“Today is Constitution Day. The Constitution is good. It protects people from government. Some people in the Democrat Party want to change it. They want to abolish the Senate and get rid of checks and balances. They want a European-style government. That is bad. The Constitution is old and good. I hope people think about freedom today.”

“Today is Constitution Day. Our Constitution is special because it protects the people from the government. Some groups, like the Democratic Socialists of America, want to get rid of the Senate and rewrite our Constitution. I oppose this. We should protect our founding principles and our freedom.”

“Mr. President, today is Constitution Day. On September 17, 1787, 39 delegates signed the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia. They set forth an experiment rooted in American exceptionalism: Government authority comes from ``We the People,'' the first words of the preamble to the Constitution. The U.S. Constitution is the only founding document of any country in the history of humankind that is meant to protect the people from the government. Other constitutions throughout history were written to give the government power over the people. That is why the United States is unique, and that is why we continue to say that the United States is an exceptional system of government. There are some in this country who want to fundamentally change the U.S. Constitution. In recent months, there is an organization within the Democrat Party that call themselves the Democratic Socialists of America. Their document wants to abolish the Senate. That document would uproot our system of checks and balances. That system would rip up our Constitution and draft a new one--particularly when some of them are saying they want a parliamentary system of government like other countries, particularly in Europe, have. Democratic socialism of America is antithetical to America's promise of prosperity and the founding principles enshrined in our great Constitution. The U.S. Constitution is now 239 years old this very day, and the principles that it embodies are timeless. On this Constitution Day, September 17, it is my hope that Americans of all ages will reflect upon the blessings of freedom handed down from one generation to the next. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.”

“I traveled around my state. I went to fairs and talked to farmers. I like the Republican farm bill. I don't like that Democrats opposed it. I also visited small businesses and military sites. I want people to know I'm working for them.”

“I spent the summer traveling across South Dakota and listening to our farmers, small businesses, and workers. Republican tax cuts helped our farmers and businesses. I am disappointed that Senate Democrats voted against the farm bill, but I will keep working to support our producers.”

“Mr. President, late summer in South Dakota is one of my favorite times of the year. And as usual, I spent a lot of it crisscrossing the State, talking to South Dakotans and seeing some of the great things that are happening from Sisseton to Spearfish to Sioux Falls. Late summer, of course, is fair season, and I made the rounds of multiple fairs: Brown County, Turner County, Butte-Lawrence Counties, the State fair, Dakotafest. I love the chance to meet so many South Dakota families and to hear what is on their minds. And, of course, if I can eat a little fair food while I am at it, it is even better. I particularly value the opportunity I have at these fairs to hear from the men and women of South Dakota's leading industry, which is agriculture. The Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a terrific agribusiness meeting at the Brown County Fair, and the Dakotafest congressional forum always provides me with a lot of valuable feedback from South Dakota farmers and ranchers. Outside the fair circuit, I also had the chance to talk to South Dakota ag producers at a number of other stops, including the CHS Southwest Grain elevator in Lemmon and the Midwest Agricultural Export Summit. Farmers and ranchers are facing a lot of headwinds right now, and I am committed to do everything I can in Washington to help producers. I am proud that the Republicans' Working Families Tax Cut legislation strengthened a number of programs producers depend on, such as crop insurance and commodity and livestock programs. And while I am disappointed that my Democratic colleagues have chosen to put politics ahead of producers and unanimously opposed the farm bill, which was voted on yesterday at the Senate Ag Committee, I haven't given up. Another big perk of the past few weeks has been the opportunity to visit South Dakota small businesses. I got to tour Gameday Social's new headquarters in Sioux Falls, sit down with ranchers and other community leaders at the Lazy Spurr in Bison, tour Woodland Cabinetry in Sisseton, and more. I love hearing from small business owners about how the Working Families Tax Cut is helping their businesses, and I value the opportunity to hear what else we can do in Washington to help small businesses grow and thrive and create jobs. It is always an honor to get to talk to the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect their fellow Americans. Over the past few weeks, I had the chance to visit with South Dakota sheriffs at a roundtable in Flandreau, chat with members of the Lemmon Volunteer Fire Department, and show the Under Secretary of the Army around Ellsworth Air Force Base. Anticipation is building for the arrival of the B-21 bomber, which is the future of the long-range strike, and we had some great discussions about the preparations that are underway. We also had the opportunity to meet with leaders of the South Dakota industrial base and academia about their contributions to the joint force, like the work that VRC Metal Systems in Box Elder is doing on cold-spray maintenance technology. There were so many other great moments from my travels: getting to tour Spearfish High School's Career and Technical Education Center; visiting Dakota State's Applied Research Corporation to discuss how South Dakota can be a leader in cyber security and national intelligence; interacting with students at Black Hills State University; participating in the groundbreaking of the James Abdnor Center for Advanced Manufacturing at Southeast Technical College, which is a deeply meaningful moment for me as a former Jim Abdnor staffer. Late summer in South Dakota can't be beat, and I am very proud to be from our great State. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.”

“I am speaking on Constitution Day. A young visitor reminded me. The Constitution is 237 years old. It is important. It starts with 'We the People'. John Jay wrote about what unites us. President Trump and Republicans are defending the Constitution. We are confirming judges who follow the law. We are giving power back to the people and states. Democrats do not value the Constitution. They are attacking it. They want to take away guns. They want to get rid of the Senate. Senator Booker called the Senate 'problematic'. Democrats want Congress to elect the President. They want to abolish the Supreme Court. Their ideas are extreme and dangerous. People who want to tear up the Constitution can't be trusted. Republicans will defend American values.”

“Today is Constitution Day. Republicans are protecting the Constitution by confirming judges who follow the law and giving power back to the states. Democrats are attacking our system of government. They want to weaken gun rights, change how we pick the president, and get rid of the Senate and the Supreme Court. Republicans will keep defending our Constitution.”

“Mr. President, I come to the floor today on a day that we celebrate the Constitution, the U.S. Constitution. It is interesting. I met with a 12-year-old visitor to the Capitol here today. His name is George Barozzini. He said, ``You know today is Constitution Day.'' Well, he is absolutely right, and it is delightful to know that a 12- year-old would know that. We have the pages here. They are well aware of that because this is the anniversary of the day, 237 years ago, when 39 noble patriots, representing 12 of the Thirteen Original Colonies, signed the Constitution. In four short, handwritten pages, the structure of our government was laid out. The Constitution was a work of courageous men, men who fought and bled and sacrificed for the sake of the United States, the sake of our freedom, the sake of our liberty. Their daring produced a document that is truly unique in human history. Now, I have my own copy of the Constitution right here. It begins with three simple words: ``We the People.'' To the delegates of the Constitutional Convention, America was not a fuzzy idea; it was one people and one land, united for one purpose. And the purpose, of course, was to secure the blessings and liberty to ourselves and our posterity. In Federalist No. 2, John Jay, one of the authors of the Federalist Papers, he cataloged what unites us as a nation. It is our shared heritage, our shared language, and our shared belief in the same God. It is our shared principles of government, our common culture, one nation's shared sacrifice in the Revolutionary War. On this basis, our Constitution has endured for more than two centuries. It remains the fountain of American glory, American greatness, and American self- government. Today, President Trump and Republicans are fighting to uphold the Constitution and unite the American people. We are confirming judges who follow the Constitution, judges who apply the law, who don't try to legislate from the bench. We are restoring power to the people and the States. We are removing power from unelected bureaucrats in Washington, DC. Under President Trump and Republicans, the Constitution is respected once again. By contrast, the left doesn't really value the Constitution, let alone will they be celebrating it today. That is why the American people have never been more worried or more alarmed by the direction of today's Democrat Party. It is true. Democrats have launched a full frontal assault on the core principles of America. They are ignoring our laws, they are violating our sacred values, and they seem to be trying to destroy our way of life. Democrats have now come out with an extreme manifesto. Their manifesto dismantles the Constitution. It diminishes our American spirit. It betrays Americans' trust. The lead three articles of the Constitution compose our system of government, three branches of government, and Democrats today are attacking all three of those branches simultaneously. Additionally, a number of their nominees are attacking the Bill of Rights. They are after the whole thing. The Democrat nominee in Michigan wants to take away our guns, our Second Amendment rights. The Democrat manifesto calls for abolishing the U.S. Senate--get rid of the whole thing. Well, the Constitution guarantees equal representation of the States in the Senate regardless of the population of the State, and that includes my home State of Wyoming and your home State of Montana. Senator Booker, the Democrat from New Jersey, said recently in an interview that this article I pillar of the Constitution--he described it as ``problematic.'' Apparently, we are problematic. No, Senator Booker. What is truly problematic is that thousands of illegal immigrants were registered to vote in your State of New Jersey. That is problematic. Additionally, the Democrat manifesto calls for getting rid of the Presidency as we know it. Under the Democrat manifesto, Congress would elect the President--and that is a Congress without a Senate. Additionally, the Democrat manifesto calls for abolishing the Supreme Court--a Supreme Court as appointed by the President and confirmed by this body, the Senate. What the Democrats are proposing is radical, it is extreme, it is dangerous, it is scary, and they are standing by it. The simple truth is people who want to tear up our Constitution cannot be trusted to build up our country. They can't be trusted to keep our Nation safe. They can't be trusted to keep our Nation secure. Republicans are going to continue to defend America's history, our American values, and our American greatness. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.”

“I am doing my routine floor job. I am noting who is absent. I am announcing the vote result. The motion passed.”

“One senator was absent. The vote was 77 in favor and 22 against, so the motion passed.”

“The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran). The result was announced--yeas 77, nays 22, as follows: The motion was agreed to. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Husted). On this vote, the yeas are 77, the nays are 22. The motion is agreed. The motion was agreed to.”