Analysis · Floor speech · beta

Tammy Baldwin

Democrat on Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act 2026-09-30

747 words · 38 sentences · 45 clauses

Statement grade

A–

Average 88 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Claims 78%Reasoning 1%Positioning 4%Procedure 7%Aside 0%The ask 5%Promise 4%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Madam President, Claims · 83 wordsI rise today because for the second year in a row, the President is trying to illegally steal money from the people I work for. Eight months ago, Congress overwhelmingly passed bipartisan appropriations bills, ¹and the President signed them into law.² Democrats negotiated those bills in good faith. With this pocket rescission, the Trump administration is saying those laws and the agreements we made when negotiating them don’t matter, and he is saying the investments we made into the American people don’t matter. Reasoning · 11 wordsThat is going to make negotiating future appropriations bills significantly harder. Positioning · 23 wordsHow can one side make concessions if they know that the other side will tear them up along with the deal months later?Positioning Procedure · 21 wordsBut I want to spend some time talking about the specific funding in this rescissions package that the President considers wasteful.Procedure Claims · 94 wordsNow, mind you, Donald Trump is spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on prime-time commercials promoting Donald Trump.³ He is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a gold-encrusted ballroom and an arch--a monument to himself--over the objections of veterans and their families due to its proximity to Arlington National Cemetery.⁴ He is spending tens of billions of dollars on a war in Iran which is raising gas prices and home heating costs for American families.⁵ But none of that is what Trump or Office of Management and Budget Director Vought consider wasteful. Aside · 3 wordsNo, no, no.Aside Claims · 47 wordsThey consider that a priority. What Trump and Russell Vought consider wasteful is $28 million for research to reduce healthcare costs and improve Americans’ health.⁶ What they consider wasteful is $70 million in education funding that supports national security priorities and helps ensure we remain competitive globally.⁷ Procedure · 18 wordsFirst, let me talk about the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality--what we often refer to as AHRQ.Procedure Claims · 164 wordsThe Agency is ``critically important, it helps us understand what we’re doing well and where we have opportunities to improve.’’ Now, that is not me saying that about AHRQ; that is what HHS’s Deputy Secretary nominee told me at a hearing just 2 weeks ago.⁸ Ten days later, the Trump administration said it was going to illegally impound funding for this ``critically important’’ work.⁹ AHRQ has funded advancements in telehealth to help doctors better treat patients in rural areas and help lung cancer survivors monitor for recurrence. AHRQ has supported work to reduce the rate of hospital- acquired infections and to make sure that kids waiting for a heart transplant can get one. It has funded work to improve healthcare for older Americans coming home from the hospital. This little but mighty Agency has saved literally billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives, but President Trump has decided that this research is wasteful and that his personal vanity projects are more important. Procedure · 8 wordsLet me turn to the Department of Education.Procedure Claims · 131 wordsThere, the President is illegally cutting funding that supports important national security interests. It funds training in less commonly taught languages that the U.S. Government determines are a national priority. It helps educate students that go on to serve in national security and U.S. intelligence roles. These are just a few examples of what President Trump considers wasteful. It is not tens of billions of dollars lit on fire for an illegal war in Iran or taxpayer-funded commercials to promote himself; no, it is funding for Americans’ healthcare and education he deems wasteful. This pocket rescission is illegal.No reason given It is also throwing away opportunities to improve Americans’ health and make our country safer. These are small but important investments that we should be making. There is plenty we don’t agree on, The ask · 39 wordsbut I wish all my colleagues would stand up for the laws we pass and the agreements we make as part of them and stop this President and any President, Democrat or Republican, from so blatantly breaking those laws. Positioning · 9 wordsThat is what Senate Democrats have been fighting for, PositioningClaims · 63 wordsand that is why we didn’t vote to confirm Director Russell Vought, who said this was exactly what he would do if confirmed.¹⁰ It is why we have tried to enact laws to prevent this nonsense idea of a pocket rescission so we don’t get to this point. Unfortunately, my colleagues on the other side have refused to do that again and again. Promise · 29 wordsBut I am not going to stop fighting to uphold the law and for these programs that benefit the people of my State and the United States of America.Vague promise Procedure · 4 wordsI yield the floor.Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 83

7 of 9 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “How can one side make concessions if they know that the other side will tear them up along with the deal months later?”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “But I want to spend some time talking about the specific funding in this rescissions package that the President considers wasteful.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
A remark off to the side of the point.What the tags mean “No, no, no.”An aside: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “First, let me talk about the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality--what we often refer to as AHRQ.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Let me turn to the Department of Education.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “That is what Senate Democrats have been fighting for,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I yield the floor.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · no score

Not applicable: nothing to answer. Excluded from the average.

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue.

Reasoning · 75

1 of 9 deductions are Reasoning

Reasoning checks for sound logic and solid support for any conclusion. A low score means the speaker made unsupported leaps or used weak arguments.

A conclusion stated with no reason given for it.What the tags mean “This pocket rescission is illegal.”The illegality is asserted in the conclusion itself and restated elsewhere, but no clause offers a premise grounding it.

Conclusions found · 4

Conclusion“That is going to make negotiating future appropriations bills significantly harder.”

Because“How can one side make concessions if they know that the other side will tear them up along with the deal months later?”

“With this pocket rescission, the Trump administration is saying those laws and the agreements we made when negotiating them don’t matter,”

Reason given
Conclusion“This pocket rescission is illegal.”

BecauseNo reason given

No reason givenThe illegality is asserted in the conclusion itself and restated elsewhere, but no clause offers a premise grounding it.
Conclusion“It is also throwing away opportunities to improve Americans’ health and make our country safer.”

Because“AHRQ has funded advancements in telehealth to help doctors better treat patients in rural areas and help lung cancer survivors monitor for recurrence.”

“AHRQ has supported work to reduce the rate of hospital- acquired infections and to make sure that kids waiting for a heart transplant can get one.”

“It has funded work to improve healthcare for older Americans coming home from the hospital.”

“It funds training in less commonly taught languages that the U.S. Government determines are a national priority.”

“It helps educate students that go on to serve in national security and U.S. intelligence roles.”

Reason given
Conclusion“These are small but important investments that we should be making.”

Because“AHRQ has funded advancements in telehealth to help doctors better treat patients in rural areas and help lung cancer survivors monitor for recurrence.”

“AHRQ has supported work to reduce the rate of hospital- acquired infections and to make sure that kids waiting for a heart transplant can get one.”

“It has funded work to improve healthcare for older Americans coming home from the hospital.”

“This little but mighty Agency has saved literally billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives,”

Reason given

Respect · 100

0 of 9 deductions are Respect

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Nothing lost points.

Clarity · 94

1 of 9 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “I am not going to stop fighting”A commitment with no date, measure or success condition for how or when the fighting ends.

Claims · 10

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“Eight months ago, Congress overwhelmingly passed bipartisan appropriations bills”Congress passed bipartisan appropriations bills about eight months before September 30, 2026, with overwhelming support.search
2“the President signed them into law”The President signed those bipartisan appropriations bills into law.search
3“spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on prime-time commercials”The Trump administration is spending tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on prime-time commercials promoting Donald Trump.search
4“spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a gold-encrusted ballroom and an arch”The Trump administration is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a ballroom and an arch at the White House.search
5“spending tens of billions of dollars on a war in Iran”The United States is spending tens of billions of dollars on a war in Iran.search
6“$28 million for research to reduce healthcare costs”The rescissions package targets $28 million in funding for research to reduce healthcare costs and improve Americans’ health.search
7“$70 million in education funding”The rescissions package targets $70 million in Department of Education funding that supports national security priorities.search
8“that is what HHS’s Deputy Secretary nominee told me at a hearing just 2 weeks ago”At a hearing roughly two weeks before September 30, 2026, the HHS Deputy Secretary nominee said AHRQ is critically important and helps us understand what we’re doing well and where we have opportunities to improve.search
9“Ten days later, the Trump administration said it was going to illegally impound funding”About ten days after that hearing, the Trump administration announced it would impound funding for AHRQ.search
10“we didn’t vote to confirm Director Russell Vought”Senate Democrats voted against confirming Russell Vought as OMB Director.search

Analyzed on 2026-10-20