MEMBER OF CONGRESS

Alex Padilla

Democrat CA 20 statements translated

Padilla consistently advocates for policies that benefit his home state of California, particularly its large agricultural sector and immigrant population. He pushes for bills that would provide more resources and rights to farm workers. However, he often avoids directly engaging with questions or criticisms, instead deflecting to partisan talking points about Republican motivations.

Senate

Amending the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to Require Voters to Provide Photo Identification--Motion to Proceed

2026-08-07

“I don't want to talk about voter ID. I want to talk about other problems. I think this bill is too strict. Voters should not have to mail a copy of their ID. I want colleagues to vote no.”

Official Congressional Record

Madam President, colleagues, here we are after months and months and months of continuing to debate this bill, which still hasn't passed. We should be debating how to bring costs down for working families across the country. I would love to hear from my colleagues how we are going to get out of this war in Iran. Instead, here is this measure again, which is not a simple voter ID bill. As written, it is stricter than most voter ID bills in States that already have a voter ID law in place. But this goes even further, requiring voters to include a copy of their ID when they vote by mail, as well as tens of millions of Americans who vote by mail. This bill would do away with secret ballots as we know it. So colleagues, I urge you to vote no on this measure.

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Senate

Introductory Statement on S. 5309

2026-08-06

“I want the government to spend money to help farmers make less pollution. California makes a lot of dairy food. Dairy farming makes a lot of pollution. California wants to make less pollution by 2030. My bill will help farmers change how they handle manure and waste. I want the government to spend money on this through the EQIP program. This will make less pollution and help farmers make more money.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act. This legislation will help dairy and livestock producers reduce methane emissions, improve air and water quality, and implement more sustainable alternative manure management practices. As the leading dairy State in the country and the second in cheese production, California is the largest producer of milk, butter, and cheeses like mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and queso fresco. Dairy operations contribute billions to California's economy but are also a significant source of California's methane emissions. Recognizing the urgency of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions like methane, California and the dairy industry are working to reduce dairy methane emissions by 40 percent below 2013 levels by 2030, largely due to the successes of California's own Alternative Manure Management Program, AMMP. The COWS Act would allow alternative manure management practices to be eligible under USDA's Environmental Quality Incentives Program, EQIP, to help dairy and livestock producers transition towards pasture- based management, alternative treatment and storage practices, solid separation systems, and scrape technologies. These practices, which have proven to be effective through the AMMP, will provide more resources for the dairy and livestock industry to modernize technologies for manure management that help boost profitability, improve water quality, and reduce methane and nitrogen oxide emissions. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural operations is critical for addressing the climate crisis. Because of the high construction and operation costs associated with anaerobic digesters, nondigester manure management practices can provide a more cost- effective alternative for family dairy and livestock operators seeking to improve air and water quality for their communities. I would like to thank Congressman Costa for leading this bill in the House, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the COWS Act.

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Senate

Introductory Statement on S. 5304

2026-08-06

“Farmers are important. They grow our food. California especially grows a lot of food. Farmworkers have a hard job. But they don't get overtime pay. That's not fair. A long time ago, the government made labor laws. Those laws left out farmworkers. That was wrong. California changed their law in 2016. Now I want to change the federal law too. I want farmworkers to get overtime pay. I think that would be fair. I want more people to support this bill.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Fairness for Farm Workers Act, which I am reintroducing today. Farmworkers feed our Nation. This is especially true in California-- the agricultural heart of the Nation. California is the most successful State in agricultural production and has the largest population of farmworkers. In fact, nearly half of the country's vegetables and over three-quarters of the country's fruits and nuts are grown in California. Farmworkers put food on the tables of millions of Americans despite working through extreme weather conditions, injuries, disasters, pandemics, and more. Yet farmworkers have been unjustly excluded from labor laws. The time to address these inequities is now. While the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act established Federal standards for minimum wage and overtime pay, the law excluded millions of domestic and agricultural workers--workers who were and remain overwhelmingly people of color. In 2016, California recognized the need to provide farmworkers overtime protection. The California overtime law, which ensures farmworkers will have an equal right to overtime pay, serves as the model for this Federal bill. Farmworkers in California and across the Nation deserve an end to discrimination in labor laws. We must undo the discriminatory exclusion of farmworkers by amending the Fair Labor Standards Act. That is why I am proud to introduce this bill, which would improve the lives of farmworkers and their families, create equity in our food system, and benefit farming communities as the increased wages are spent in local businesses. This bill will gradually implement overtime pay over the course of 4 years and bring greater equity to the American agricultural industry and greater prosperity to historically marginalized workers. I want to thank Congresswoman Grijalva for introducing this bill with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us to provide a measure of long-overdue fairness for our Nation's farmworkers.

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Senate

Introductory Statement on S. 5303

2026-08-06

“I want the government to spend money on a new office for farm workers. They should have a say in decisions. I want more people on the payroll to help with that. They should talk to other government departments too. Then they should put out reports about it. It's their right.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Supporting Our Farm and Food System Workforce Act, which I introduced today. Farm and food system workers feed our Nation, We know this well in California--the agricultural heart of the Nation--where we have one of the largest populations of farmworkers and food system workers in the United States. Throughout pandemic, these workers put food on our tables and kept our grocery store shelves stocked despite facing deep- rooted inequities in the workforce and often experiencing food insecurity themselves. Right now, just one person in the Federal Government is statutorily dedicated to serving as a liaison between farm workers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture--the Farmworker Coordinator. While the 2008 farm bill created this position, Congress has never provided the proper resources to support or staff this position. The 2023 U.S. Department of Agriculture Equity Commission Interim Report included a strong recommendation for the USDA to fund and elevate roles for professional staff solely dedicated to farmworkers' concerns and perspectives. It is time that we give those who provide the food for our Nation a voice in the national conversation. We must give farm and food system workers a dedicated office within the USDA to integrate their invaluable perspectives into the decisions that directly affect their lives and livelihoods. That is why I am proud to introduce this bill, which would create the USDA Office of the Farm and Food System Workforce to not only serve as a liaison for farm and food system workers but also to provide a platform for their concerns and interests to assist in the creation of recommendations and new initiatives for the Department. The bill would also create a Farm and Food System Worker Advisory Committee, composed of a diverse cross-section of members representing these workers' varied interests and perspectives--such as workers themselves, labor unions, higher education professionals, civil rights advocates, women worker-focused groups, and trusted community-based non-profits. The legislation would also establish a Farm and Food System Workforce Interagency Council, comprised of representatives from various Federal Agencies to improve coordination, planning, program development, and policymaking across Cabinet-level leadership. The Office would also appoint staff to various USDA entities to serve as liaisons on matters related to farm and food system workers within the Department. Finally, the bill would require annual, publicly available reports, in multiple languages, about the Office's work, including recommendations to improve the work and livelihood of farm and food system workers, the climate change impacts on the food system, and the barriers workers face to accessing Federal programs. During this year's farm bill negotiations, I urge my colleagues to remember the workers behind the American food system, the workers who keep our families and communities fed and healthy. These workers deserve a seat at the table.

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Senate

Introductory Statement on S. 5301

2026-08-06

“I want the government to spend more money on a position called Farmworker Coordinator. This person should talk to farm workers and the Department of Agriculture. Now is the time to spend money on this. I want to create new programs and initiatives. Farm workers are important. We need to listen to them.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Voice for Farm Workers Act, which I introduced today. Our Nation's farmworkers are the backbone of the U.S. food supply chain. In the 2008 farm bill, Congress created the Farmworker Coordinator position: one person statutorily dedicated to serving as a liaison between the more than 2 million farm workers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Unfortunately, Congress has never provided the resources necessary to support a position of this magnitude. The time to fix this injustice is now. The 2023 U.S. Department of Agriculture Equity Commission Interim Report included a strong recommendation for the USDA to fund and elevate roles for professional staff solely dedicated to farm workers' concerns and perspectives. That is why I am introducing this bill to expand and strengthen the Coordinator position to carry out the responsibilities necessary to better meet the needs of our farmworkers. This bill would also support increased collaboration within the Department, with farmworkers, and with relevant stakeholders to create recommendations for new initiatives and programs to support farmworkers. As we negotiate a new farm bill, I urge my colleagues to prioritize and support the workers that ensure our families and loved ones remain fed and healthy. Farmworkers' voices must be and deserve to be heard.

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Senate

Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

2026-08-06

“I want a new law to help dairy and livestock producers. I want to reduce methane emissions from manure. I want the government to pay for new manure management practices. I say it will help the environment and the economy. I thank my colleague for leading the bill in the House. I want my bill to pass.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act. This legislation will help dairy and livestock producers reduce methane emissions, improve air and water quality, and implement more sustainable alternative manure management practices. As the leading dairy State in the country and the second in cheese production, California is the largest producer of milk, butter, and cheeses like mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and queso fresco. Dairy operations contribute billions to California's economy but are also a significant source of California's methane emissions. Recognizing the urgency of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions like methane, California and the dairy industry are working to reduce dairy methane emissions by 40 percent below 2013 levels by 2030, largely due to the successes of California's own Alternative Manure Management Program, AMMP. The COWS Act would allow alternative manure management practices to be eligible under USDA's Environmental Quality Incentives Program, EQIP, to help dairy and livestock producers transition towards pasture- based management, alternative treatment and storage practices, solid separation systems, and scrape technologies. These practices, which have proven to be effective through the AMMP, will provide more resources for the dairy and livestock industry to modernize technologies for manure management that help boost profitability, improve water quality, and reduce methane and nitrogen oxide emissions. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural operations is critical for addressing the climate crisis. Because of the high construction and operation costs associated with anaerobic digesters, nondigester manure management practices can provide a more cost- effective alternative for family dairy and livestock operators seeking to improve air and water quality for their communities. I would like to thank Congressman Costa for leading this bill in the House, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the COWS Act. S. 5320. A bill to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit certain securities trading and related communications by those who possess material, nonpublic information, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

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“I want farm workers to get overtime pay. A law in my state says they should. I want a new federal bill to do the same thing. I say it will help farm workers and farming towns. I am proud to talk about this bill. I want my bill to pass.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Fairness for Farm Workers Act, which I am reintroducing today. Farmworkers feed our Nation. This is especially true in California-- the agricultural heart of the Nation. California is the most successful State in agricultural production and has the largest population of farmworkers. In fact, nearly half of the country's vegetables and over three-quarters of the country's fruits and nuts are grown in California. Farmworkers put food on the tables of millions of Americans despite working through extreme weather conditions, injuries, disasters, pandemics, and more. Yet farmworkers have been unjustly excluded from labor laws. The time to address these inequities is now. While the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act established Federal standards for minimum wage and overtime pay, the law excluded millions of domestic and agricultural workers--workers who were and remain overwhelmingly people of color. In 2016, California recognized the need to provide farmworkers overtime protection. The California overtime law, which ensures farmworkers will have an equal right to overtime pay, serves as the model for this Federal bill. Farmworkers in California and across the Nation deserve an end to discrimination in labor laws. We must undo the discriminatory exclusion of farmworkers by amending the Fair Labor Standards Act. That is why I am proud to introduce this bill, which would improve the lives of farmworkers and their families, create equity in our food system, and benefit farming communities as the increased wages are spent in local businesses. This bill will gradually implement overtime pay over the course of 4 years and bring greater equity to the American agricultural industry and greater prosperity to historically marginalized workers. I want to thank Congresswoman Grijalva for introducing this bill with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us to provide a measure of long-overdue fairness for our Nation's farmworkers. S. 5309. A bill to amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to provide payments for alternative manure management practices under the environmental quality incentives program, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

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“I want my new bill to pass. It will create more jobs in the Department of Agriculture. The new office will talk to farm workers. It will make reports. I want the farm bill to do what I want. I want to help farm workers.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Supporting Our Farm and Food System Workforce Act, which I introduced today. Farm and food system workers feed our Nation, We know this well in California--the agricultural heart of the Nation--where we have one of the largest populations of farmworkers and food system workers in the United States. Throughout pandemic, these workers put food on our tables and kept our grocery store shelves stocked despite facing deep- rooted inequities in the workforce and often experiencing food insecurity themselves. Right now, just one person in the Federal Government is statutorily dedicated to serving as a liaison between farm workers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture--the Farmworker Coordinator. While the 2008 farm bill created this position, Congress has never provided the proper resources to support or staff this position. The 2023 U.S. Department of Agriculture Equity Commission Interim Report included a strong recommendation for the USDA to fund and elevate roles for professional staff solely dedicated to farmworkers' concerns and perspectives. It is time that we give those who provide the food for our Nation a voice in the national conversation. We must give farm and food system workers a dedicated office within the USDA to integrate their invaluable perspectives into the decisions that directly affect their lives and livelihoods. That is why I am proud to introduce this bill, which would create the USDA Office of the Farm and Food System Workforce to not only serve as a liaison for farm and food system workers but also to provide a platform for their concerns and interests to assist in the creation of recommendations and new initiatives for the Department. The bill would also create a Farm and Food System Worker Advisory Committee, composed of a diverse cross-section of members representing these workers' varied interests and perspectives--such as workers themselves, labor unions, higher education professionals, civil rights advocates, women worker-focused groups, and trusted community-based non-profits. The legislation would also establish a Farm and Food System Workforce Interagency Council, comprised of representatives from various Federal Agencies to improve coordination, planning, program development, and policymaking across Cabinet-level leadership. The Office would also appoint staff to various USDA entities to serve as liaisons on matters related to farm and food system workers within the Department. Finally, the bill would require annual, publicly available reports, in multiple languages, about the Office's work, including recommendations to improve the work and livelihood of farm and food system workers, the climate change impacts on the food system, and the barriers workers face to accessing Federal programs. During this year's farm bill negotiations, I urge my colleagues to remember the workers behind the American food system, the workers who keep our families and communities fed and healthy. These workers deserve a seat at the table. S. 5304. A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide increased labor law protections for agricultural workers, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

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“Farm workers are important. The government made a position for someone to talk to them. The government never funded it. I want more funding for that position. Someone made a report saying that's a good idea. I want my new bill to pass. It will create more positions to work with farm workers. I want the farm bill to do what I want. I think farm workers are important.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Voice for Farm Workers Act, which I introduced today. Our Nation's farmworkers are the backbone of the U.S. food supply chain. In the 2008 farm bill, Congress created the Farmworker Coordinator position: one person statutorily dedicated to serving as a liaison between the more than 2 million farm workers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Unfortunately, Congress has never provided the resources necessary to support a position of this magnitude. The time to fix this injustice is now. The 2023 U.S. Department of Agriculture Equity Commission Interim Report included a strong recommendation for the USDA to fund and elevate roles for professional staff solely dedicated to farm workers' concerns and perspectives. That is why I am introducing this bill to expand and strengthen the Coordinator position to carry out the responsibilities necessary to better meet the needs of our farmworkers. This bill would also support increased collaboration within the Department, with farmworkers, and with relevant stakeholders to create recommendations for new initiatives and programs to support farmworkers. As we negotiate a new farm bill, I urge my colleagues to prioritize and support the workers that ensure our families and loved ones remain fed and healthy. Farmworkers' voices must be and deserve to be heard. S. 5303. A bill to amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish the Office of the Farm and Food System Workforce; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

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Senate

Unanimous Consent Requests (Executive Session)

2026-08-06

“I am speaking for a disaster tax bill. The bill helps people who have lost property in wildfires. The bill has bipartisan support. We should pass this bill now. It is common sense. The bill will help victims in California and other states. They need help to rebuild their lives. The bill is named after a late Representative. I served with him. I agree with the House version of the bill. I think it is a good bill.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, colleagues, this disaster bill, this disaster tax bill includes important bipartisan legislation that I introduced with Senators Lummis, Wyden, and Sheehy to extend a critical tax provision for disaster survivors that we enacted into law last Congress. Two years ago, my Protect Innocent Victims of Taxation After Fire Act made an important update to our Tax Code. It made sure that individuals, families, and entire communities who suffered from wildfires received the full compensation that they were awarded in courts to rebuild their lives. But, unfortunately, every year more devastating disasters take place, and so Congress must extend the same important financial protection to survivors of more recent wildfires. That is what the House-passed version of the bill would do. But to be clear, disaster settlement funds are not income. They are not a financial windfall. They are certainly not winning the lottery. What they are is compensation, partial compensation in most cases, for what has been lost. They are meant to give survivors an opportunity to begin to rebuild not just their homes but their lives. This bill is not just for my constituents in California that have been impacted by the Eaton and Palisades fires 1\1/2\ years ago; it is also for those victims in Oregon and Hawaii and other communities across the country that have experienced similar disasters. Our bill would ensure that all recent wildfire victims throughout the country have access to the full value of their settlement without any unfair tax burden. It is common sense, and it is a bipartisan solution to protect Americans at the most difficult time of their lives. We should pass this legislation now. Let's not keep survivors waiting, worrying, and wondering about their financial future any longer. I want to thank Senators Lummis, Wyden, and Sheehy for their partnership, as well as my colleague Representative Mike Thompson in the House for his steadfast leadership on this issue. I also want to recognize that the late Representative Doug LaMalfa was such a critical part of this effort. The House fittingly named this bill in his honor because it reflects the tireless leadership he brought to these issues impacting disaster-stricken communities throughout his career. He and I first served together in the California State Senate and then again here--he in the House; I in the Senate. I would urge all of our colleagues to support the House-passed version of the measure and allow survivors to begin to rebuild their lives without unnecessary fear or delay. Thank you.

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Senate

Tribute to Mike Witherell

2026-08-05

“I want to praise a man who ran a government research lab. He helped spend taxpayer money on science projects. He won awards. Some of his employees also won awards. I want to thank him for his government service.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate Michael Witherell on a remarkable career spent in service of scientific achievement and discovery as he steps down after a decade of leadership as the eighth director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. As the Director of Berkeley Lab, Mike dedicated himself to pursuing transformational breakthroughs across all areas of science and helped its researchers deliver scientific solutions addressing critical national priorities. Mike Witherell was born on September 22, 1949, in Toledo, OH. He would go on to receive a bachelor of science from the University of Michigan in 1968. After earning his Ph.D. in experimental particle physics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1973, Mike served on the faculty at Princeton until 1981 and then found himself at the University of California, Santa Barbara until 1999. While working at UC Santa Barbara, Mike won the W. K. H. Panofsky Prize in Experimental Particle Physics from the American Physical Society in 1990 and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1998. After serving as the director of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory for 6 years, Mike returned to UC Santa Barbara in 2005 as the vice chancellor for research. He was then appointed director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2016, a position he held until June of 2026. In his decade of service leading Berkeley Lab, Mike strengthened the lab's position as a world-leading institution for breakthrough science through significant real-world solutions in energy and pioneering programs in quantum informational science and artificial intelligence. This record of scientific excellence resulted in 31 members of the lab being elected to the National Academies of Science and Engineering, two National Medals, and three Nobel Prizes, including most recently in 2025 for groundbreaking research in quantum computing. Thanks to his hard work and dedication, Berkeley Lab has contributed greatly to the mission of the Department of Energy, including becoming a core contributor to the Genesis Mission. None of these efforts would have been possible without the passion, vision, and excellence that Mike poured into the lab during his storied tenure. As Mike embarks on this new chapter in his life, his absence will undoubtedly be felt by all those fortunate enough to have collaborated with him. I extend my heartfelt wishes to Mike and his family for a joyful retirement.

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Senate

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Executive Session)

2026-08-05

“A lot of things are happening. I want to talk about immigration. The government is cruel. Families are torn apart. People are detained. A man named Johan was killed by an agent. I don't like that. The agent shouldn't have been hired. People in charge made bad choices. Many people are detained in bad conditions. Some of them died. The government doesn't care. They arrest more people. It's bad. We need to say enough. We need to remember the people affected by these policies. America deserves better.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, colleagues, there is a lot going on in the country right now--actually, a lot going on around the world. And I rise today not to address specifically the cost-of-living challenges that so many working families are struggling with. That is certainly a topic of news these days--rightfully so. I am not here to focus on what families of deployed servicemembers must be feeling right now, although that is certainly worthy of our thoughts and consideration and empathy, particularly the family members and the loved ones of the 18 servicemembers that have lost their lives in this unauthorized war with Iran that the President has brought us into. I want to focus on something that about a year ago was really dominating the evening news and a lot of our social media feeds-- immigration, and specifically this administration's cruel, often violent tactics as part of their mass deportation agenda. Families are still being torn apart. Tens of thousands of immigrants are currently being detained in detention centers around the country. Loved ones of those killed by Federal agents in broad daylight are also still hurting, including the family of Johan Sebastian Guerrero, the 25-year-old father and immigrant from Colombia who had work authorization, who was driving in his car last month when a Federal agent opened fire, shooting him in the head and killing him. I hope you remember the story. It wasn't that long ago. If you followed the story, you will know that his partner and his 3-year-old daughter, still dressed in her Bluey pajamas that morning, were there at the scene because it was so close to their home. According to witnesses, Johan's last words were: I raise this because whenever there is a tragedy like this that happens, under this administration, we quickly hear from Department officials, from the White House, and MAGA supporters that all these victims had to do was to follow instructions, as if it was their fault they were being shot and, in some instances, killed. Well, that is exactly what Johan was attempting to do. Yet he was killed anyway. I know we don't have all the details of exactly how this tragedy unfolded. In large part, we don't have all the details because some people say ``Well, let's go to the video; let's go to the body cam footage and see exactly what happened,'' but despite receiving billions and billions of taxpayer dollars, which included funding for body cameras, these officers weren't wearing any. But there are a couple of things that we know for certain. First of all, Johan Sebastian Guerrero's daughter should still have her father. Second--and this is publicly reported--the man who took his life should never have been given a badge and a gun. And that is not just coming from me; that is coming from Tom Homan--that is right--President Trump's ``border czar,'' who recently said in a TV interview: From what we have learned, this is a man who verbally, emotionally, and physically abused not just one but two ex-wives and once threw his 13-year-old daughter through a glass coffee table. So Mr. Homan is absolutely right when he says that this man's hiring was a failure of the Agency's vetting process. But it is emblematic of a much larger failure within the Department of Homeland Security. ICE has rushed, this last year, to put as many officers as it could into communities as quickly as possible--something pretty hypocritical, by the way, from an administration calling for the revetting of previously vetted refugees and other immigrants. But I digress. In less than a year, ICE has hired more than 12,000 officers, a 120-percent increase in staffing--huge increase in a small amount of time. In part, they were so eager to hire up that they were offering $50,000 bonuses for people who signed on to the Agency. Along the way, they also lowered recruitment standards to try to hire as many people as possible, and they shortened training--shortened training-- for law enforcement officers before deploying them into the streets. Anybody with history and experience with State and local law enforcement knows what happens when you do this. It is a bad combination, a recipe for disaster when you hire too quickly, shorten training, and lower recruitment standards. Now the Federal Government is seeing the consequences of those bad decisions. How many more unqualified individuals who have not been sufficiently vetted or trained are now in our communities, not just armed but armed as if they are going to war--that is not the job they are doing--and, along the way, violating constitutional rights; using excessive force; risking innocent lives; and, worst of all, facing no accountability? Colleagues, accountability isn't an inconvenience for law enforcement; it is imperative in a society where we entrust law enforcement officers with the power to take our lives, our liberty, or our property when warranted. Accountability is what gives law enforcement the legitimacy in a democracy, but that is not what is going on today. Just a couple of weeks ago, it was reported that the FBI will no longer investigate confrontations with immigration enforcement agents. Instead, Homeland Security will do the investigating to determine whether officers or agents have broken the law. If true, how is that supposed to inspire confidence or legitimacy? After all, it has been 6 months since the killing of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Goode, and still nobody has been held accountable for those deaths. Let me repeat their names: Alex Pretti, Renee Nicole Good, Ruben Ray Martinez, Silverio Villegas Gonzalez, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Joan Sebastian Guerrero. God, I pray there is not more to come. How many more need to die before this administration recognizes, acknowledges, and admits that something is deeply wrong? Another important point I want to make today is that these failures don't end on the streets in our communities; they are also happening inside the walls of detention facilities, where as of yesterday, at least 54 people have died since the beginning of this administration. The year 2025 was a record year--not a good record--the most deaths in ICE custody in a calendar year, and we are on track to exceed that in 2026. At this moment, more than 67,000 people are being held in overcrowded and understaffed facilities, where many are denied access to healthy food, clean water, even basic medical care--forget about lifesaving care for people with extreme conditions, folks that I have seen and talked to personally, suffering from injuries they sustained when being taken into custody because of the cruelty and the violence of how it is being done. And reporting just this morning from the Associated Press shows us more than 50 parents and spouses of Active-Duty servicemembers have been detained since the beginning of the second Trump administration, and at least six have been deported. Think about that. Their sons and daughters, husbands and wives are willing to put their lives on the line for this country during wartime, no less, and the Trump administration is rewarding their service by detaining and deporting their family members. Yet, despite all this, Donald Trump and those around him keep repeating the lie that they are only going after ``the worst of the worst.'' It is not true. Even Federal courts have found that the conditions in these detention facilities, by the way, are unacceptable. A Federal district court judge in California just ordered improvements to basic needs like access to clean water, nutritious food, and medical and disability care in the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, basic standards of humanity that are both Federal law and international law. In February, a similar order to provide access to medical care was issued regarding the large detention center in California, the one located in California City. But just last week, we learned from a neutral court-appointed monitor that ICE is failing to comply with that order. This administration just doesn't care. Despite these deaths, despite these conditions, and despite the enormous human toll, the administration is actually doubling down. ICE arrested 51,000 people in the month of July, the largest in a single month in DHS history. And again, the vast majority are not dangerous, violent criminals. So we have a historic number of arrests coupled with a historic number of deaths in ICE custody, and this administration has the audacity to ignore court orders to provide basic care and dignity to the people that it is cramming into these detention facilities. And on top of all that, the Republican majority in this Congress has given ICE and Border Patrol more than $150 billion with no accountability, no safeguards required. So they don't even have to come back to Congress to justify their funding requests and answer questions for the next 3 years. ICE is now expanding detention facilities while continuing to carry out these mass enforcement operations across the country. They are failing. They are failing the humanity test. They are being ordered by Federal courts to do the job right. They are doubling down and growing their operation. And we now know that over 300,000 Haitian immigrants are now facing arrests and deportation after the Trump administration has ripped away their temporary protected status. Colleagues, how many people need to die at the hands of ill-trained, unqualified, and unaccountable Federal agents and inside inhumane detention centers before we as a Congress--at least the Senate--say: Enough. Before we call for accountability and demand commonsense reforms, what is it going to take? Because our proposals are out there, like my VISIBLE Act which says immigration enforcement officials have to have very clear, very visible identification, something that is standard for law enforcement Agencies nationwide. If a group of masked individuals in unmarked cars runs you off the road, jumps out of their cars with guns drawn, and starts screaming in your face without any way to easily and quickly know that they are Federal agents, of course somebody is going to panic. We just saw that exact scenario play out in Houston a few weeks ago. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was driving in his van on his way to work when two unmarked cars without sirens or lights began chasing him, eventually blocking his car on a small side street. As he was trying to turn around, they shot him and killed him. Without any clear identification, how could Lorenzo know that these cars chasing him belonged to law enforcement? As one expert reviewing the footage of this chase from public cameras said, it ``looks more like a carjacking attempt than it [is] a police stop.'' And we wonder why some people panic. That is exactly why we need basic standards for Federal law enforcement like those called for in Senator Booker's Federal Law Enforcement Standards and Accountability Act. And for the protection of agents and civilians alike, law enforcement needs to have the body cameras and to have them turned on, which the FOCUS Act would require. These are the kinds of basic safeguards that Democrats have been proposing over and over again, but the administration and the Republican majority doesn't want to act on it. Now, we have a lot of policy debates here in Congress, but too often, we lose sight of the people behind the headlines and the people behind the statistics that are impacted by these policies. Joan Sebastian Guerrero was one of those people, as are thousands of others living in fear today: mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters. They are our friends. They are our coworkers and neighbors, all human beings deserving of basic dignity and humanity. Last month, Joan Sebastian Guerrero got into his car expecting just a normal, regular day, and now his daughter will grow up in a world without him in it. She carries his memory with her for the rest of her life--not only of him, but how he was taken from her. She will remember that forever. Colleagues, I implore that we remember as well. Let's learn from it and do everything possible to keep it from happening again because we are a nation of laws that need to be enforced, but a nation of laws includes being a nation of due process, of accountability, and above all, human dignity. We should never accept an America where Federal agents hide their faces, abuse their authority, or take life without oversight and accountability. It is a choice, folks, that we are making. What kind of a country are we working toward? It is a choice that this administration and congressional Republicans have made of what we are seeing on the streets. America deserves better. America deserves better. I yield the floor.

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Senate

Unanimous Consent Requests (Executive Session)

2026-07-29

“Don't believe what my colleague from Ohio said. Look up S. 1498 yourself. You will see that Senator Moreno is a cosponsor. It does not ban mutual fund investments. That is the truth. I object to the request. I offer a counterproposal. Let the majority leader and Democratic leader determine when we vote on S.1498. The committee substitute should be agreed to. It needs 60 votes to pass.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, before I offer a good-faith counterproposal to my colleague from Nebraska, let me just clarify one item that my colleague from Ohio was seeming to correct--or attempting to correct, I should say, a measure that I was referencing. So to folks watching at home, let me suggest: Don't take my word for it. Go to Congress.gov and look up S. 1498, and you will see that, indeed, Senator Moreno is a cosponsor. And if you read the measure itself, you will see that it does not ban mutual fund investments. And with that true correction and clarification, Mr. President, let me ask that the Senator modify his request to, instead, at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Democratic leader, the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 294, S. 1498; that the committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to and the Senate vote on passage of the bill at a 60-vote affirmative threshold; further, that if the bill is passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

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“You try to ban insider trading for Congress. But you don't ban it for the President. The last President traded stocks a lot. He even sold inside information for money. Your bill has parts in it that are not about stock trading. They are about making it harder to vote. You try to make it look like you fight corruption. But really you want to make it hard for some people to vote. We already have a bill to stop insider trading. It is honest and bipartisan. Vote on that bill instead. Let's pass a real law. Not your bill with poison pills.”

Official Congressional Record

Reserving the right to object. Mr. President, it is a shame that Senate Republicans seem particularly focused on scoring political points instead of passing real policies that can actually make a difference because, yes, all Americans--Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike--are rightly concerned about insider trading by government officials. But the bill before us cannot address these concerns because, just like as was the case on Monday--that is right, 48 hours ago--we were having the same discussion, the same debate. This measure contains two giant poison pills. First, it exempts the President and the Vice President of the United States, for that matter. But it exempts the President from the ban on stock trading, and I can list at least 21,000 reasons why we should not exempt the President from the ban on insider trading. Last year alone, Donald Trump made over 21,000 stock trades--an average of 85 trades per day--85. Does that sound like somebody that is singularly focused on bringing costs down for hard-working Americans? I don't think so. As I also said on Monday, Donald Trump is clearly the ``Trader in Chief.'' So you cannot be serious about reining in public officials' stock trading if you present a bill that gives the biggest stock trader in Washington a free pass. My colleague from Nebraska spoke to the virtues of disclosure and advanced notice. Well, on the surface, that seems very attractive, but let me tell you what is really going on. President Trump's social media company is publicly selling inside information about his market- changing statements before the public sees them to hedge funds and Wall Street for the low, low price of $100,000 a month. It is all in the open--inside information from the President himself for $100,000 a month. The average American earns less than that in a year. But the President isn't worried about them. He is focusing on profiting from his office. So it is clear that Republicans in Congress are not actually serious about banning stock trading where it is happening the worst. And they are not about helping working Americans address the higher costs of gas and groceries and housing and healthcare. So what is it that they do care about? Let's talk about the other big poison pill in this bill because the title of it seems like it is about insider trading--Stop Insider Trading Act--but the way it is before us includes the SAVE Act, a bill that we have debated for months and months and months on this floor. Republicans don't have the votes to pass it--a bill that would make it harder for eligible Americans to participate in our democracy. We have debated this bill for months, and it has gotten nowhere because the Republican caucus isn't even united on this measure because the bill--it is not about voter fraud. The massive voter fraud they claim simply doesn't exist. There is no evidence of massive voter fraud across the country. What the SAVE Act proposal does do is it sows distrust in our system and seeks to cause chaos in an election cycle that is already underway--a midterm election, by the way, where Republicans are afraid of voters holding them accountable for failing to do anything about rising costs and increased corruption, let alone this unauthorized war with Iran. How do we know that? Because the SAVE Act, as written, is far more restrictive than the voter ID laws that exist in the States that already have a voter ID law. The House Republican bill would go further and require a photocopy of your ID in your absentee or mail ballot. Now, that violates the fundamental premise of a secret ballot, which is a sacred right; and, therefore, it would undermine mail voting itself. As I mentioned on Monday, the Republican Governor of Ohio vetoed a similar bill because he saw no benefit in it and that the measure would be a ``significant burden'' on voters. So that is truly the point of the bill: to make it harder for some people to vote. Now, let's get back to the title of the bill: Stop Insider Trading. If we are genuine about doing that, then there is a bipartisan solution that is available to us today, a bipartisan solution on stock trading. Everybody watching at home, there is a bill that has been pending before the Senate for nearly a year. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted it out on a bipartisan basis. Senator Hawley is the lead sponsor; Senator Moreno is a cosponsor, along with a number of Democrats--S. 1498, the Halting Ownership and Non-Ethical Stock Transactions, otherwise known as the HONEST Act. So let's pass that--or at least set up a vote on that measure. And if Republicans aren't willing to do that, then let's sit down-- Republicans and Democrats together--to hammer out a real solution and stop with these political games. So, therefore, Mr. President, I ask that the Senator modify his request to instead proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 294, S. 1498; that the committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

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Senate

Legislative Session

2026-07-29

“People from Haiti have temporary protected status. They are here because their country is dangerous. Now the government wants to send them back. That is bad. It will hurt them. It will also hurt our country. They work and pay taxes here. I want the SECURE Act to pass so they can stay.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleagues today in support of Senator Van Hollen's SECURE Act. Across the country right now, hundreds of thousands of Haitian men, women, and children are terrified. They are terrified for their futures, for their children's futures. They are terrified about being forced back to a country that is gripped by a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Nearly 1.5 million Haitians have been displaced by gang violence. Food insecurity is widespread. Basic services have collapsed. It is a country that the State Department--the State Department--warns Americans not to travel to because of the risk of kidnapping, violent crime, and civil unrest. Think about that for a second. The Trump administration itself is warning Americans not to travel to Haiti because of how unsafe it is. Yet the same administration wants to force over 300,000 Haitian nationals--who, until very recently, held temporary protected status--to go there. Now, the President has made it very clear for years what he thinks about immigrants from Haiti. And we received reports in the past few days that the Department of Homeland Security is preparing for a mass roundup and swift deportation of these families in the coming days. So now, thanks to the President's hostility toward immigrants, TPS holders from countries in turmoil--many of whom have lived in the United States for years, if not decades--are now in danger and at the mercy of this cruel administration. But the fact of the matter is, the American people do not support the President's goal of kicking these men, women, and children out and forcing them back to a nation steeped in danger and turmoil, because the American people recognize the fundamental fact that TPS holders-- who are legally granted protection in the United States, who registered with the Federal Government, who passed background checks and received authorization to live and to work here--are human beings--human beings that deserve respect and dignity, and we have a moral obligation to help when we can. More than that, most Americans recognize how much TPS holders and immigrants, more broadly, contribute to our country--the economic, social, and cultural benefits they have provided us, as they have worked and lived among us for years, developing strong roots in our communities. Yes, over time, TPS holders become our neighbors, our coworkers, and our friends. The more than 94 percent of TPS holders who participate in the labor force, as of 2017, are nurses and construction workers--vital jobs for the people of the United States and for our economy. They are home health aides, hotel workers, and entrepreneurs. Collectively, they contribute around $29 billion to the U.S. economy every year and pay more than $7.8 billion in Federal, payroll, State, and local taxes annually as well. That is right. They pay nearly $8 billion in taxes every year. If more than 300,000 Haitian workers suddenly drop out of the workforce, the impacts are going to be very real and very sudden. And we can't forget that many are raising American children, not only as caregivers for other people's children but as parents to nearly 400,000 U.S. citizen children. And that impact is only magnified when you pull back and consider the more than 1 million people who had TPS as of early 2025 and have been targeted by this administration and its cruel mass detention and mass deportation agenda. So, colleagues, I am going to say something that I don't say very often: I agree with Governor Mike DeWine, the Republican Governor of Ohio, who has called ending TPS a ``mistake'' that is going to bring a steep economic toll with it. Temporary protected status exists exactly for moments like this, when countries like Haiti--along with Venezuela, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and others--are experiencing exactly the kind of crisis that Congress had in mind when it created this program on a bipartisan basis. But this administration is choosing to turn its back on the people that this program was meant to help and protect, while hurting our country in the process. So we need to do more to protect people who have built their lives here and who have contributed so much to our country. So I want to thank Senator Van Hollen for trying to pass the SECURE Act. He has my support. I urge all of you to support the SECURE Act as well. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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Senate

Unanimous Consent Requests (Executive Session)

2026-07-27

“You say your bill stops insider trading. But really it has bad parts that hurt voters. It would make voting harder. It exempts the President. That's bad. Why? Because Trump trades a lot of stocks. Trump even sells early access to his posts. That looks corrupt to me. So this bill won't pass. It's not serious. If you really wanted to stop insider trading, pass a clean bill. A serious bill. Like the one some Senators wrote before. That bill was bipartisan. We should pass that instead. But I know this isn't about stock trades. You just want to pass restrictive voting laws. I won't let you. Let's vote on the clean insider trading bill, not this fake bill.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I want to make a few things very clear, and I hope that we can actually come to a bipartisan agreement on the issue that the title of the bill says this bill is about because I agree, Democrats and Republicans and Independents alike across the country are concerned. To put it simply, Americans don't like the idea of their elected leaders trading individual stocks while making decisions impacting those very companies and industries in their portfolios, but I am glad my colleagues, the Senator from Ohio and the Senator from Florida, have laid out what this bill is truly about. Now, the title of the bill makes reference to insider trading, but there is a lot of passion about the SAVE Act which has been shoved into this bill as it has come over from the House. Back to the stock trading piece, this is something that we absolutely ought to be addressing. But there are two obvious reasons why this bill from the Republican House is nothing more than a political gimmick that was never truly intended to become law. First, it exempts the President--the President, who without a doubt is the person with the single greatest ability to impact a company or an entire industry on any given day. It also exempts the Vice President. Why not include them? Why should they be exempt? Well, maybe it has something to do with the fact that President Donald Trump, the leader of the Republican Party, has made over 21,000 stock trades across 8 separate accounts, and if you do the math, that amounts to 85 trades per day--85 trades per day. That is not normal. And it is certainly not indicative of somebody focused on the cost of living for hard-working Americans. No, Donald Trump has earned the title of ``Trader in Chief.'' His portfolio is not only constantly trading stock, he is reaping huge profits and trading stocks of companies that he is actively promoting. If you think that sounds bad, it gets much worse. We all know that President Trump owns his own social media company, right? It is the platform that he uses to post his announcements on, and now it has been reported that his company is planning to sell early access to those Presidential statements to hedge funds, to Wall Street, for $100,000 a month. That is right, the price of inside information is now $100,000 per month to be paid to President Donald Trump. Could there be any clearer sign of corruption? The American people see right through this bill. They see it for what it is. But that is not the only reason. If the House Republicans really do want this measure to become law, they wouldn't have tucked the so- called SAVE Act into it. Now, let me remind you, we have been debating the SAVE Act here off and on for, what, about 4 months now? This is the same SAVE Act that, in practice--in practice--would make it harder for eligible voters to register to vote, to stay registered to vote, to actually cast their ballot by imposing these standards across all 50 States. It would ban student IDs, certain Tribal IDs, other forms of government ID that in some States that do have their own voter ID law, people count on to be able to participate in our elections. The SAVE Act would also devastate mail and absentee voting across the country by requiring photocopies of your ID to be included along with your mail ballot something that the Republican Lieutenant Governor of Utah has pointed out would violate their State's constitution, their constitution that requires an opportunity for a secret ballot, the same requirement for secret ballots that States across the country also share. This is the same element, by the way, that the Ohio Legislature passed in the form of State legislation, a similar mail voter ID requirement that the Republican Governor of Ohio vetoed because it significantly burdened those who choose to vote by mail. But, of course, that is this bill's intent. For all the talk about stock trading--and there is a way to address that, I will get to that in a minute--the true goal here is to somehow pass the SAVE Act, which, by the way, not only are you not going to get unanimous consent today, the Republican caucus in the Senate isn't even unified around it. It has come up for votes, procedural and otherwise. It keeps falling short. So why are we here? I believe if the proponents of the stock trading measure were sincere about wanting to ban stock trading by Members of Congress, then they would sit down with Democrats and negotiate or, better yet, let's take up and pass the measure that would achieve just that that came out of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee about a year ago, a bipartisan measure by Senators Ossoff, Merkley, Peters, Cortez Masto, Hawley, and Moreno. So why don't we try to do that? Mr. President, I ask that the Senator modify her request to instead proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 294, S. 1498; that the committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to; that the bill be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

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Senate

Introductory Statement on S. 5066

2026-07-22

“I want the government to spend a lot of money on healthcare. I think the government should make sure everyone gets the same healthcare. Even if it costs a lot.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026. This comprehensive piece of legislation would eliminate racial and ethnic health inequities and increase access to healthcare for vulnerable communities across the entire spectrum of care by taking a comprehensive approach to health equity. This bill is a comprehensive approach to address these systemic disparities impacting communities across the country. The bill would expand access to culturally and linguistically appropriate care; strengthen and diversify the healthcare workforce; remove cost, citizenship, and administrative barriers to coverage and care; increase Federal support for Medicare, Medicaid, and public health systems; establish innovative models for maternal, child, mental, and behavioral health; fund prevention programs for high-impact diseases that disproportionately affect marginalized populations; modernize data collection efforts and expand telehealth access; address the social determinants of health through investments in nutrition, environmental justice, and community-based supports so that health outcomes improve and disparities are systematically reduced. The bill also lays out additional investments and policy changes to improve the health and well-being of underserved communities, address systemic health inequities, and ensure access to high-quality and affordable healtcare for all. At a time when access to healthcare is under increasing threat for our most vulnerable communities, including through recent Federal policy changes and the implementation of H.R. 1, which has already resulted in significant coverage losses for millions of low-income families and communities of color, the Health Equity and Accountability Act is more important than ever. Rather than allowing existing inequities to widen, this legislation reaffirms a commitment to ensuring that all people have a fair opportunity to access the care and services they need. By prioritizing equity and accountability across the healthcare system, HEAA would help build a more resilient, inclusive, and effective system that better serves communities that have historically faced barriers to care. I would like to thank the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressman Raul Ruiz for leading this legislation in the House of Representatives, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact the Health Equity and Accountability Act as soon as possible.

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Senate

Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

2026-07-22

“I want the government to spend money on many programs for healthcare. I want more money for many groups of people. Healthcare is expensive and doesn't cover everything. I am unhappy about that. I want the government to spend more money on many things to try to fix it.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026. This comprehensive piece of legislation would eliminate racial and ethnic health inequities and increase access to healthcare for vulnerable communities across the entire spectrum of care by taking a comprehensive approach to health equity. This bill is a comprehensive approach to address these systemic disparities impacting communities across the country. The bill would expand access to culturally and linguistically appropriate care; strengthen and diversify the healthcare workforce; remove cost, citizenship, and administrative barriers to coverage and care; increase Federal support for Medicare, Medicaid, and public health systems; establish innovative models for maternal, child, mental, and behavioral health; fund prevention programs for high-impact diseases that disproportionately affect marginalized populations; modernize data collection efforts and expand telehealth access; address the social determinants of health through investments in nutrition, environmental justice, and community-based supports so that health outcomes improve and disparities are systematically reduced. The bill also lays out additional investments and policy changes to improve the health and well-being of underserved communities, address systemic health inequities, and ensure access to high-quality and affordable healtcare for all. At a time when access to healthcare is under increasing threat for our most vulnerable communities, including through recent Federal policy changes and the implementation of H.R. 1, which has already resulted in significant coverage losses for millions of low-income families and communities of color, the Health Equity and Accountability Act is more important than ever. Rather than allowing existing inequities to widen, this legislation reaffirms a commitment to ensuring that all people have a fair opportunity to access the care and services they need. By prioritizing equity and accountability across the healthcare system, HEAA would help build a more resilient, inclusive, and effective system that better serves communities that have historically faced barriers to care. I would like to thank the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressman Raul Ruiz for leading this legislation in the House of Representatives, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact the Health Equity and Accountability Act as soon as possible.

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Senate

Introductory Statement on S. 5020

2026-07-16

“I want a study on making manufactured homes stronger in bad weather. Many people live in these homes. They do not cost a lot. This can help more people buy homes. But these homes may be in places with bad weather. Homes should be strong in bad weather. We should know how to make them stronger.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of my legislation to require a study on how to improve the resiliency of manufactured homes in areas that are at high risk of natural hazards and weather extremes, which I introduced today. More than 22 million Americans, most of whom earn less than the median national income, call manufactured housing home. These homes are significantly less expensive than traditional site-built homes and will play a key part in how we address our country's affordable housing crisis and increase home ownership. I was proud to work with my colleagues across the aisle to pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which includes provisions to increase the supply of America's manufactured housing. Yet manufactured housing is disproportionately located in areas that are the most exposed to climate hazards. As we continue to see a pattern of increased extreme climate events, we need all our housing to be resilient in areas at high risk of natural hazards and weather extremes. Congress should be aware of what strategies industry leaders are currently employing and understand potential options to increase the performance of manufactured homes in high-risk areas. I want to thank my colleague Senator Cassidy for introducing this bill with me. I hope our colleagues will join us in taking a step towards improving the resiliency of our nation's housing stock.

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Senate

Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

2026-07-16

“I want the government to study manufactured homes. Many people live in these homes. They do not cost a lot of money. That is good. But these homes might be hurt by bad weather. I want the government to know how to protect these homes from bad weather. I worked with other people to pass a bill about manufactured homes. Now I want the government to spend money on a study. I want the government to help make manufactured homes stronger. I hope other people will support this too.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of my legislation to require a study on how to improve the resiliency of manufactured homes in areas that are at high risk of natural hazards and weather extremes, which I introduced today. More than 22 million Americans, most of whom earn less than the median national income, call manufactured housing home. These homes are significantly less expensive than traditional site-built homes and will play a key part in how we address our country's affordable housing crisis and increase home ownership. I was proud to work with my colleagues across the aisle to pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which includes provisions to increase the supply of America's manufactured housing. Yet manufactured housing is disproportionately located in areas that are the most exposed to climate hazards. As we continue to see a pattern of increased extreme climate events, we need all our housing to be resilient in areas at high risk of natural hazards and weather extremes. Congress should be aware of what strategies industry leaders are currently employing and understand potential options to increase the performance of manufactured homes in high-risk areas. I want to thank my colleague Senator Cassidy for introducing this bill with me. I hope our colleagues will join us in taking a step towards improving the resiliency of our nation's housing stock.

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