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“I want the Senate to pass this bill. It makes the IRS work better and faster for taxpayers. It helps people get their refunds quicker, improves phone and online help, and protects taxpayers' rights.”

“Mr. President, Senator Wyden, thank you. You are right, this bill is no small potatoes; it is a legacy piece of legislation that will be of massive support and strengthening to American citizens. I thank my colleague Senator Wyden from Oregon for working in a bipartisan fashion with us to draft this legislation. In fact, all of the colleagues in the Finance Committee have worked with us on this, and all of them have a piece of this legislation, as Senator Wyden has indicated, and I thank them as well. Every year millions of Americans work diligently to comply with our tax law. When they do, they deserve a tax system that is competent and responsive. Too often, however, taxpayers encounter a system that falls short of those baseline requirements. The Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act, or TAS Act, is a bipartisan response to this taxpayer frustration. It reflects what the Finance Committee has collectively learned through years of casework and oversight and proposals from both sides of the aisle. It is designed to provide taxpayers with top-quality service and ensure taxpayers’ rights are protected. For example, a taxpayer who files a return should be able to go online and know where he or she stands with the IRS. A taxpayer who calls the Agency should reach a representative promptly. A taxpayer who submits a document electronically should not lose legal rights because the Agency processes it late. These are basic expectations of tax administration. The TAS Act modernizes the IRS so that it can better meet these and other similar expectations. It expands electronic processing of returns and correspondence so filers receive their refunds faster. It also improves online accounts and callback technology and requires the IRS to provide clearer information about backlogs, wait times, refunds, and suspended returns. It also improves online accounts and callback technology and requires the IRS to provide clearer information about backlogs, wait times, refunds, and suspended returns. But modernization alone is not enough. A modernized bureaucracy can still be burdensome. To better protect taxpayer rights, the TAS Act increases access to the IRS Independent Office of Appeals and the Taxpayer Advocate Service. It modernizes U.S. Tax Court procedures. It improves review in innocent spouse cases and other disputes. It unlocks funding for low- income taxpayer clinics. And it increases accountability for unauthorized disclosures of taxpayer information. These are just a few of the examples of the 65 taxpayer-focused improvements in the TAS Act, which the Finance Committee approved by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 26 to 1. That resounding bipartisan agreement is bolstered by support from the nonpartisan National Taxpayer Advocate and many leading tax practitioners, who agree that this bill will help the IRS administer the law more predictably and more promptly. Once again, I thank Ranking Member Wyden and the other Members of the Finance Committee for their partnership in shaping and advancing this legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to support the Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act.”

“I am asking the Senate to take up this bill right now.”

“Mr. President, at this time, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 5349 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Schmitt). The clerk will report the bill by title. The bill clerk read as follows: There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.”

“I ask the Senate to approve the changes to this bill and pass it right now.”

“Mr. President, I now ask unanimous consent that the Crapo- Wyden substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; that the title amendment, which is at the desk, be considered and agreed to; that the title, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.”

“I want the Senate to pass my resolution to make October 10 American Girls in Sports Day. Girls' sports have grown a lot since 1972, but they only work if biological males are kept out of female competitions. President Trump signed orders to protect women's sports, and the Senate should support female athletes too.”

“Mr. President, in 1972, there were just 300,000 female athletes in high school and collegiate sports. Today, there are over 3 million young women who are competing in high school and collegiate sports. This is something that every American should celebrate, and it is all thanks to what has happened with the law we commonly call title IX. By requiring equal resources for facilities, training, recruitment, and scholarships for female athletic programs, title IX opened opportunities for women that would have been impossible in the past. Today, female athletes are competing at the highest level of professional sports. From the Olympics to the World Cup, they are inspiring millions of young girls to pick up sports that improve their health, boost their self-confidence, and teach them leadership skills to succeed on and off the field. It goes without saying that this incredible development, over the last five decades, would have been impossible if men were allowed to compete in women’s sports and steal opportunities from girls. This is just plain old common sense. But when it comes to protecting opportunity and fairness for young women in sports, we have seen a serious lack of common sense from our friends on the other side of the aisle. In Executive order after Executive order, the Biden administration pretended as if there are no biological differences between men and women. And they used the full weight of the Federal Government to force schools to allow biological males to play on female teams--endangering young girls and destroying fair play. Parents were forced to look on as biological men took titles, medals, and trophies that belonged to their daughters. Many young women dedicated their entire lives to their sports, only to miss out on scholarships, career opportunities, and hard-earned records that they deserved. The American people rejected this appalling agenda, and they returned President Donald Trump to the Oval Office with a mandate to restore common sense and protect our female athletes. And that is exactly what he has done. On Inauguration Day, the President issued an Executive order that affirms the Federal Government’s position that there are only two sexes: male and female. This ensures government policies are grounded in biological reality, not gender ideology. A month later, I had the honor of joining President Trump in the Oval Office as he signed an Executive order that bans biological males from competing in women’s sports. As President Trump works to protect female athletes, it is imperative that we celebrate the accomplishments of the young women who practice, train, and compete every day to achieve excellence in athletics. That is why I am calling for unanimous consent for my resolution to establish October 10--10th month, 10th day, or XX, which is like the female chromosome--as American Girls in Sports Day. In addition to celebrating and honoring and cheering these female athletes, this resolution calls on sports governing bodies across the country to protect women and girls in sports. That is it--very simple. It doesn’t ask the Senate to create a sweeping new Federal program, and it doesn’t ask that we amend any law. It simply asks the Senate to say that women’s sports ought to be protected. Yet every single time I have introduced this resolution since 2024, Democrats have come down to the floor, and they have objected. We will see if they are going to do that again this year. If they object to celebrating our wonderful women, our girls, who are competing in sports, they are going to reveal that, once again, they have become the anti-woman party. Mr. President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 934, submitted earlier today; further, 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.”

“I want the Senate to pass my resolution honoring girls and women in sports. Transgender athletes are competing in girls' sports and taking medals from them across the country. My colleague is objecting because he supports letting biological males play on girls' teams and use girls' bathrooms. My resolution simply celebrates female athletes and protects Title IX.”

“Mr. President, my colleague from Massachusetts really doesn’t have to look very far to see how girls are being impacted by biological males that are playing in women’s sports. Indeed, I have pulled some stats, and if you want to look at stolen gold medals, medals that have been taken from young girls and have gone to males, Massachusetts has had 70--70--70 girls--70 girls that were not able to receive the medal they actually would have won if they were competing against girls. In Massachusetts this year, a transgender athlete competed in a girls 55-meter dash and took one of the eight spots in the final. A female athlete finished ninth and didn’t advance. So when my colleague tells us this is hypothetical, it is not. We have a list--a list--of what has happened in different States: Arizona, 101 medals; California, 803 medals. You have Ohio, 123 medals. You have Illinois, 120 medals. This is something that is happening out there; it is not hypothetical. My resolution is very simple. The whole thing is 2\1/2\ pages top to bottom. And it shouldn’t be surprising that my colleague is objecting to a simple resolution honoring girls and women in sports because, as he mentioned, he had introduced the Transgender Bill of Rights, which would call on the Federal Government to allow individuals to participate in sports on teams and in programs that best align with their gender identity. In other words, it would allow biological males on girls teams and in their private spaces, like school facilities, bathrooms--places that align with their gender identity. This is a very simple resolution, very simple. It celebrates the impact that American women and girls have had on sports culture throughout our history. We have all cheered as we have watched women compete and succeed. This resolution celebrates that. It recognizes the importance of title IX, which seems to be controversial to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. I yield the floor, and I submit for the Record the American Girls in Sports Day resolution.”

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“I recently visited Ukraine and saw the damage from Russian attacks on civilian targets like schools and stores. Russia has murdered innocent people and committed terrible crimes there. This war is a fight between freedom and dictatorship, and good and evil. We must support Ukraine.”

“Mr. President, I have the privilege--I have been in the Senate for 12 years, and I have never led a codel, but I decided one last trip that I wanted to take before I left the Senate was to get back over to Ukraine to really understand what is going on, on the ground and maybe what message we should convey to our colleagues here in the Senate and to our--to the administration and to the American people. This is the second time I went to Ukraine. We also had a very, very productive visit with the government leaders in Poland before we traveled over to Kyiv and then to Kharkiv. We were actually the first delegation since the war began that has been able to get out to Kharkiv where the fighting is only about 10 or so miles away from the city’s center. But as we were going on the trip--well, first, when you are in Kyiv, which we spent the first 24 hours, it is an amazing sight to see a country that was illegally invaded that is being bombed on a daily basis still trying to have some semblance of normalcy--and this is in Kyiv. But then when you go to Kharkiv and you see, as you are riding out there, civilian targets: gas stations, convenience stores, schools, and buildings that have all been bombed by the indiscriminate bombing of Russia, it gives you a real sense of the devastation, the heartbreak, and all that is wrong with the decision that Vladimir Putin made to invade a sovereign nation. And I, for one, think that the war--I agree with the people of Ukraine. That invasion started in 2014. As a matter of fact, I remember vividly when I was campaigning in 2014 how critical I was of the Obama administration; in the face of an illegal invasion, the idea was to send them blankets, not to send them the support that they needed to repel a foreign invader. Now fast forward, they are invaded again, and they are doing the same things in the outer reaches of Ukraine that they have been doing in Crimea. They are trying to--they tell kids in Crimea in school that the leaders of Ukraine are Nazis; that they are there for the denazification of Ukraine. I find that rich since the President of Ukraine is Jewish, but that is what Vladimir Putin is telling his folks to tell these kids in school; that they are subhuman; that the people of Ukraine are. You can’t think of them as human beings; you think of them as life forms that they need to eliminate. But later on in the colloquy, I want to talk about what we need to do. But I also want to go back to a trip that I took a couple of years ago, my first time into Kyiv, and the devastation and the stories that I witnessed in an area called Bucha. I did a floor speech after that visit, and I really want the American people to understand what happened there in about the first month of the war shortly after they invaded that February 2022. Vladimir Putin directly allowed mercenaries and military officers to authorize their folks on the ground to indiscriminately kill innocent civilians. There are numerous reports of rape of a daughter, rape of a wife in the presence of the husband, then to have the husband murdered. This is not fake; this is well documented. As a matter of fact, I went to a memorial where I saw those victims’ names on a wall. That is what we are dealing with in Ukraine. That was 4 years ago, and they are continuing that systematic terror of this population. That is what we are dealing with here. We are not dealing with two adversaries or two countries that we have good relationships with and that we are trying to calm a dispute between the two. We are literally talking about, in my opinion--I will let my colleagues speak for themselves--a fight between good and evil, between communism and Western democracy, between freedom and totalitarianism. That is what we are confronted with in Ukraine. I could go on with a number of other examples, but rather than do that now, I would like to defer to my colleague from Utah, Senator Curtis. It was his first time in Ukraine, but some insights and takeaways from you, Senator Curtis, and then we will go to Senator Armstrong”

“I enjoyed traveling with Senator Tillis and Senator Armstrong. A lot of hard work went into planning this trip. I thank our staff and our Ukrainian hosts for everything we saw and did.”

“Thank you, Senator Tillis, Senator Armstrong. It was a delight to travel with you. I think it is appropriate to point out how much work goes into a trip like this. To our team and our staff that put this together and to the Ukrainians that were our hosts, a big thank-you for the things we were able to see and do.”

“I recently traveled near the front lines in Ukraine. Ukraine is making real progress in the war and using drones effectively. They are now an equal partner to the United States, not just a dependent. The military lessons and data they share with us are worth more than the aid we have sent. American citizens are also doing great charity work there to help people hurt by the war.”

“As you mentioned, this was a unique codel--the first, as I understand it, since the war began to actually go just a few miles away from the front. We were told about stories where they would actually put a black bag over people’s heads as they took them into these underground bunkers so they wouldn’t be able to identify where they were later on for the Russians. They spared us that indignity and actually put us in vans with curtains that were 360 degrees as we drove into these facilities. We were then shown firsthand how this war is being fought and why this is a different war than most people expected and why the Ukrainians actually are having significant progress. In reality, we saw drone pilots fly these drones into Russia, strike their targets, and have a pretty large impact. As a matter of fact, more Russians are being lost per month than they are able to replace. My staff pointed out that had you put a snail on the Russian-Ukraine border the day the war started, it would actually make more progress than Russia has made. And I think that is an important story for us to come back and tell because the American people need to know this is not the war they thought it was 4 years ago. Ukraine, we learned, is not the adversary we thought it was 4 years ago. It appeared, when this began, to be a very weak friend--a friend that was totally dependent on the United States for its support. In reality, what we found while we were there is that Ukraine is not only not weak and not dependent on the United States, they are actually now a partner with the United States in providing us things and help that will help us in the future. The benefits to the United States far exceed, in my opinion, what we have actually put into this. I think we will see that at a greater rate in the future. Clearly, these drones have changed the way battles are fought. What Ukrainians are learning, the data they are collecting--imagine the data from thousands and tens of thousands and millions of drone strikes. That data is all being collected, and that is just one of the small parts they have to bring forward to us. I would also like to mention that one of the aspects that doesn’t get talked a lot about is how much humanitarian aid is going to Ukraine that is nongovernmental. While I was there, I had a chance to peel off from our group and go see a village called Hansen Village. A constituent in Utah, a friend, started Hansen Village. Obviously, it is Mr. Hansen. The amount of effort and work he has put into this so that some of these Ukrainians can start over and have hope and have a chance is overwhelming and touching. I had a chance to talk to a couple of people in this village and hear their stories of imprisonment and torture by Russia. One gentleman had seen his son tortured to death. The stories will break your heart. But I am so grateful not just for the U.S. support but for the humanitarian support. It just may be in Utah that we have more people who speak Ukrainian as a second language than anywhere else in the United States, and certainly it touches a lot of the hearts of Utahans. There is a lot I would like to cover, but I don’t want to dominate. Perhaps we can come back in just a minute. But I would like to turn the time over to my colleague from Oklahoma, Mr. Armstrong.”

“I want the United States to keep supporting Ukraine. They are defending their democracy against an unprovoked attack. Helping them also lets our military learn how modern drone warfare works without risking American lives.”

“Thank you, Senator Curtis, and it was truly a joy to travel with you. This was not luxurious travel. We were getting tired of each other’s odor by the time we got done with this trip. And we were pretty confined to the same van for a long period of time. But it was very impressive on us, I think, the images that we took away. I think, you know, a lot of times, we think about things and everything here, and I think the questions we have here in the United States about, man, we have our own issues, we have our own budgetary issues, and we have our own fiscal issues that we need to deal with here--and all of those are very true, and all of those are very valid questions for Americans to be asking, including myself. But when you realize what is actually going on there on the ground; you realize the spirit of these people that did nothing wrong, that were minding their own business and had their own country attacked, had a democracy that they valued, that they cherished and had that attempted to be run over the top of; and you realize what is the difference--the reason they have been able to surprise everybody on the field is the spirit that they have and the belief that people like ourselves, people that believe in democracies, are going to be there to help and support them. Well, I tell you what, they have surprised us all because of their passion, their belief in democracy, and what they know to be true versus what they are being told by Russians. So it is impossible--that is the second time I have gotten to go to Ukraine--it is impossible to miss the spirit of these people and how badly they want to defend their own democracy and not be told somebody else’s version of the world but their own open, free perspective of the world. But despite that issue, there are also some very important things that we as the United States should be taking from this, and we have a great opportunity to do so. This war is different than any war that has been before us. This is modern warfare with AI involved in it, with very low-cost weaponry involved in it, and I think a display that we had better pay attention to of very--in the business world that I come from, we would call this continuous improvement on steroids. This is every day a feedback loop right back into their drone development systems every day about how to get better, how to improve their communication with their drones, and they have done a remarkable job. If you think about the static approach that we have today to war and defense and how long it takes us to develop and to acquire our acquisition systems, that is no match for a group of people that have the spirit that they do and for a continuous improvement process that is being developed. They are giving us the opportunity to experience that without having to put our lives on the line, and we better take advantage and we better be listening and learning from their experience. We better take seriously an opportunity that we have to help our allies to defend democracy in a place that desperately wants it. This isn’t a matter of us not knowing what things will be like after we leave; this is an area that has a democracy, a stable democracy, and we need to be there to support it and show how much we care. I have about 10 pounds of potatoes here for a 5-pound bag, but I am going to turn it back to Senator Tillis as well. So a lot of great observations we had.”

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“Russia attacked Ukraine, but Russia is failing and losing tens of thousands of troops. I want the president to use the full power of our sanctions against Russia. I also want us and our European allies to keep sending Ukraine intelligence and military supplies so they can survive the winter.”

“Thank you, Senator Armstrong and Senator Curtis. I think what we all left with is an unambiguous view that Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim. We all need to understand that when Russia was lying to us and saying they were just doing a training exercise and then turned it into a special military operation, our best intelligence estimates indicated to us--not publicly but in a private setting at the time--that Russia would likely have air superiority within about 3 or 4 days and total control of the ground within a week or two. Putin has failed. He never achieved anything resembling that. He has sent tens of thousands of Russians into a meat grinder. It is so bad now that he is talking about conscription beyond the forced conscription he has now. And get this--he is forcing young Ukrainians to kill Ukrainians because they are brainwashing these young people into thinking they are subhuman. He is not conscripting Russians yet. He is likely going to. But what he is doing is letting people out of prison and giving them U.S. dollars--$40,000 and $60,000 bonuses--to go on the battlefield. One of them was a prisoner of war. He was a sexual predator right out of prison. His family was given $60,000 to go fight. Now he has been captured, and he is going to be used to possibly trade to get a prisoner of war back to Ukraine. Right now, 30,000 Russians are dying every month. They are being plowed down, and they are making no ground. You heard Senator Curtis talk about a snail moving more quickly. That is mathematically true. If the snail started to get to where they are on the frontline right now, they would have beaten the Russians. So the last 10 minutes we have here before we have a UC coming up, I think, at 5:05 is to talk about what is next. What I think is next is asking the President, encouraging the President to use to the maximum extent possible the sanctions capabilities that Congress sent to him over the past couple of weeks to put the pressure on Russia, to not be the first President who equivocates against a Russian dictator, to continue the tradition of getting an opportunity. When you can win against communism, when you can win against totalitarianism, you do everything you can to win. And guess what. It will not require a single drop of American blood on the battlefield. All the Ukrainians want is support. All they want is intelligence. All they want is to make sure that the European nations continue to do what they are doing and the United States maybe do a little bit more, and that has as much to do with sanctions as it has to do with materiel support. I, for one, hope we can do both. If I have time remaining, I do want to talk about what I think is a dreadful trend in the last year and a half in terms of materiel support, but I would like to hear from Senator Curtis and Senator Armstrong about what we think we need to do to help Ukrainians before they go into the winter, which is when they are most vulnerable, because I firmly believe that if they make it through this winter, Putin’s days are numbered and rightly so. Senator Curtis.”

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“My trip convinced me that we must do four things. We must help Ukraine defend itself. We must stand with our NATO allies to fight back against any attacks. We must punish Russia and anyone helping its war. And we must send a clear message to Russia and China that invading other countries will fail.”

“I will be brief because I want you to have the last word, but I came home convinced that we should continue finding ways to do four simple things: 1, help Ukraine to defend itself; 2, affirm NATO’s resolve to use force against any threats or attacks on our members; 3, impose costs on Russia and those sustaining its war machine; and 4, one of the things we learned over there is that signals from the United States matter. We need to send a signal and make it clear that, from Moscow to Beijing, invading your neighbors is not a successful strategy and we will push back. I yield to Oklahoma.”

“Ukraine needs air defense interceptors, parts, and ammunition to protect its people from Russian missiles and drones. I support this bill because it makes it easier for our European allies to buy American weapons and send them to Ukraine. Europe should pay more of the cost, and this bill helps them do that.”

“Well, we certainly learned that on the very frontline, Ukrainians are doing a great job of actually way outperforming the Russians on the frontline. But the thing they are not capable today of defending themselves from are the ballistic missiles and the jet- powered drones that they don’t--the Ukrainians don’t have the capabilities of building interceptors for that. So you sit there on the frontlines with a lot of death going on and destruction among soldiers, but meanwhile, you have, every night while we were there, air raid sirens continuously. And so you think about the impact on the people there. So they are really sitting there somewhat defenseless with drones in the air every night and ballistic missiles. And so what I think we can do is they do need air defense interceptors; they need spare parts and ammunition that assist in the defense of their lands and their citizens, and they need them consistently. And so that is one reason that I support the bipartisan Fast Tracking European Investment in Ukraine’s Defense Act. That is S. 5175. This legislation would make it easier for NATO allies and other designated partners to purchase and transfer certain defensive munitions to Ukraine while maintaining congressional notification safeguards against unauthorized retransfer. So this cannot be an American effort alone. Our European allies have an enormous stake, and they understand that and they should continue to carry more of the burden. But S. 5175 is actually designed to help them do that, and it welcomes greater allied investment in the American defense base and creates a more predictable pathway for our allies and partners to provide Ukraine with specified American-made munitions. And so I would just say that that is, you know, we do--the Europeans are stepping up. I would say that is one thing that has come very positive out of that--they understand that--but we need to be taking the actions if we expect them to be aligned with us on the weaponry. And the weaponry they use, we need to make sure we are adequately providing it to them so they can help support Ukraine as well. So that is one of the particular actions I think we need to take as well.”

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“Russia is attacking power plants and heating to freeze Ukrainian civilians this winter. We need to quickly send Ukraine the aid we already promised and enforce sanctions on Russia. If we do not stop Russia in Ukraine, it will attack other free countries next.”

“Mr. President, thanks again to my colleagues from Utah and Oklahoma. This graphic--by the way, the gentleman putting this graphic up is my staff--my MLA--Mike Leeman. It is his birthday today. I don’t know if that is allowed, to say that. I won’t sing ``Happy Birthday,’’ though, for the Parliamentarian’s sake. But Mike Leeman is one of the ones who coordinated the trip. You did a great job, Mike. Mike also prepared these stats for me because I want to give you an idea of what the winter is going to look like and what the Ukrainians are up against if last year is any indication. Between October 2525 and March of 2026, the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission documented at least 423 attacks on electricity generation, transmission, and distribution facilities; 74 strikes on combined heat and powerplants. Vladimir Putin is trying to freeze the Ukrainians to death. This is not targeting military facilities. It is targeting homes like people in the Gallery have here, hopefully, safely. It is targeting schools. It is targeting hospitals. In Kyiv, the attacks resulted in nearly 6,000 multistory buildings not having heat. That is what happened last year. Does anybody believe that Putin is going to do anything less this year? I could go through a long list of civilian targets, healthcare facilities, schools. Kids are meeting in subways now because they can’t safely go to school. That is the environment the Ukrainian people are living in year- round, but they have the unique threat of a harsh winter. And literally Putin’s strategy of terrorism is to freeze them to death in their homes. That is what we are up against. That is what he did last year. Many people died. What I am worried about--and what we need to do getting ready for this winter--is to change this trend. Our spending has dropped to almost nothing. Now, we are providing support and other forms beyond just the cash appropriations, but we need to do all of the above, ladies and gentlemen. With the proper execution of the sanctions that we have authorized the President to move forward with, with the proper resourcing--and they are not asking for a lot. This speech alone gives the Ukrainian people hope. They are a pro-American country, and the Ukrainian people need to know that the Americans are behind them, that Congress is behind them. And we need this administration to take a few steps to make it very clear that they are behind them too. And it starts with fast-tracking some of the funding that is available. I know it is complicated, but we have got to move quickly. And it also continues with the proper imposition of sanctions capabilities enabled in the bill that we passed in honor of Senator Lindsey Graham. So over the next 93 days that I have left in Congress, I am going to do everything I can to use every lever we can to convince the administration that we have got to make it a priority. We have to move quickly. The Ukrainian people are patient and still silently pro-American. I didn’t go anywhere without having people in bombed-out facilities thanking America for what we have done there. Well, I think in this winter America can do a little bit more and, if we do, Putin’s days are numbered. That is good for democracy, and that is great for the Western World. And that is our future--not a reemergence of the Russian Empire, not an opportunity to get success in Ukraine, move to Moldova, and try to Russify all of the free countries that the United States and the European nations liberated. That is the end goal, folks. It doesn’t stop with the occupied territory in Ukraine, unless America steps up, Europe continues to do its job, and we stop them in their tracks. And that, by the way, is not only good for Europe, but it is good for the Russian people who are suffering under his leadership. I am going to offer to my colleagues--we are going to be mindful of time. But if you would like to make a few closing comments, I want to thank you. I see at least one of the staff up in the audience. It was a trek. We were on planes, trains, and automobiles, but I can’t think of a more rewarding trip. I had the pleasure of traveling with you all and your staff, and I thank you. Senator Curtis, do you want to wind up, then Senator Armstrong?”

“When we take these trips, we learn who our friends are. Ukraine is our friend and ally, and Putin is not.”

“Mr. President, my closing remarks are just simply this: When you make trips like this, you find out firsthand who your friends are and who they are not. And I will clearly say that Ukrainians are allies and friends, and Putin is not. I yield the floor.”

“Ukrainians are worn out from fighting this long war. American support means a lot to them, and they are counting on us. We need to keep our promises and continue giving them the resources they need.”

“Mr. President, I would just add--and Senator Tillis mentioned this--the Ukrainians are worn out. They have been fighting this war. Those on the frontline have been fighting this war for a long time, and you realize how much it means to them that we are there. I think the sanctions bill that was passed is a huge signal that the United States is still behind them, but they desperately need that. They need to show that we care. I don’t know how many times I told somebody: Listen, if you drove through a neighborhood where I am from some, you will see plenty of blue and yellow flags supporting you. So don’t misunderstand that America wants to see you be successful, and we are working hard to make sure that we help you and we provide the resources for you. They are counting on us to be behind them, and we need to follow through on that support.”

“I want to thank everyone who joined this debate and the staff who helped organize it. Please pray for Ukraine.”

“Mr. President, we appreciate the opportunity to have this discussion amongst my colleagues. Again, I thank you all for joining us and the staff that have put it together and support us, and I hope everybody will say a prayer for Ukraine. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Moreno). The Senator from Connecticut.”

“I object to passing this bill. It will lead to censorship and violate free speech, including pro-life messages. Parents, not government rules, should protect children online.”

“Reserving right to object, if good intentions created laws--or created good laws--there would be no need for congressional debate. I have no doubt that the authors of this bill genuinely want to protect children, but the bill they have written promises to be a Pandora’s box of unintended consequences. KOSA would impose an unprecedented duty of care on internet platform to mitigate certain harms associated with mental health, such as anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. While proponents can claim that the bill is not designed to regulate content, imposing a duty of care will inevitably lead to one outcome: the stifling of First Amendment protected speech. Although many organizations have expressed concerns relating to KOSA’s effective censorship mandate, I want to discuss one group in particular. During the 2024 effort to pass KOSA, a pro-life organization, Students for Life Action, stated: Students for Life Action concluded its statement by stating: If KOSA can silence pro-life speech because online messages encouraging adoption and discouraging abortion might cause a teen mom anxiety, then KOSA is the kind of censorship all those who believe in the sanctity of life should oppose. KOSA should not pass the Senate. But it certainly should not pass the Senate today, the 50th anniversary of the Hyde amendment, which bans Federal taxpayer funds from being used for abortion. No matter how many times the bill text is altered, no matter how many times KOSA’s authors try to disguise its censorship, the reality remains that this legislation will silence constitutionally protected speech. Government mandates and censorship will not protect children online. The internet may pose new problems. But there is an age-old solution to this issue. Free minds and parental guidance are the best means to protect our children online. I object.”

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  Reasoning 17 of 100

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“I object to this bill. Local towns should be able to decide for themselves if they want data centers. This bill would stop them from choosing, especially in places with a lot of federal land.”

“Reserving the right to object, local communities have a right to determine whether a data center makes sense for them; some want them, some don’t. This bill would obstruct that right in places where Federal land is so abundant, you can’t drive 5 miles without running into it. Washington should preserve local flexibility rather than declare an entire category of land off-limits. I object.”

“I want the Senate to pass this bill. Criminals steal hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars every year through government fraud. The Trump administration created a special division at the Department of Justice to catch these criminals, and this bill makes that division permanent so a future president cannot get rid of it.”

“Mr. President, the Federal Government has become a gold mine for fraudsters. Just last week, we saw that one health insurance marketplace had over 700,000 fraudsters and over $2 billion in fraud. In the 6 months since President Trump tapped Vice President Vance to lead the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, Federal investigators have uncovered more than $200 billion in fraud against the American taxpayer. Think about that--hundreds of billions of dollars stolen from hard-working Americans every single year. The fraud is egregious, and it is systemic. Consider New York City. The Vice President’s task force discovered that there is more than $2 million in unemployment insurance fraud every day--$2 million in fraud every day--in one program in one city alone. That is more than $700 million annually, all stolen from the American taxpayer. It is money that was earned through blood and sweat, through sacrifice and service. It is money that was supposed to care for the sick, to assist those with disabilities, to feed hungry kids, to help struggling families, to support our veterans. Instead, it has been stolen by lowlifes, degenerates, con artists, and organized crime. For years, as government spending boomed, this theft from the American people was treated as a cost of doing business. Career bureaucrats shrugged, and politicians--many purposefully--looked the other way, all while fraudsters kept stealing and looting from our country. In that environment, it isn’t too surprising to learn that there was not a Division at the Department of Justice focused on investigating and prosecuting fraud against the government. President Trump saw that. Vice President Vance saw that. Attorney General Blanche saw that. And they took action. They created the National Fraud Enforcement Division within the Department of Justice to root out this fraud and hold the fraudsters responsible. We saw this problem here in Congress as well. I launched the Senate Anti-Fraud Task Force with my colleagues to help build durable solutions to prosecute this fraud and prevent it from happening in the future. That is why I rise here today--to take the first step in ending the rampant fraud against the American taxpayer and to enshrine the National Fraud Enforcement Division as a permanent Division within the Department of Justice. Fraud against our country has become not only a multistate problem but a transnational criminal enterprise. To address this problem, we need a permanent National Fraud Enforcement Division that brings together prosecutors, investigators, Federal Agencies, and State and local law enforcement to attack fraud on the frontlines. The mission is simple but very, very important: Protect the American taxpayer and government against fraudsters. That mission should transcend red jersey-blue jersey party politics. Find the people stealing taxpayer dollars, and bring them to justice. Today, right here, we can make that Division permanent. Regardless of party affiliation, every Member of this body should want taxpayer dollars to go where they are supposed to go, not into the pockets of fraudsters. It is that simple, truly. So often, we squabble over commissioning studies or we analyze a problem or host briefings to research root causes of an issue or hem and haw toward issuing a white paper, but today, on this Senate floor, we can permanently establish an enforcement Division that does three things: finds fraud, prosecutes fraud, and stops fraud. The House passed this bill with overwhelming bipartisan support. Why? Because stopping the theft from the American taxpayer is just as important as deciding how to spend those dollars. When I am back home in St. Louis, I often hear from the great people of the Show-Me State with similar complaints. They are sick and tired of watching criminals steal millions--billions--of dollars while their friends and families struggle to achieve and receive basic services. They are sick and tired of a government that can track down a single Venmo payment, but somebody can’t find the organized fraud rings walking out the front door with an obscene amount of taxpayer dollars. These are not signs of serious governance, and at a certain point, indifference to fraud becomes complicity in it. As chairman of the Senate Anti-Fraud Task Force, I have seen how deep the rot goes. Fraudsters exploit virtually every government program ever created. They create fake businesses. They bill for services never provided. They manufacture beneficiaries who do not exist. They exploit vulnerable people as names on the screen while diverting money into their own pockets to fund obscene purchases and lifestyles. These people, they are sick and twisted people. They are cold and calculated. These fraudsters are running an entire criminal enterprise into empires to steal from the American people. The purpose of government assistance is to help Americans who genuinely need it. Government assistance should not help subsidize lavish lifestyles for criminals who have learned how to manipulate a lackadaisical legislature. We need prosecutions with real authority, with serious resources, so that our government can follow the money wherever it leads and consequences--real consequences--for those who defraud our country. If we are a serious Senate, we must be able to say with clear eyes: If you steal from the American people, we will find you, and we will prosecute you. You may hear shortly that this division already exists. And thanks to President Trump and Vice President Vance, that is currently true. But without this bill codifying it, fraudsters will know that their paydays will soon return because a future administration could disband the division, be distracted elsewhere. There should be no reason that the U.S. Senate should object to creating a permanent division within the Department of Justice to find and investigate and prosecute fraud. I would also like to thank Senator Moody for her work on this. Senator Moody has been fighting fraud since day one, and she has been a great partner. We served together as attorneys general, and she had a reputation for that even then. I want to yield the floor at this point to Senator Moody.”

“I want the Senate to pass this bill today. It sets up a permanent team at the Department of Justice to catch people who steal tax money. Criminals have stolen hundreds of billions of dollars from taxpayers, but Democrats keep blocking our bills to stop them.”

“Mr. President, thank you to my good friend and colleague Senator Schmitt. The grift is real, and the grift is great. I rise today to urge my colleagues to pass this vital legislation to stop the rampant fraud that we are seeing around this country. Through my previous work as Florida’s attorney general, certainly my colleague and his work as attorney general, we know how important it is to safeguard our citizens and the American taxpayer. I was a founding member of the new Senate Anti-fraud Task Force, and I know every time we uncover another case of fraudsters benefiting off our public tax dollars, it is a slap in the face to hard-working Americans. We are so grateful to this administration and Vice President Vance for stepping up and taking the lead. We know that fraud being uncovered across the Nation sets up a challenge to Congress to address our laws to make sure it is not easy to accomplish; that the criminals don’t have their work laid out for them; that they don’t keep getting away with this. Congress should be embarrassed if we don’t take action. I was as shocked as everyone here when reports came out that criminals in Minnesota stole an estimated $9 billion in taxpayer funds. In addition, the administration has uncovered more than $260 billion in fraud nationwide. Americans should be hopping mad. That is why, when the House of Representatives recently voted overwhelmingly in a bipartisan fashion to advance commonsense policies holding fraudsters accountable, I worked directly with the House sponsors to file the Senate companion the very next day. That is why my colleague and I are standing here on the floor today to try to get something done immediately. We have to stop the bleeding. The National Fraud Enforcement Division Act of 2026 would institute a permanent force for taxpayers within the Department of Justice. To Senator Schmitt, to the House sponsors, and every other Member of this noble institution that has vowed to clean up this mess and actually do something, thank you. It couldn’t come at a more important time. However, while I stand here and talk about the importance of this issue, the common sense of this issue, and the support of the American people for this issue, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle block every effort we have made to address rampant fraud in this country. We were sent here to be stewards of taxpayer dollars, to ensure we are spending the finite resources of this country responsibly. And yet every significant attempt taken by this body, by the government, by me, by a colleague, by Senator Schmitt, by anyone on the Republican side of the aisle to do something, it gets blocked or stalled. Dismantling the fraud economy and going after those who defraud the American taxpayer should be a 100-to-0 issue. When Senator Ernst tried to pass her antifraud legislative package-- with many of the provisions being bipartisan--earlier today, Senate Democrats blocked the bill. Just last week, I tried to pass a No Aid For Ghost Students Act in committee, making sure we weren’t outlaying money for students that didn’t even exist, and that got stalled by the Democrats. Every new idea or proposal that we put forth is panned or outright rejected, even if the idea saves taxpayer dollars for more crucial needs or would lead to refunds to the American taxpayer. It is irresponsible to not do something. We should be embarrassed. And think about what is happening. I am talking about the Dems not allowing us to push forward legislation to fix laws that are allowing this to happen. Right now, we are just trying to put forward a permanent division to enforce existing laws, and we can’t seem to get that through, even though it passed the House bipartisan. When we are told actions speak louder than words, I can only draw one conclusion; that certain Members or parts of this institution prioritize fraud recipients and grifting the apparatus over the fiscal health of the country or our fiscal stewardship responsibilities. I hope I am wrong. I hope that we, as the Senate, as the legislators we are, will come together to support this cause and permanently enact and set up a Fraud Enforcement Division. There could be nothing simpler. And if we pass the National Fraud Enforcement Division Act today, we guarantee that more fraudsters and bad actors are held accountable for stealing taxpayer dollars. I say: Let’s get this done. I yield back to my colleague from Missouri.”