]: To mind one's own business; to be a good loser--to lose without crying; to be a good winner--to win without boasting; to be nonsolicitous of sympathy; to develop initiative and cooperation; good sportsmanship, which is none other than the Golden Rule; a respect for the code; control of the emotional self; to care for the body. . . . My sincere hope and wish is that these few points have been grounded. That was from the founder of the Howard Wood Dakota Relays. Howard Wood's legacy is alive and well after 100 years at the Dakota Relays, and as always, I look forward to being there this year to cheer on our athletes and to be a part of this great South Dakota tradition. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, over the last 4 years, the Biden administration subjected Americans to an onslaught of regulations. Altogether, the Biden regulatory agenda cost $1.8 trillion. He heaped thousands of hours of paperwork on business owners, energy producers, and other hard-working Americans. And to what end? Well, often, these regulations were part of the Biden administration's radical climate agenda: efforts to tie up conventional energy production, force the widespread adoption of electric vehicles, and even go after things like household appliances. Those days are over. We are no longer regulating our way to the Green New Deal. President Trump has moved swiftly to unleash energy production and remove regulatory barriers, and Republicans in Congress are joining those efforts. To date, we have passed a number of resolutions blocking Biden-era regulations through the Congressional Review Act, and we will continue those efforts this week. Later today, we will vote on a resolution blocking the Biden administration's onerous appliance standards regulation--an effort that is going to be led here in the Senate by Senator Husted. This rule imposed stricter reporting requirements on a number of household appliances: dishwashers, dehumidifiers, pool heaters, air- conditioners, light bulbs, and the list goes on. Reporting and certification requirements may not sound like much, but there is a lot of front-end work that has to be done--work that costs time and money and can place a huge burden on businesses and drive up prices for consumers. In its public comments on the Biden administration's appliance standards, Carrier, an appliance manufacturer, said that the Department of Energy failed to adequately account for the ``cost and burden . . . to comply with updated requirements.'' A manufacturers association said that the proposed reporting standards had ``no practical utility.'' Another objected to what they called ``burden without benefit.'' The same could be said of another Biden-era regulation we will be voting to overturn later this week. Last year, the Biden administration finalized a rule setting stricter standards for commercial refrigerators and freezers. These are the refrigerators and freezers that we see at convenience stores, in restaurants, and at grocery stores. In other words, it impacts a lot of small operators. These stricter standards threaten to drive up costs and reduce choice for the owners of these businesses--costs, I might add, that will inevitably be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. Proponents of this rule claim that more efficient appliances will save businesses money in the long run, but in the case of at least one new standard, the Department of Energy estimates that it will take more than 90 years--90 years--for a business to see those savings--in other words, longer than any business owner will survive at the head of his or her business. I thank Senator Moody for leading this effort to eliminate an unnecessary burden on America's small businesses. This week, the Senate is also taking up Senator Curtis's resolution to overturn the Biden administration's major source rule. This rule isn't just burdensome; it is backward. The Clean Air Act has two categories of pollutants: major source and area source. Major source pollutants are more heavily regulated, but the Biden administration's rule says that even if you reduce potential emissions below the threshold established in law for classification as major source pollutants, it doesn't matter; you are still subject to the stricter major source rules. Once in, always in. That is wrong. Worse, it removes an incentive to reduce emissions, undermining the very purpose of the Clean Air Act. So this week, the Senate will vote to eliminate this backward regulation. We have made progress on reining in excessive regulation, and the American people can count on Republicans to continue our efforts. We know that rules out of Washington can frequently have very negative consequences in the real world. Complying with a new rule costs money that could otherwise go toward innovation, improvements, or investing in employees. For small business owners, a new regulation can mean late nights trying to figure out what it means and how to make the business work while following the rules. Regulations can lead to higher costs and less choice for consumers. That is why we believe that regulatory power should be used judiciously, and it is why we are committed to eliminating rules that impose unjustified burdens. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote. Motion to Table And I move to table the motion to reconsider. Vote on Motion to Table

Mr. THUNE. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. I move to proceed to Calendar No. 31, S.J. Res. 31.

Mr. THUNE. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. 616 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following resolutions, which are at the desk: S. Res. 191, S. Res. 192, and S. Res. 193.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 9, which was received from the House.

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

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 following the remarks of Senator Markey.

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 Thursday, May 1; 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 resume consideration of Calendar No. 31, S.J. Res. 31; further, that at 11 a.m., the Senate execute the order with respect to H.J. Res. 75; further, that following disposition of H.J. Res. 75, the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 31, S.J. Res. 31, all debate time be expired, the joint resolution be read a third time, the Senate vote on passage of the joint resolution, and, if passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; further, that following disposition of Calendar No. 31, S.J. Res. 31, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Bisignano nomination; finally, that notwithstanding rule XXII, the cloture motion with respect to the Bisignano nomination ripen at 1:45 p.m. tomorrow.

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 100 days of the new Trump administration, and President Trump is delivering. Run down elements of the Republican agenda: securing our border, restoring American strength, extending tax relief for hard-working Americans, unleashing American energy, saving taxpayer dollars, and restoring common sense after an administration obsessed with imposing far-left, woke ideology--and President Trump has made progress on them all. After 4 years of increasing energy instability under the Biden administration, on day one, President Trump declared a national emergency on energy and started moving to unleash American energy production. He has ended President Biden's electric vehicle mandate, which was guaranteed to place vast new burdens on our already shaky electric grid, opened up oil and gas production, rescinded burdensome energy regulations, and a whole lot more. His administration has restored common sense to Washington after the Biden administration's attempt to impose far-left, woke ideologies on the American people. Notably, President Trump issued an Executive order to prevent biological males from hijacking sports for women and girls. Of course, the President has been working closely with the House and Senate on legislation to permanently extend the tax relief he signed into law during his first administration--tax relief to put more money in hard-working Americans' pockets. We took a big step forward in that process with congressional passage of a budget resolution in April, and we are moving toward a final bill--a bill that will not only make tax relief permanent but will also deliver on other President Trump and Republican priorities. That includes investment in our military and restoring our national defense, securing our border, and reforming the way we spend taxpayer dollars. Speaking of the border, at the top of any list of President Trump's accomplishments is the incredible progress the President has made when it comes to securing our border. I don't need to tell anyone what things were like at our southern border in the last administration. It flat-out was chaos. President Biden presided over 4 years of recordbreaking illegal immigration at our southern border, with all the dangers that represents. President Trump promised that he would put an end to the Biden border crisis and restore order and respect for the rule of law, and in just 100 days--100 days--he has delivered to an incredible degree. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported just 11,709 encounters at our southern border in February and just 11,017 in March--nothing short of a dizzying drop. To put those February and March numbers into perspective, during February 2024 and March 2024, under the Biden administration, encounters at our southern border numbered 189,913 in February and 189,359 in March. Think about that--189,000 down to 11,000 in a year. What a difference leadership makes--a 94-percent decrease in illegal crossings at our southern border. That is an incredible achievement, and America is safer because of it. I have to say it is a reminder that had President Biden actually cared about border security, he could have secured the border at any time during his administration. President Trump has managed to do it in mere weeks. I should also note that not only has President Trump drastically reduced attempted illegal entries, but he has also focused on rounding up dangerous illegal aliens who are resident in our country: gang members, individuals charged with murder, rape, theft, sexual crimes against children, and the list goes on and on. The President has also taken steps, along with Congress, to stop the deadly cross-border trade in fentanyl, which affects communities around our country. I know those efforts are going to continue. Open borders represent a real security threat, and I am incredibly grateful for the work President Trump has done to secure our borders and to protect our country. One hundred days. If this is what President Trump has accomplished in his first 3 months, I can't wait to see what is to come. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 60.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. 307 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. THUNE. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.