What Cory A. Booker said, and what was done

“I am grateful for your recognition, Mr. President. And I am going to try to get this order right. This is legislative session. I am going to give some remarks and then ask for a unanimous consent on a bill.”

“Mr. President, I appreciate the good-faith words of my colleague, and I will take it to heart that he is against unnecessary deaths and that the GEO Group should be investigated thoroughly and be held accountable.”

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, look, my esteemed colleague from Wisconsin--I don't mean to use any onomatopoeia here, but he is howling about the gray wolves and seeking to pass legislation to remove Federal protections under the Endangered Species Act for gray wolves across the entire United States.”

“Madam President, before I begin my formal remarks, I just want to stand here and give a formal apology to John Merlino. I have for years maligned him.”

“Madam President, I really believe there is a reason why some of my Republican colleagues themselves have delayed the Blanche nomination, because this is actually no ordinary nomination.”

“Donald Trump or his family committed. For Donald Trump, with his former lawyer at the head of the Justice Department, it seems like, for the President, justice has no rules, justice has no standards, justice has no limits.”

“Mr. President, 3 years. For 3 years, the people of Sudan have lived through an unimaginable nightmare and hell: 3 years of the worst raging war on our planet, 3 years of displacement, 3 years of starvation, 3 years of children growing up surrounded by violence instead of possibility.”

“Mr. President, I know I share this with 99 colleagues; that there is grief yet again hanging over the U.S. Senate and hanging over America because soldiers who have sworn an oath to our Constitution--who have sworn to serve and defend this Nation--have fallen.”

“Mr. President, I don't have written remarks for this, but I have been stunned that we here in this Nation are at war. We are unequivocally at war.”

“Every life--every life--was created equally, has equal dignity, equal worth. And when government, our government, takes a life, there must be accountability; that is something precious in this Nation, the value of life and the responsibility of those who wield power.”

“Mr. President, I want to talk about a real crisis in America that we are not talking enough about. We have a farm crisis going on in the United States of America.”

“Mr. President, in 1974, Congress passed a landmark piece of legislation, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. The ECOA was put in place to protect people from what was widespread discrimination in getting and using credit.”

“Mr. President, I am grateful to have this opportunity, and it really is about the fact that very soon, my colleague from California Adam Schiff will be bringing another War Powers Resolution to the floor.”

“Mr. President, I know the Senate is running behind, and I wanted to jump in, but I do invite the pages to bring a podium for me when they are ready.”

“Mr. President, I want to thank my colleague Tammy Baldwin for bringing this War Powers Resolution to the floor and for forcing it onto the Senate. By its own prerogative, the leadership on the Republican side did not want to have a debate or a discussion about a war that is affecting every single American.”

“USA will jump in. Well, we now are seeing more civilian deaths, including a school full of children, and a more secure regime. He said his goals and his end in this--he stated them clearly: We will attain unconditional surrender.”

“Mr. President, there is something awful going on here in the U.S. Senate, and people should focus on it right now. The Senate is not doing their job.”

“Mr. President, I am grateful for the recognition. I think we should set the scene very clearly. During the last 2 weeks since we voted on the War Powers Resolution, led in a bipartisan manner by Senators Kaine and Paul, the Trump administration's unconstitutional war with Iran has evolved tremendously.”

“Madam President, to my colleagues in the Senate, to the Senate President, to all those assembled here, I am rising to give this speech, and I feel such privilege because I get to recognize someone whose work most Americans never see but whose contribution is woven into the very history of this institution.”

“Mr. President, I had a sleepless night last night as I put together in my mind where I think we are as a nation right now. We are a nation that, looking across our great land, showed unequivocally that we are in crisis.”

“In this body, I see cowardice now. I see people afraid that the President will retaliate against them if they stand up and say something. Well, Thomas Jefferson said clearly: When the people are afraid of government, there is tyranny.”

“Mr. President, there is something extraordinary that happens when we are here in the Senate. Every cycle, we see numerous young people who come here to--one might call them indentured servants.”

“Mr. President, you will enter all the page poems because they are so good. So for the rest of time, it will be noted in the Congressional Record, in the Record of this august body.”

“So here is the final bipartisan poem that gets our most highest honor here in the Senate, and it comes from Emma Ross. Emma. You can snap for Emma before the poem, but shouldn't you wait to hear what she wrote first?”

“Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Mark Kelly for bringing people to the floor to talk about that which is, unequivocally, the greatest threat to American democracy right now.”

“Mr. President, before my colleague leaves the floor, I just want to commend him for his leadership and for that of some of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, like Lindsey Graham and Mike Lee, who were extraordinary in getting this done.”

“Mr. President, as my colleagues are understandably greeting my colleague, I just wanted to take a moment and take the floor to express my deep admiration for a man that I have known for decades.”

“I appreciate it. I appreciate my colleague pausing for a question. I just want to first say, as I present my question to him, how grateful I am for his stamina and for his strength but, more importantly, for his insightful truths that he has been telling now for well over 14 hours.”

“And of my colleague I would ask another question because you are making such a great point, and I really hope America hears this--that these policies, these constitutional principles that we are defending here, are not just arcane, idealistic things; they have a direct impact on our Nation.”

“When you let someone do what they want to do, when they want to do it, without a check or a balance, it is corrupting. We know that because we have the most corrupt President, dollar for dollar of any President we have ever seen, through his crypto schemes, from him exchanging his authorities for compensation that makes him a richer man.”

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I stand in agreement with my colleague. Mr. Oswaldo Paya is an extraordinary hero, not just to the Cuban people but to millions of Americans, including millions of New Jerseyans and especially to the Cuban American community in my State.”

“I am really grateful that this is one of the areas where we have a lot of bipartisan support because this body I would say unanimously believes that we have to do more to help local law enforcement.”

“Yeah, I just--again, I have so much respect for my colleague that I want to respond to some of the things he said, because, again, I just want to affirm that he is right on the urgency to help our police officers.”

“Mr. President, New Jersey is home to one of our Nation's most vibrant Greek Orthodox communities. For generations, it has nurtured a community rooted in faith and service--values that continue to strengthen the fabric of not just our shared home but of American society.”

“Madam President, I want to thank Senator Schumer, the Democratic leader, for his words. This is a really tough moment for me, not just because this is in New Jersey.”

“So, Mr. President, this casts a shadow over everything that was just said because I support these bills. Why do I support these bills? Because the officers of the State of New Jersey are going to benefit from them because Donald Trump hasn't targeted these and cut these, and these are things that are going to help all officers.”

“I am reserving the right to object. I want to begin by acknowledging the tragic loss of New York City Police Officer Didarul Islam last night, just about 50 miles from where I live.”

“Reserving the right to object, I am confused by my colleague because she knows I don't object to her two bills. She is going to be offering her two bills in a second.”

“Trump; to let this pass through when we have all the leverage right now there is to say that if you are as passionate about police as we are, then pass bills out of this body that will help the police officers in Washington, that will help the police officers in Illinois, that will help the police officers in New Jersey, that will help the police officers in Newark.”

“Mr. President, I was just called out by name, and I want to respond. This is what frustrates me. I have passed numerous pieces of legislation for our police officers.”

“Mr. President, I have seen something I haven't seen since I have been on the Judiciary Committee, which is a complete chorus of condemnation of a circuit court judge.”

“Mr. President, I have had the real pleasure, over the last 14 years, to work on some great bipartisan projects. Probably, my favorite is the Feed the Future Program.”

“FWS and other governmental or non-governmental entities designated by FWS. In particular, implementers and removal specialists designated by FWS under the MBTA Permit must meet the training and skill requirements described in the Strategy and must follow the Strategy's removal protocols.”

“Mr. President, I just want to first thank my colleague from California for stating so plainly about the character of the individual we are talking about. We have justifiable disagreements in this body.”

“What are they doing to other people? What does that mean if they are using the violent force of government unjustly against him? This is a breach. This body has not seen such a breach in my lifetime or longer where the executive has treated an honorable Member of this body in this way.”

“Mr. President, farmers already deal with so much uncertainty from prices. They should not have to deal with the uncertainty that our government won't follow through on its contracts.”

“I love my colleague--I love my colleague--I love how she has been standing up, quite figuratively, time and time again on issues. She really inspired me. I told folks on social media, I have been celebrating, elevating, liking her content.”

“I am aware of one of our colleagues. I just want to say, yes, I am aware of that. The way that Trump--I am just going to summarize--contract freezes, this is one of the ways Trump and Musk are causing havoc.”

“Before I answer the Senator's question, I just want anybody who is watching to know that--and I will put it bluntly--this is one of the baddest ass human beings serving here in the Senate.”

“People feel like, if you are not going from north to south to house parties, you have to engage directly with the people. They don't care what party you ascribe to; they want to feel you, see you.”

“I can't call you one of the baddest ass people I have ever worked with and not yield to your question, but I have to read the words: I yield for a question while retaining the floor.”

“Last night, I had a whole chapter on Social Security, outlining not just what you said, my colleague, my friend, but stories from seniors. And some of them really got to me.”

“A hundred miles. Now, what is that hardship to a senior? I have heard from people in their nineties. They already are having benefit cuts. The Wall Street Journal--I told you, I was trying to make you proud.”

“Heck no, not to you. Not to you. Not to you. Let me tell you, I have something to get off of my chest about you. I woke up yesterday morning, and the first thing I did--now, this shirt is all wrinkled and a little ripe.”

“But you are just this amazing guy who turns your own lived experience into greater and greater urgencies to fight for the people of New Mexico. So I did not want to yield for a question before getting that off my chest.”

“Thank you for the question. You said it with the same words that literally--I didn't write these words. My staff wrote this little paragraph here: Trump is pulling the rug out from under producers that need stability and reliable markets.”

“I want to thank Senator Whitehouse. He has been a colleague and friend for a long time, and he stands right there at that desk for very long speeches.”

“Well, first of all, I will say to you that I meet wealthy people, like a group called the Patriotic Millionaires, who advocate for progressive tax policy and are the first to say and speak out against this tax scam.”

“I want to answer this question so badly, but the crazy thing is that the person best to answer this question is the person who asked it. You have sat here and given this detailed analysis to show how this group of very wealthy billionaires in this country are so perverting our system by creating these front groups that then interfere in our democracy in the most disgusting ways.”

“Elon Musk. He is like saying, Hey, I am going to roll up into a Supreme Court case up in one of our best Great Lake States. I am just going to dump $100 million there and then give away, as if to insult our democracy, million-dollar checks as part of my effort to influence an election with my overwhelming flood-the-zone amount of billions of dollars.”

“Not immediately. I want to say to Patty Murray thank you. You were a coconspirator in my life of trying to cause good trouble. You are one of the most powerful people in the U.S.”

“I am so grateful you brought this up--and especially all the work we had to do when I was elected 12, 13 years ago. One of the earliest things I did was meet with women veterans in my State and heard these awful stories about how long it took to get gynecological care, the waits that they had to do, the indignities they had to endure.”

“Thank you for the question. No. And I am just going to read another article that is going to make even clearer the point that you just laid that is so strong and so important.”

“I didn't yield for a question. I can't say anything, sir. The Parliamentarian will jump all over you. I have the floor. So much power, it is going to my head.”

“Oh, man. I have known you for like 25 years. I wanted to talk about you, but you are being so insistent, I will reward your insistence and say I yield for a question while retaining the floor.”

“Thank you for the question, my long, longtime friend, one of the folks I have known the longest whom I get to serve with. What you did for me when I came here--It was you and Sherrod Brown who sat right there by the door.”

“To answer the Senator's question, I have been on the floor since last night. So I haven't read any news reports. But when you ask if I am aware of thousands and thousands of HHS employees who have been laid off of their jobs, I am not aware of it, but I am not surprised.”

“I so appreciate the question from my friend. I really think that he is a superpower, and you are a Superman in that character because you are thinking about the people affected.”

“To my dear friend, I yield for a question while retaining the floor. I thank you for being here. I thank you for your leadership. I thank you for what you stand for.”

“I cannot emphasize to you strongly enough, we decided to start this whole thing at 7 p.m. last night with Medicaid. We read story after story after story after story of people who are Medicaid beneficiaries who are terrified, who are afraid.”

“Senator Padilla, I was teasing. I am not yielding yet, Senator Padilla. I was teasing that man over there named Bennet. He and I have known each other for years, but you and I have known each other for longer.”

“I love you for that question, my friend. And I just want to talk about anger because I have been all over the place. I read these letters, and they make me sad.”

“What about people who are afraid? I get afraid sometimes. I think about this legislation: If it goes through, what is going to happen in my State? I know the hospitals.”

“Now is your time to stare at despair and say: You will not have the last word because I am going to stand up, and at least I can give one person hope in this country.”

“I will yield to my dear friend whom I owe an apology. The last hours of your birthday, as I was preparing for this, I realize we have a special bond.”

“Well, as we were talking earlier, the firings are adding up. It is now going to be 80,000 people from the VA alone, a disproportionate number of veterans.”

“My friend and colleague, I am hoping that we can figure out thousands of ignition points where Americans can stand up and do that call to their fellow Americans to do more.”

“I don't know. I am finding it from my colleagues right now. I am finding it from my friends. I am finding it from their heart and their commitment, and I am finding it from the people whose names and stories we are reading.”

“Before I yield to you, I just want you to know, I love you, my friend. Thanks for doing some good things recently, you and I, trying to solve some big problems.”

“I am going to answer your question. I want to say thank you. There have been so many Congress people coming on to the floor from the House of Representatives.”

“Yes, I am not Jewish, but my name is Booker, so I always say I am meshuga Booker. There is a formal way I have to do this.”

“Thank you for what you are doing. Thank you for using your voice to stand up against the Trump administration's reckless and extreme policies. We have a lot to talk about here, so I am going to bring it back to Nevada because we have a lot of families in my State, and just like you, those letters are overwhelming and they bring me to tears.”

“I want to answer your question, but first I want to just say what you already know. You represent my mom. You represent one of her best friends, Lou.”

“Our Juneteenth seder is coming up. I am going to put this on as you have it on. I think about Edan Alexander and all those who are suffering.”

“Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. This is my veterans book. This is what I was reading from earlier. And everything you are saying is right, and it is such an insult.”

“Oh, God, I am very moved by your comments. I want to say that, from David McCormick to Jack Reed, the Senate has a good number of people who served this Nation, who answered the call.”

“I stood there not so long ago With roses for the brave, And suddenly I heard a voice Speak from out the grave: ``I am the Unknown Soldier, The spirit voice began ``And I think I have the right To ask some questions man to man. ``Are my buddies taken care of?”

“Exactly. And my dad, who is in heaven with a lot of the other good folks from American history, I don't know what he would think of his son, but I know he would be proud of you.”

“So every time you ask me the question, we have to go through the same thing. I am slightly familiar, yes, because you talked about it, but I would be really happy if you ask me another question and you filled in some gaps.”

“Then I yield for a question. If you want to ask me a question, I yield for a question while retaining the floor, with the recognition that I have to do it because I am standing between two Delawareans, and I am a little nervous.”

“I thank you, Senator Coons, by your strength of voice, by your tone, by the colleague and citizen that you invoke. You are saying the answer with strength, my friend.”

“I am abiding by it. I will not yield to you. But I knew you would know it. Two thousand times it mentions poverty. Does it say we should scorn the poor?”

“Thank you, man. I have been waiting for that question. The prayers of the righteous and vails. You are a righteous man. I have a lot of work to do.”

“Yes, I am aware. I said it earlier that he calls it Liberation Day, and I am not sure what he means by that because Americans will not, by this move, be liberated from high prices.”

“I talked or texted with this person who asked me to yield the floor. I have been letting this power go to my head. I have never in the Senate had the ability to hold the floor and leave the person in a little bit of limbo.”

“I appreciate that. I am going to try to keep it short, but I want to reminisce with you about something that--do you remember in Trump's first term that he used a national security waiver to put tariffs on Canada then?”

“Yes. But do you remember we had a Foreign Relations Committee meeting, and a leader--I don't want to embarrass the leader, but a leader from Canada came, it was a woman, and she sat there.”

“So she sat there, and she started very slowly going back to the War of 1812, and marched through Canadian-American history. I confess I have a degree in history, but I didn't know all this history.”

“And you all put tariffs on us. And I remember the quiet, the silence around that committee table. I felt like, whoa, this is such an ally, such a friend, such a consistent ally of us throughout the hardest difficult times in history, never left our side.”

“I want to answer that question. I want to, at first, say Hakeem Jeffries is here. Now I am worried because two Brooklynites are shaking hands. I confess, when I had the floor and Schumer was here, it was the only time in my life I could deny him the right to speak on the Senate floor.”

“Chuck, I am not 100 percent right now, and you just hit me with stunning news that I can't even think about how to respond right now. I am stunned by that.”

“Yes. The answer to the question is yes. I just want to say that anything further is a breaking of the Senate. In a severe way, it is the breaking of the Senate.”

“I hate to answer the question this way, but America will regret this day. The American people will regret this day. All of us will regret this. All of us will.”

“You cannot yield the floor because I have the floor, sir. I maintain the floor. This is one of the few times I will be able to get to tell Chuck Schumer what the rules are here.”

“Father Coughlin. He went through them all, and he said: Do you want a big worry? He said that there was an American general in the Depression. He said his name, but I am forgetting it now.”

“And Fareed Zakaria--I have read his article here, and he is saying that China is doubling down in investments in the universities as this President is cutting them--unless, of course, you come to the leader and make all of these commitments and meet all of these demands.”

“Thank you very much. I don't have that much gas in the tank, but hold on, let me say it right. I yield for a question while retaining the floor.”

“Yes. Ms. BALDWIN.--researchers finding cures for Alzheimer's disease are not waste, fraud, or abuse. The slash-and-burn that is being led by Elon Musk's DOGE will make Americans less healthy, less safe.”

“I am so grateful for the question because that is what we said we are here about. We are here to try to elevate the voices of people affected by what they are doing to our government.”

“People gasped. We did not know. This room usually has very predictable actions. That is why I am still standing here, because I didn't want the predictable. I didn't want business as usual to happen.”

“We saw young artists, business people. You are this person who says these words over and over again, more than any Republican or Democrat: ``Buy American, buy American''; and created so many jobs in your State.”

“I love that you focused it there because that is who President Trump made promises to, in my State, that things are bad with this economy because it is not serving people who are working every day.”

“I am so grateful for the question from my friend--and that is the centering that we have been trying to do--which is, What are families around New Jersey and America thinking?”

“Before I yield, because I just keep wanting to exercise this power that I might have for a little while longer and exercise it over a man that I have a real chip on my shoulder for--the Senator from Arizona.”

“I appreciate a New Jersey Hall of Fame member, the only one in the U.S. Senate--I appreciate his question. I appreciate the service of his parents, out there every day putting their heart and soul into serving the community in a dangerous job where you often see people at their worst.”

“Meanwhile, Trump's claim-- I wish the author wrote ``Trump's lie.'' But he says: Trump's claim that increased revenue from the tariffs would help eliminate (or at least reduce) our national debt hasn't panned out.”

“Thank you, Senator Hirono. I think I need somebody to say what WTF? To come from you is pretty giving and precious, and I am grateful. This rule of law is really important.”

“The cumulation of all powers--legislative, executive and judiciary--in the same hands whether of one, a few, or many and whether hereditary, self-appointed or elective--may justly be pronounced the very definition of ``tyranny.'' So what is this President trying to do?”

“Alzheimer's and disrupting lifesaving medical research and ongoing clinical trials. Now, if you are a student of history, this is the problem, often, with lawsuits. Brown v. Board Education, we celebrate it as the wonderful case it was.”

“Before I yield--I love this power trip. It is the only time in 13 years I have really felt this power. I don't have to let my colleagues speak.”

“I thank my colleague and my friend again. He and I talked about this, that I was challenged by my own constituents to do something different, challenged by my own constituents to do something, challenged by my own constituents to take risks.”

“There is a great African American woman author once said: The most common way people give up their power is not realizing they have it in the first place.”

“Chuck Schumer, I have yielded for a question, and you asked me did I know. I know now. (Applause.) I want to not quite wrap this up yet.”

“My mom would be so upset with me, my Aunt Marilyn, Butch, my Aunt Shirley, all the people that are your constituents and not mine, they would be upset with me if I didn't yield to you for a question while retaining the floor.”

“Yes. Yes. Yes. You and I both know, in a bipartisan way, we created some of these programs principally to keep America safe. Many of us remember that dramatic hearing when Trump's Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, sat before the American people, and they were discussing the budgets for USAID and the State Department.”

“Security payments or they get caught up because nobody is answering their calls. Of the rural Social Security office, I read States red and blue where they are closing Social Security offices.”

“Mr. President, one of those other programs that is now in crisis is what I want to switch to. I think my colleague was joking with me because we have--for anybody who is watching--we have a whole list of things we wanted to get to.”

“Patricia writes-- to see what is happening recently. Help. If there is anything you request of me-- My constituent says: If there is anything you need of me, please let me know.”

“Thank you, Senator Booker. Here is Kayanna Spooner from Chippewa Falls, WI, who writes me: My name is Kayanna Spooner, and I live in Chippewa Falls, WI. I am 63 years old.”

“As a person with mobility and vision impairments, this is outrageous. I need to be able to access it the best way I can on the times that I can access it.”

“My name is Patricia Naughton, and I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I have been paying into Social Security since I was 16 years old. I am currently 70 and have been collecting Social Security for the last 5 years.”

“I will answer your question. But knowing that my mom is watching right now, before I answer the question, I want to tell the folks who may not know about the relationship with my other Senator from New Jersey--it is probably one of the more interesting relationships in here.”

“Twenty-one years ago. In 2002, I lost a run for mayor and in 2006, I ran again. I was in between trying to do my work in Newark.”

“The other thing I know you know about--and I recently did a talk with a Republican friend of mine, Senator Young--we worked on a bill together because we both recognize we are in a grip with seniors--that generation, baby boomers, a generation ahead of me--I almost said us, but you are technically a millennial.”

“I am an Xer. But the generation ahead of me is so big that we are seeing this massive group of Americans, soon to be retiring, and lots of people recognize it, calling it the ``great retirement crisis,'' not because Social Security checks won't be there.”

“Thank you. You have given me energy. I am sourcing my energy from you. I don't want to just cast aspersions on--and we are saying things that I just want to back up in fact.”

“Using congressional powers, approving spending, approving programs, approving Agencies. Let's create incredible lies. Magnify them on social media, try to spread them with our influencers and everybody. So now people believe that somehow, oh, the President talked about all this money going to transgender mice.”

“Right. But that is the problem, right? Is that if you have an idea, bring it. Let's have an actual debate. Let's bring in experts. Let's have a debate.”

“Ready, fire, aim. Senator Murphy, I prepared for so many days on this, and we are talking about the points so I am going to submit--there are lots of articles here that I am going to submit to the Record.”

“Now a perfect storm has overtaken the system. Turnover that's normally higher than 10 percent has worsened at the 24 call centers across the country. Some employees took early retirement and buyout offers--a number Dudek said was ``not huge,'' but that current and former officials estimate could be significant.”

“Thank you. The article that I won't read out of generosity to my dear friend that is presiding, but it details in painful ways what these cuts could mean to people in the country.”

“So this is former Social Security officers who are speaking out about what is happening. People who worked at the Agency see what is happening. Two former senior officials at the Social Security Administration--one under a Democratic President, one under a Republican President--wrote this column published in The Hill.”

“I want to end with what I have been trying to do since I started some, I think, about 8 hours ago--yeah, 8 hours ago, I began. I want to begin by doing what I said I was going to do, is not just lift my voice but lift the voice of New Jerseyans and Americans.”

“Democrats, we have read already, have been saying: Hey, wait a minute, you shouldn't cut things that produce money for your country in the long term. But now here is something that I want to get into, which is education in our Nation.”

“K-12 education, which is mostly paid for with state and local tax dollars. The federal department does not control learning standards or reading lists. The agency does play a big role in funding and disseminating research on education, but those efforts have been significantly scaled back by the Trump administration.”

“Again, rural communities are really taking a hit. If I can give disability rights testimonials: Gutting the Department of Education will be devastating for students with disabilities. Right now, the Department of Education--the Individuals with Disabilities Act guarantees more than 7 million students in America the right to a free, appropriate public education.”

“I want to say something about student loans too. The Department of Education is also responsible for operating the $1.6 trillion Federal student loan program, which benefits 42.7 million borrowers in America, and it allows students to access higher education--something that is shown unequivocally to strengthen our economy.”

“I just want to answer you. Again, I would drive myself mad trying to understand what the ambitions of Trump were or the ambitions behind some of the crazy stuff in Project 2025 that he said wasn't there, and he tried to run away from it because it was so unpopular, and now so much of it is being done.”

“Fareed Zakaria says, the best example was Mao Zedong and the cultural revolution where one of the first groups they went after were their universities. Now they are reversing that.”

“I want to interrupt you before you go to your last question. I know you want to get your last question out before I get to the next area so related to this, immigration.”

“I want to say something to you. You got me triggered when you said we had some consensus over the last 4 years. I love how you say just yesterday.”

“Court filings of the Trump administration reveal that a mistakenly deported Maryland father with protected legal status to this horrific prison in El Salvador--Abrego Garcia is married to a U.S. citizen and has a 5-year-old disabled child who is a U.S. citizen.”

“I felt like I had been sent an angel. I was then placed in a real jail unit: Two levels of cells surrounding a common area, just like in the movies.”

“I think I need to. I will yield to a question. I will yield to a question while retaining the floor. And I thank my brother, I thank my friend who has now stood with me for almost 11 hours.”

“Senator, I appreciate your question, but I just have to say this to you. You worked so hard with Senator Lankford, and one of the things I have to say--and I hope I don't hurt his politics by telling people how much I love Senator Lankford.”

“I thank you for the question I see in there. Again, great Presidents have great ideas they bring to Congress, and they fight to pull together and cobble together legislation that will last.”

“I want to first start by saying that the Senator has a reputation around this place; that there is a deep, penetrating goodness that is in you. I love to watch my Senate colleagues when other people are not--it is a habit of mine--because I think what you do when no one is watching is really telling.”

“One of Trump's first Executive orders signed the evening he took office on January 20 was titled ``Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States.'' In that order, he said ``America's sovereignty is under attack.'' He has already declared a national emergency.”

“Yes, yes, yes, it does. I mean, you put forth this litany where what we have to ask ourselves is at what point do my colleagues in the House and the Senate and the Republican Party say enough?”

“And then I read stories from people that work in Social Security. They are telling about not having desks and the waiting lines and inefficiencies that this has created, and the horrible, deteriorating customer service.”

“To read editorials from the Wall Street Journal, to just show that this isn't a partisan thing. This isn't about left or right. It is about right or wrong.”

“So I appreciate this more than you know, and there is a line threaded throughout your entire question about the way they are going about doing this from so many Agencies.”

“I am so grateful for the questions from my colleague and my friend. I want folks to know, probably the best dinner I had here when I came here was with the Senator from New York, who really gave me a quick rundown on how to get things done in this body.”

“We know Wisconsin is getting a lot of love here. I told my colleague I kept seeing folks from two towns--one in your State and one in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but this person, alas, is from Jersey.”

“I want to respond deeply. I, first, want to thank my colleague for being here in the morning. She is one of my colleagues that I confided in when I told her it was enough for me, I needed to do something different, and she readily encouraged me to be here on the floor for what is now about 13 hours.”

“I said earlier about Senator Murphy's speech, one of my favorites I have ever actually heard when I was in the Senate--Brother Warnock gave a speech that was one of my favorites in the Senate, too, when he talked about the difference between January 5 America and that fateful day, January 6.”

“The bald-headed caucus. But the one time you shifted gears into being my pastor and my friend, we prayed together last night. And most Americans identify in our faith--the Christian faith.”

“Sir, my friend, I don't understand how a nation could allow a President to be so cruel that he would take away healthcare from people struggling with children that are facing the worst of health challenges, people who have a spouse like the person who wrote to me--no, it wasn't a spouse.”

“I am going to just say this just to try to stay in the parliamentary--I yield for a question while retaining the floor. I yield for another question while retaining the floor.”

“Amen, hallelujah, yes, I do. Thank you for that question. I know there is going to be a question coming to me, I just want to say pray Isaiah 40:31 for me.”

“So I want to thank the Senator for the question, and when I think of people who stand in adversity, I still see you standing in a snowstorm and the strength that you have had and stood up to fight for affordable healthcare, stood up and fought for affordable prescription drugs, stood up and fought for farmers and police officers and communities.”

“And as the great pastor said: There are enough sins in this body to go around for all of us. But this is not a partisan moment; it is a moral moment.”

“We have a President that is shredding the very Agencies that Americans who are struggling are relying on. Working people that, over the last 71 days, are finding higher prices, that are finding housing prices go up.”

“Thank you for the question, Senator Klobuchar. I love that you are bringing it back to real people and what effect it is having. What you are spelling out is something that is really important.”

“I will answer that question by avoiding it because in New Jersey, there are so many great patron saints, from the great Bon Jovi, to the great Bruce Springsteen, to the incredible Queen Latifah, to the ``Chairman of the Board'' from New Jersey, the great Frank Sinatra.”

“Stand up. Speak up, Senator. I am so angry. Stand up. Speak up, Senator. The services for my disabled child are threatened. Stand up, speak up. That is one of the reasons I am doing this, why my staff and I talked about this for so many days.”

“Thank you. Thank you, Senator. I am hearing a lot of fear, a lot of anger. I am hearing heads of hospitals say that this is outrageous, the threats to our hospitals in New Jersey.”

“I am hearing demands from our constituents, people demanding, Senator, that we do something about the outrages they are seeing. I think that when I hear New Jerseyans, by larger and larger numbers--and I will be back in my State.”

“I yield for a question. While retaining the floor, I yield to one of my best friends in the Senate. I yield to one of the smartest guys I know.”

“First of all, I want to say this is when, when you ask me a question--to yield for a question--I want to say I yield for a question while retaining the floor, and I want to say to my colleague, I am familiar with some of this, but I--if as a part of a question to me and not anything resembling a colloquy, I will yield for a question while retaining the floor if you have another question. (Mr.”

“I hope that the colleague of mine who, again, has been a mentor, a friend on all they things foreign policy, my belief is that he is referring to when General Mattis sat before the United States Senate and said very pointedly: If you cut the foreign aid, if you cut organizations like USAID, if you cut programs in the State Department, then buy me more bullets.”

“So this is the powerful thing about my friend whom I went with on my first trip to the continent of Africa as a Senator, and I remember flying into Zimbabwe.”

“Thank you, sir. The alligator was his reputation--had taken over as his leadership. And we, this bipartisan merry group of Senators were going there to sit there in a unified, bipartisan way and say to this new leader: You need to honor democratic principles.”

“One of the most courageous things I saw Chris Coons do in my life was when the Ebola scare was happening 8 years ago and was starting to show up on our shores, you did something that people were afraid to do.”

“I so appreciate the Senator, and I want to tell folks that when I wrote my book, I thought I knew this man here. I did a lot about environmental justice in my book.”

“Yes. Absolutely, yes. I love that you gave that litany, Senator. I benefited from your leadership on the Intel Committee. You are one of the people that--when things go down on planet Earth, you are one of the small handful of people with the highest security clearance here.”

“Yes, I will, Leader Schumer. Earlier, or late last night, rather, I read dozens and dozens and dozens of letters from terrified people. The stories were heartbreaking as people rendered their pride and gave us insights into the more painful aspects of their lives.”

“Who play where? In New Jersey. This is not a colloquy. I hold the floor. I do not yield. Brooklyn stole the Nets--it is an injustice--from Newark. They stole the Nets.”

“I will. So you and I both know that in 72 days now--it is the next day--that of the 72 days that Trump has been in office, he has caused havoc on the American economy, especially given the economy he inherited.”

“Smoot and Hawley. Yes, sir, I definitely remember those names from high school history. God bless you, Mr. Al Gore and Mr. Perot. So, yes, what he is going to do tomorrow is going to rattle the markets.”

“Amen. Amen. You know, Reverend Warnock was here earlier and was preaching and quoting Scripture, but you are preaching the gospel of truth, my friend, from a civic gospel that speaks to the cares and the concerns of American hope and of the American dream and of the American Constitution, because you and I both know the answer to the question.”

“I see you, Catherine. I hear you. I stand for you. But I want to share something with you. One of the most extraordinary trips I have had as a U.S.”

“Senator Murphy, that is correct. You have been one of the most articulate voices for this decision--I shouldn't even call it a decision--this reckless trashing of USAID, this vilification of the proud men and women that stand in Ebola outbreaks, that stand in terrorism, that stand against hardships and ethnic cleansing, that stand against malnutrition.”

“Yes. Yes. Mr. VAN HOLLEN. At CPAC, which is actually--they met over here in my State of Maryland. That is what they are doing. They are taking a chain saw, and they are taking a chain saw to Departments that help our veterans.”

“You are putting it right. Donald Trump made commitments to America. We have quotes of him at rally after rally. He said: ``Grocery,'' that is a really great word, he said.”

“Yes, I will yield for a question while retaining the floor. Mr. VAN HOLLEN. And I see my friend and colleague Senator Alsobrooks from the great State of Maryland is on the floor, so I am going to be very brief with this question.”

“I am privileged to serve on that committee with the gentleman from New Jersey. One of the people before the committee is their nominee to be our Ambassador to Turkey.”

“I will give a short answer to your question, then, which is the irony--the irony that this President is remaining quiet about folks that are violating international law in many ways.”

“I want to thank the Senator for the question. I want to thank her for being my colleague. But more important than even being my friend, she is a spiritual sister of mine and was very kind to me when I was telling her that I was going to do this and gave me so much encouragement and prayer.”

“Where are his promises to make this country more affordable and more accessible? You heard the data that I read about how we have so many millions of Americans--close to the majority of renters now spend more than a third of their income on rent, which is the very definition that our government has of housing insecurity.”

“But there have been times in this journey where our Union was in crisis and was in peril. There were times in this great American journey, over our 250 years, where so many heroes had to emerge, people that I have come to revere, like Joshua Chamberlain from Maine, who played such a pivotal role in the Battle of Gettysburg.”

“Elon Musk richer and richer--is that your solution? It violates our values. It violates our national character. It violates the highest principles put forth by the most noble people in American history.”

“My daughter takes speech therapy, occupational and physical therapy, and tutoring. So if that is all gone, she will stop progress, and she will be more disabled and will be unable to do anything by herself or live inadvertently.”

“To my leader, Leader Schumer, I mean, that is the pain of these stories from the families that I read of the fear that they have to rely on these lifelines that are going to be cut and of the services that are going to be cut that are going to affect their beloved parents or their children with disabilities.”

“I was reading stories, and many of them will live with me. There is a family who is taking care of their two parents in their nineties and their disabled adult children.”

“Yes, Senator Schumer. To tell a family to just double up or triple up drives up their costs. It is often that the elder who is living with them who might have dementia demands care.”

“I appreciate the Democratic leader's question. I think that all 100 of us in this body are getting what I have gotten. I can't go to the grocery store.”

“Thank you for allowing me to yield the floor for you to ask a question. I see my colleague here from Delaware. I am going to read a few more stories, but I suspect that she, too, has a question because she and I did not just meet when she was sworn in here in January.”

“I will yield for a question. I yield for a question while retaining the floor. Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER. I want to begin by thanking you so much, Senator Booker, for your leadership, and thank you for the opportunity to ask you a question.”

“I will definitely yield for a question while retaining the floor. Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER. As the former executive of a city, a major city in this country, can you talk a little bit about the impact that these cuts will have on cities, municipalities, and States, because some might think: Oh, this is just a nice issue?”

“Well, that is the thing that is so significant. Already, Governors and mayors are writing letters and speaking up. When I go to different cities in New Jersey, I am often called by local leaders because they know, No. 1, the stories of the people who rely on Medicaid--the seniors, the children, the disabled families.”

“Yes. Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER.--maternal mortality. There are so many more important things to work on. But the fact that you are spending your time, your energy, and your intellect to stand up for millions of Americans, I commend you for that.”

“Thank you. Thank you very much. I am going to continue elevating here, throughout the hours and hours of my speech, the voices of Americans from all backgrounds, all geographies, elevating the stories of leaders--Democrat, Republican, and Independent.”

“Let's be clear, Americans have flooded congressional phone lines, rallied at townhalls, and lifted their voices to make it clear that they do not want massive cuts to the healthcare and public services they depend on.”

“So many benefit from these aspects of this country's health coverage. The public health insurance option is funded in part by the Federal Government and in part by states, covering around 72 million [Americans].”

“I voted for the motion to proceed to allow debate to continue and amendments to be offered. I will not vote for the bill as it is today.”

“Collins, Murkowski, and McCain, I think, took a lot of courage. They were getting a lot of pressure from the White House. John McCain was viciously attacked afterwards.”

“And I never got ripped by him. After my meeting, I mentioned earlier in his office, he started inviting me with him. My first codel was with him.”

“Resoundingly, yes. I am just laughing that every time DOGE puts up their supposed savings, they then try to take them down because, as soon as they are fact-checked, so many of them are not done.”

“I appreciate your allowing me to yield to you to answer a question while retaining the floor. I am going to continue with a little bit more here before we change topics for the night.”

“First of all, thank you for the question. But I just want to reiterate the friendship I have with Chris Murphy and his willingness to spend the night with me here on the floor as we go hour after hour after hour.”

“In answering this question--again, I continue to yield the question to you while retaining the floor. I want to just compound this for people. I know these numbers--$880 billion, 100 million Americans affected that would be affected directly by Medicaid cuts or the people that work in the hospitals will be affected by Medicaid cuts or nursing homes affected by Medicaid cuts--these are big, big numbers.”

“One anonymous servicemember from Carteret, NJ, wrote: I am writing to file a complaint against Navy Federal Credit Union regarding multiple overdraft fees I have incurred. Despite having sufficient funds when transactions were authorized, I was charged due to lagged posting of charges and credits.”

“Mr. President, we are dealing with a crisis that all hundred Members of this body understand has taken the lives of hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people, and that is the scourge of fentanyl.”

“Mr. President, I just want to clarify because my colleague pounded on the desk, and that was hard for me to watch. I am not here because we haven't been trying to get a bipartisan consensus on this and calling and doing all the work.”

“I am grateful not only that you recognized me, but with the respect which you said the State of New Jersey. I know that you love my State.”

“States took an Agency funded in a bipartisan manner where colleagues of mine--I serve on the Foreign Relations Committee--know so much of the work done on both sides of the aisle to support the critical mission of USAID.”

“But the sigh of relief. I have met with prosecutors this week. I have met with police officers this week. I have met with people who voted for him, voted against him, and didn't vote in my State, and all of them said that that was an outrageous move.”

“Mr. President, I appreciate the great Senator from the State of Florida with a haircut that is almost as good as mine. Thank you, sir. Every year, the pages come through in cycles.”

“I've witnessed duty's weight and leaders' care. The echoes of debates in chambers vast, Where laws are forged and futures shaped with might, Have shown me how the present shapes the past, And kindled faith in government's light.”

“Thank you to Katie Britt, the tough-as-nails Senator who will never quit, before I sit--I just can't stop myself. And thanks to Elizabeth, we should have all the poems put into the Senate Record.”