John Thune

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam 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. 184, S. Res. 185, S. Res. 186, and S. Res. 187.

Mr. THUNE. Madam 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. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 30; 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 H.J. Res. 42 if the motion to proceed has been agreed to; further, that at 11:30 a.m., all debate time on H.J. Res. 42 be expired, the joint resolution be read a third time, and the Senate vote on passage of the joint resolution.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order following the vote on the motion to proceed to H.J. Res. 42 and the remarks of my colleagues.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I understand the Senate has received H.J. Res. 42 from the House.

Mr. THUNE. I move to proceed to H.J. Res. 42.

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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 want to mention Pope Francis, who died last Monday. Since he became Pope in 2013, Pope Francis captured the world's attention with his simplicity. He had great compassion for the least among us, and he sought them out wherever he went. In his final homily on Easter Sunday, he reminded us not to remain stationary, but to go out seeking Jesus everywhere and in everyone. And that is how he lived, going out into the world seeking Jesus and bringing the Gospel to those that he met. I trust that he is now at home with his Father in Heaven. My thoughts and prayers are with South Dakota Catholics and all those who are mourning this humble servant of God.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, we are kicking off the week today with a vote on a former colleague of ours, David Perdue, to be Ambassador to China. We will be working through several other Ambassador nominations this week, including our Ambassador to our close friend and ally Great Britain. I don't need to tell anybody that it is important to have these individuals in place. We are going to continue to confirm the President's Ambassadors as expeditiously as possible. We are also going to continue to focus on filling out the rest of the President's administration. The President needs to have his team in place so that he can do the job he was elected to do. I intend to make sure that happens as quickly as possible. We have already set a brisk pace on nominations, confirming more than 50 to date. We are going to have a lot more nominees coming out of committee. I want to make it very clear that we are going to process those nominees in a timely fashion. As I have said before, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. But one way or another, we are going to get it done. The President needs to have his team in place, and we have a lot of other work to do. Speaking of some of that other work, before Easter, the House and the Senate took a major step forward on a permanent extension of tax relief for American families by passing a budget resolution that will allow us to proceed to a final bill. We have been working toward the text of this final bill for months, and drafting has only accelerated since passage of the budget resolution. I am looking forward to the House and the Senate taking up the final legislation. Mr. President, there is a lot on the line here. The tax relief the Republicans passed in 2017, which puts more money in Americans' pockets, is set to expire at the end of this year. Without congressional action, in 2026, tax rates will increase, the child tax credit will be cut in half, and the standard deduction will be nearly halved. Americans making less than $400,000 a year would see a $2.6 trillion tax hike, and a typical family of four making $80,000 would be sending an additional $1,700 to Uncle Sam. Republicans do not intend to let that happen. Our final bill will not only extend the 2017 tax relief for hard-working Americans, it will make it permanent. In addition to permanent tax relief, our final legislation will invest in our border, energy, and national security. All three have suffered in recent years under the Biden administration, and Republicans are committed to securing our border, unleashing America's abundant energy resources, and ensuring that our military has the resources it needs to deter and defeat any threat. Finally, our legislation will also include substantial savings measures as we take a hard look at how we spend taxpayer dollars and work to get our country on a more sustainable fiscal path. Work on drafting this legislation continues. As we consider nominations, measures to repeal burdensome Biden administration regulations, and other legislation on the floor, off the floor, we are getting ever closer to a final bill. It is going to be great. 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, today I have the privilege of recognizing my good friend, Dennis ``Denny'' Law, who will soon retire from his position as chief executive officer of Golden West Telecommunications. Denny's outstanding leadership and unwavering dedication to connecting South Dakota's communities with high-speed broadband have ensured that families, schools, farms, and businesses--no matter how remote--have access to the networks they need to thrive. Denny was born and raised in our great State of South Dakota. He and his wife Bonnie have two wonderful sons Andrew and Nathan and make their home in Wall, SD. He earned his bachelor of science degree from South Dakota State University and later obtained a master's degree from the University of South Dakota. For the past three decades, Denny has been a driving force in the telecommunications industry. His expertise has proven quite valuable, and I am grateful for the many times--more times than I can count--that he has testified before Congress, highlighting South Dakota's needs in Washington. Under Denny's leadership, South Dakota has made remarkable progress in deploying broadband services. His deep personal commitment to South Dakotans has helped expand broadband access to even the most rural corners of the State. But beyond his efforts on the ground, Denny has also been a powerful advocate for rural broadband policy, ensuring that small communities always have a voice in national conversations. Whether championing smart broadband policies, mentoring future industry leaders, serving on national association committees, or even rolling up his sleeves to help install networks, Denny has consistently led by example. While guiding national associations through difficult policy debates and spearheading the efforts of the South Dakota rural broadband industry, Denny has ensured that community-based providers across the country are well-positioned to deliver connectivity that makes a lasting difference for rural America and for the Nation as a whole. As he embarks on a well-earned retirement, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for his leadership, vision, and friendship. While he may be stepping away from the daily demands of leading Golden West, his impact will endure; his legacy is hardwired into the future of rural broadband. It has been a pleasure working with you, Denny, and I pray that God blesses you and your family in the days ahead.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 149 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

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 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, April 29; 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 proceed to executive session and resume consideration of Calendar No. 80, David Perdue; further, that notwithstanding rule XXII, at 11:30 a.m., the Senate vote on confirmation of the Perdue nomination and, following confirmation, the Senate vote on cloture on Calendar No. 77, Warren Stephens, and following the cloture vote, the Senate recess until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings; and that at 2:15 p.m., if cloture is invoked, the Senate vote on confirmation of the Stephens nomination, followed by cloture on Executive Calendar No. 78, Thomas Barrack; 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, 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, Saturday will mark 100 days of the 119th Congress and the Republican majority here in the Senate. It has been a very productive 100 days. We have had 14 weeks of the new Congress, and the Senate has been in session and voting for 13 of those 14 weeks. We had the longest continuous in-session work period in 15 years--10 weeks--and yesterday, we took our 200th vote. That is more votes at this point in a new Congress since at least the Reagan era. What do we have to show for it? Well, Mr. President, we have confirmed the President's Cabinet at the fastest pace in more than 20 years, and as of this week, we have more than 50 total confirmations. Confirming nominees is a big focus of any new Congress with a newly elected President, and we are building out the President's administration at a brisk pace. But that is far from the only thing we have done. We passed Senator Britt's Laken Riley Act--the first bipartisan border bill since 2006-- which the President signed into law on January 29. This legislation, which incorporated amendments by Senators Cornyn, Ernst, and Budd, ensures that illegal immigrants who steal, assault a law enforcement officer, or kill or seriously injure another person are detained instead of being allowed back on the street. We also passed Senator Grassley and Senator Cassidy's HALT Fentanyl Act by an even stronger bipartisan margin, to provide law enforcement with critical tools to combat this deadly disease. We considered other important bills: Senator Tuberville's legislation to protect women's sports, Senator Banks and Senator Lankford's legislation to protect babies born alive after botched abortions, and Senator Cotton's ICC sanctions bill. All of those were, unfortunately, filibustered by our Democrat colleagues. That is not all. We have also passed six Congressional Review Act resolutions--and plan to pass a seventh today--to repeal burdensome Biden administration regulations, thanks to the effort of, among others, Senators Hoeven, Cruz, Kennedy, Ricketts, and Tim Scott. Finally, we considered not one but two budget resolutions to provide the framework for a permanent extension of the 2017 tax relief and a transformational investment in our border, energy, and national security. I am proud of the role the Senate's two resolutions have played in advancing negotiations as we head toward a final bill. As I have said before, my philosophy of leadership comes from my dad. He was a basketball coach at our high school, and he had some very strong opinions about the right way to play. Sports, to him, was not about personal glory; it was about elevating the team. That is an attitude I have tried to bring to every leadership position I have held. When Republican Senators trusted me with the role of majority leader last November, I promised to empower my colleagues and to open up the Senate, and I am proud that we have been making progress toward that goal. We have honored the commitment to return to regular order and have brought multiple bills to the floor via the committee process, where Members of both parties have a chance to amend and improve legislation. We have created additional opportunities for Members to draw attention to their priorities and manage their bills on the floor. We have done substantial work to cut down vote times to make the process more efficient and free Members up for the other work they have to do. I have also been working to ensure that the lines of communication are open at all levels--at the Member level, at the staff level, between the House and the Senate, and between the Senate and the White House. I regularly chat with the President and with Speaker Johnson so we can ensure that the House, Senate, and White House are all on the same page and doing everything we can to advance our shared goals. When we return from Easter, we will continue to have a packed agenda: more nominations to confirm, more burdensome Biden regulations to repeal, a tax bill and border, energy, and national security bill to continue drafting. Committees are currently working on legislation that will come to the floor in the coming weeks and months. Of course, appropriations season is almost upon us, and I remain committed to considering as many appropriations bills as possible under regular order. When the Appropriations Committee reports a bill, I intend to bring that bill to the floor for debate. That will require cooperation from Democrats. But I hope--I truly hope--that my Democrat colleagues will recognize that the right way to fund the government is to bring individual appropriations bills through the committee process and then consider them on the Senate floor. It has been a busy 100 days in the U.S. Senate, and I am looking forward to many more. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin), and the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Risch).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, this resolution concerns a lawsuit filed in the Oregon Supreme Court against Senator Wyden. That suit was brought by an individual, Desmond Bellard, who is representing himself without the assistance of an attorney and is attempting to use a civil action known as quo warranto to remove Senator Wyden from office for alleged State campaign finance violations in the 2022 election. This suit challenges the Senator's right to be seated in the Senate, an issue which the U.S. Constitution commits exclusively to the Senate. This resolution would authorize the Senate legal counsel to represent Senator Wyden named as a respondent in this suit in order to remove the case to Federal court and seek its dismissal on the basis of the constitutional commitment to the Senate of the power to seat and remove its Members, the Speech or Debate Clause, and the lack of jurisdiction under Oregon's quo warranto statute.

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

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, with respect to the cloture motions on Executive Calendar Nos. 74 and 75, the mandatory quorum calls be waived and they ripen at 1 a.m., Friday, April 11; further if cloture is invoked on Calendar No. 74, all post-cloture time be expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination; further, if cloture is invoked on Calendar No. 75, all postcloture time be expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination; finally, if confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. THUNE

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