What Bill Cassidy said, and what was done

“Mr. President, I rise today to speak to the nomination of Todd Blanche to be Attorney General. Over the last several days, I have heard from lots of people sharing their views on this nomination, and most of the time it is clear Mr.”

“Both men said that having a permanent, Senate-confirmed Attorney General was important. I cannot overstate Mr. Walls' and Mr. Courcelle's support for Mr. Blanche. When former Attorney General Bill Barr endorsed Mr.”

“Mr. President, I have been told that I am a lousy politician but a good Senator. I consider that a compliment. What would happen if everyone in the Senate stopped being a good politician for a moment and strove to be a good Senator when it comes to addressing the issue associated with Social Security?”

“Mr. President, one more time. The resolution invites the House to participate. The resolution says: Please Speaker, please, minority leader, appoint people to participate. We recognize that Ways and Means have to originate this bill.”

“Mr. President, I have been coming to this floor talking about Social Security. No offense, but you look like, with that gray hair of yours, you might be on Social Security.”

“Mr. President, Senator Durbin is referring to what's called the PROMISE Act. Again, it is a bill which sets up a process to come to a solution. It doesn't dictate what the solution is.”

“Mr. President, I have been coming up here and talking about, well, a couple of things. How much does healthcare cost? Right now, people watching from the Gallery, people watching at home, people who happen to be in here--all of us are experiencing a commonality, which is that healthcare is incredibly expensive.”

“Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of Senator Booker.”

“Mr. President, as regards Calendar No. 44, S. 1041, the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 44, S. 1041.”

“Mr. President, Scripture says that ``greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.'' Deputy U.S. Marshal Drew Hanson was a member of the Western District of Louisiana's Fugitive Task Force.”

“Mr. President, I rise, as so many others have, to give tribute to Senator Lindsey Graham. Lindsey was effective as a Senator, in large part, because he was so well-liked by colleagues and because he liked them in return.”

“Mr. President, people know that the Federal Government helps Americans purchase health insurance. We do that by making health insurance tax deductible. When you pay for your premiums, it is on what is called a pretax basis, but something is wrong.”

“Now, you would think with healthcare costing that much and the Federal Government helping some, that the greatest relief would go to the people who need it most.”

“Mr. President, I am so proud of the great State of Louisiana. And sometimes, that is advocating for great policy, but other times, it is delivering a message of sympathy.”

“Mr. President, I am a physician. I used to work in a hospital for the working uninsured and the uninsured, the poorly insured, and so, as you might guess, I am very sensitive to the idea, to the understanding, to the fact that healthcare is becoming more expensive and less obtainable to the American people.”

“Now, we have an obligation here. We in Congress, whatever our party, working with the President, we all have a mutual obligation to address this issue. And now I would like to stress that it is not just for the patient, if you will, the family, the individual, the employee--you name how you want to put it--to address this, but it also is important for businesses.”

“Mr. President, on rollcall vote 139, I voted nay, my intention was to vote yea; therefore, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to change my vote since it will not affect the outcome.”

“Mr. President, even though Attorney General Blanche says that the anti-weaponization fund will not be used, it is still part of an active settlement and absolutely can be used.”

“Mr. President, look at this card. Whoa, talk about something of convenience. I can go down right now and buy some coffee and put a chip. Boom, I have got my coffee.”

“Madam President, hurricane season is less than 3 weeks away--3 weeks--and we have to act to make flood insurance affordable again before it is too late. Last year, thankfully, no hurricanes hit my State.”

“Madam President, the Jones Act is a law that we have had for over a hundred years, enacted by Congress, and it simply says that cargo moving between two points in the United States should move on an American-built, American-owned, and American-crewed ship.”

“Mr. President, you and I are the elected representatives of our States, and sometimes we speak not on behalf of ourselves but on behalf of our entire State.”

“Madam President, the Democrats have held the Department of Homeland Security hostage for 68 days with the shutdown. This discussion is about funding ICE, Border Patrol, and paying the men and women who keep our country safe.”

“Madam President, protecting the integrity of elections is a constitutional principle. That is why I am a proud cosponsor of the SAVE America Act requiring a photo ID when someone goes to vote.”

“Madam President, all of us have experienced someone in our life who has died, but the murder of a child defies comprehension and can't be measured, understood, or compared to anything else.”

“Mr. President, someone asked me today: Since Senate Democrats keep moving the goalpost on DHS funding, what kind of frustration is there among Republicans? I replied: Ask the American people how frustrated they are.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to honor a good friend Sheriff William Hilton, who was tragically killed Monday. Sheriff Hilton was a sheriff in every positive meaningful sense of the word.”

“Mr. President, I would like to speak to the SAVE America Act. The United States was founded on the principle that the right to vote is sacred and that protecting it is our sacred responsibility.”

“Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. There being no objection, the Senate, at 7:12 p.m., adjourned until Thursday, March 12, 2026, at 10 a.m.”

“I now ask for a second reading, and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.”

“Mr. President, I would like to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Joe S. Green--the ``Bayou Bishop''--a devoted minister and veteran who helped teach, train, and care for his community in Rapides Parish, the State of Louisiana, and around the world.”

“Mr. President, I want to recognize Winton P. Lofton, Sr., a proud resident of Winnsboro, LA, who will turn 100 years old on February 17. Winton grew up in Franklin Parish and answered the call to service at just 17 years old, enlisting in the U.S.”

“Mr. President, I rise on a very sad occasion, recognizing Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Deputy Christopher Ohlmeyer, a motorcycle officer who was just killed in a traffic motor vehicle accident.”

“Mr. President, sometimes, in Washington, you feel like there is nothing anyone can agree on. But one thing we can all agree on, no matter what your party, healthcare is too expensive.”

“As a doctor, as a conservative, as an American, as a steward of the Federal taxpayer--when I say Federal taxpayer, I mean you and me and everybody watching and everyone in the Gallery--let's steward that money correctly.”

“Mr. President, I rise to support Senator Mullin's legislation, the Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act. Mr. President, I am a doctor, and people become desperate because of their illness, and they want just one more chance for themselves, their child, whomever.”

“Mr. President, what we are debating here are two visions of the future of the ObamaCare exchange. Democrats want to cover the cost of health insurance to benefit health insurance companies.”

“I didn't show the poster, but in our proposal taking the 50-year-old couple with 2 kids, 19 and 20, their family would get $5,000 in their account, and the net deductible would be less than the silver plan the Democrats want.”

“Mr. President, tomorrow, we are going to vote on two different visions of how to cover the cost of health insurance on the ObamaCare exchanges. Democrats want to cover the cost of health insurance to benefit insurance companies.”

“Under the patient-driven account, the money goes into a health savings account--into your wallet, if you will--which is connected with your bronze, and the mechanisms by which we set that up make sure we cut out that fraud.”

“Mr. President, we just had a shutdown over something that the American people I am not quite sure understand, but what they do understand is that they cannot afford their health insurance.”

“If we just keep doing what we have been doing for the last 4 years, we send $26 billion to the insurance companies, which take 20 percent of it for profit and for overhead--that is under the ObamaCare law that they can take that 20 percent--or we can send 100 percent to an account that the patient controls.”

“Mr. President, I have been coming to the floor to speak about how we can go forward in a way that actually lowers the cost of having health insurance for those who are on the exchanges and begin to build a future where we lower the cost of health insurance and healthcare for everybody whether you are on an ObamaCare exchange or have employer-sponsored insurance or you name it.”

“Millions of Americans are already using flexible spending accounts. What I am proposing, let's just give the same option to people who are on the individual exchanges. By the way, let me just make the point, my wife and I, our family, we are on the ObamaCare Small Business Exchange.”

“I think Senator Moreno and, frankly, Senator Schumer are reflecting the frustration the American people have. I want to give a speech which is substantially the same as what I gave last night, and I will give it again later today.”

“Small Business ObamaCare exchange. It is not offered on the individual exchange, but it is offered on the Small Business exchange. It is the one Congress is on.”

“Madam President, I have given this speech two times in the last, probably, 16 hours, but it is going to be like a TV commercial, wherein I want to say it over and over again, hoping that someone actually hears it because the soul of education is repetition, and I want to have a very different tone than some of the speeches that have been heard.”

“Madam President, I am going to try and envision a way forward for Democrats, Republicans, and Americans out of our current situation, with a different proposal than people have already thought of.”

“Let me repeat that: a prefunded--not out of their salary but prefunded for the Federal taxpayer--equivalent in value to the enhanced premium tax credit that they would receive.”

“One other question first, this is a flexible savings account, not a health savings account. There is a legal distinction, and I want to make that. When the enhanced premium tax credits are not renewed--we know the insurance companies have already set up their rates--and so the consumer, our fellow American, will be choosing from the offerings that have been made by the insurance company for them to choose from.”

“Thank you for the questions, and let me just respond very quickly. I think the beauty of what I am proposing is it fits in very nicely with the insurance markets as they currently are.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Donna Jeanne Gunckel Villere, who is celebrating her birthday on December 1, 2025. She has dedicated her life to family and community service.”

“Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to retired 9th Armored Division soldier Prigeon Fontenot, who is celebrating his 100th birthday on November 23, 2025. Born on November 23, 1925, in Rayne, LA, he grew up on his family's farm, speaking Cajun French.”

“Mr. President, the government has been shut down for nearly a month--the longest full government shutdown in American history. It all began with the Democratic leader's desire to play politics with people's lives and paychecks.”

“Now, this is not an abstract ideological issue; we are literally talking about food on the table. SNAP can be the difference between a child having a full belly, going to sleep, waking up the next morning, and going to school happy and that same child asking their mom when is the next time they will eat a meal, going to bed hungry, and doing poorly the next day.”

“Mr. President, I am about to list several things which are all kind of unique. A 102-year-old woman--kind of unique--who is a naval veteran, a female naval veteran, who is now 102 and she is a Louisianan and she exemplifies the best of our State: hard work, service, and faith.”

“Mr. President, on Monday evening, a tragedy occurred at the courthouse building in Plaquemine, LA. Captain Brett Stassi, Jr., of the Iberville Parish Sheriff's Office, the son of the Parish Sheriff, Sheriff Stassi, and Deputy Charles Riley were shot by a suspect they were booking in connection with a sexual assault case.”

“Mr. President, hurricane season ends November 30--2 months left to go. Last week marked the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene, and I see from reports that the area of North Carolina most affected is still terribly affected.”

“Mr. President, I want to start by thanking Senator Hassan so much and Representative Brett Guthrie and other colleagues for their work to pass the SUPPORT Act. It is part of, as a doctor, I would say, a pro-patient--we would say pro-family--agenda that we wish to deliver for the American people.”

“Christians throughout Louisiana who worship in churches across our State are held in high regard by their fellow citizens. We are pleased that during this visit to America, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will, as he has during previous trips, meet with our President at the White House and with the leadership of both Houses of Congress from both parties.”

“Mr. President, 20 years ago this month, Hurricane Rita hit Louisiana, and 1 year ago tomorrow, Hurricane Francine hit Louisiana. This is damage from Hurricane Francine in Morgan City and Metairie.”

“Mr. President, I regret to say that my Democratic colleagues have become addicted to hating President Trump, and it is no longer about policy or even strong disagreement.”

“Mr. President, Americans want Congress to deliver. Americans want Congress to work. They want Congress to not just work as in being here but work as in collaborate and cooperate in order to get things done.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the remarkable patriotism of the Pierre de Mandeville Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 for women who can trace their lineage back to the patriots who fought in the American War for Independence.”

“Mr. President, recently, there was flooding in Texas. The tragedy there is unspeakable--135 lives claimed. And you can't listen to the story of the young campers being swept away literally by the flood waters without getting emotional--26 feet of water rising in just 45 minutes.”

“You knew it worked because one of our storms--I happened to be out there looking, and there was a wave that crashed off Lake Pontchartrain. It hit the batture, it began to crest, and it fell.”

“Mr. President, I want to thank the 12 Louisiana firefighters who recently left their homes and families to provide critical support for people in Texas after devastating flooding earlier this month.”

“Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to Mr. Radian Lawson Hennigan, CPA, who is celebrating his retirement. Mr. Hennigan grew up in a military family. After his father retired from the U.S.”

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I rise to object to S. 1220, a bill seeking to transfer the burden of $230 billion in student debt to the 87 percent of Americans who chose not to go to college or already responsibly paid off their loans.”

“Mr. President, in every single State, there are Americans relying on the National Flood Insurance Program to protect their home. It is shaded in every State. There are people who are making claims on the National Flood Insurance Program.”

“The single working woman in Cameron Parish rests assured, knowing that there is help available when it comes time to replace the siding and roof tiles which may have been torn loose by torrential winds.”

“Mr. President, I can proudly say that Louisiana fuels the world. That is what we say in my State, and it is true. Louisiana accounted for more than 60 percent--6-0 percent--of U.S. energy exports last year.”

“Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Chester Pettey, who is celebrating his 100th birthday on June 17, 2025. Lieutenant Colonel Pettey dedicated 26 and a half years to the U.S.”

“Mr. President, I want to congratulate John Foster, a Louisiana native and fellow LSU Tiger, on an impressive run on American Idol. John was the runner-up on this season of American Idol.”

“Mr. President, I know you have a family legacy in Florida. You will appreciate that along the gulf coast and certainly in Louisiana, people in Louisiana are preparing for hurricanes.”

“I appreciate the ranking member's interest in addressing drug prices, and you absolutely have to lower the cost of prescription drugs. And we absolutely have to acknowledge that there is a tension.”

“Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to Jack Clampit, Jr., who recently passed away on May 7, 2025. Jack was born on September 26, 1949, in Monroe, LA, and graduated from West Monroe High School in 1966.”

“Mr. President, I celebrate Louise ``Sammie'' McClelland, who turned 105 years old this month on April 14. She still lives on her own and spends her days reading, swimming, and attending mass.”

“Madam President, oh my gosh, I wish I didn't have to rise today because I rise to say goodbye but also to honor someone who has been an incredibly important member of our Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee team and, before that, in my personal office team.”

“Mr. President, what you see depends on where you sit. Last Friday, it was announced that the BRIC Program, or the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program, run by FEMA would end, and money which had been allocated would be pulled back from the States which were receiving it.”

“In fact, if you went to Archie Chaisson's parish, I can tell you, those folks would tell you they are against government waste. They would also tell you that this is not waste.”

“Madam President, our country has had some pretty severe economic challenges as of late. I am not talking about the recent stock market losses; although those are quite important for someone with a 401(k).”

“Mr. President, 74,000 people died of fentanyl and fentanyl analogs in 2023. Everyone in this Chamber and everyone watching from home knows of someone who has died of a fentanyl overdose.”

“Mr. President, I rise to acknowledge evangelist Jimmy Swaggart, who is celebrating his 90th birthday this Saturday. Reverend Swaggart was born in Ferriday, LA, on March 15, 1935, into a musically talented family.”

“Mr. President, I appreciate my colleague's passion. Everybody watching me right now knows somebody who has died from a fentanyl overdose. You cannot minimize the impact of this on everyday families, but what is presented to us is a false choice and I would say the wrong choice.”

“Mr. President, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions has adopted rules governing its procedures for the 119th Congress. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 2, of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the accompanying rules for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be printed in the Record.”

“Mr. President, I would like to make a statement regarding my vote in committee on behalf of Robert F. Kennedy to be the Secretary of HHS. First, I thank everyone who has contacted me over the last few days.”

“Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to Anthony Mitchell who is celebrating the reconstruction of his home with the help of both the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent after Hurricane Ida.”

“Mr. President, the bill we are discussing today should be really straightforward. A child who survives a failed abortion attempt should receive lifesaving medical care. We are talking about not an abstraction; we are talking about a living, breathing person--a little girl or a little boy--who comes into the world after a failed abortion.”