What Edward J. Markey said, and what was done

“Mr. President, I rise today to underscore the critical importance of maintaining temporary protected status, or TPS, for Haiti. TPS allows nationals from designated countries facing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or extraordinary conditions to live and to work legally in the United States until it is safe to return to their homeland.”

“Mr. President, the objection we just heard is exactly why this law to protect Haiti TPS is necessary, and I am incredibly disappointed in my Republican colleagues for turning their backs on the Haitian TPS community in this dire time.”

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I rise today to object to the Senator from Iowa's legislation, which would defund Planned Parenthood--defund Planned Parenthood and prevent millions of men and women across the country from being able to access the healthcare which they need.”

“Mr. President, I thank the great Senator from Rhode Island, from the Ocean State. I represent the Bay State. We kind of have a relationship with the ocean in Rhode Island and in Massachusetts.”

“Mr. President, since Donald Trump took office, electricity prices have risen by as much as 13 percent--three times faster than inflation. Families are already falling into debt, and it is only getting worse.”

“Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, I move to waive the point of order, and I ask for the yeas and nays.”

“Mr. President, today we honor and remember Richard Ottinger, a mentor and friend and an historic environmental champion whose life and career is an inspiration to all dedicated to fighting for the people and the planet.”

“Mr. President, I rise tonight in support of Senator Sanders' joint resolutions of disapproval for select arms sales to Israel. The Senate has voted on similar resolutions in the past, all of which I have supported.”

“So, if you are watching the deliberations here in the U.S. Senate, be mindful of the fact that their plan is to fund a war that will go on indefinitely, and as a result the price at the pump, the price for heating oil and the price for natural gas are going to continue to spike.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to defend the heartbeat of our democracy, and that is and always will be the right to vote. From the first National Women's Rights Convention held in 1850 in Worcester, MA, to Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965, Americans have been mobilizing and marching and chanting and fighting for generations to protect the right to vote, which is the most cherished right.”

“No. 4, they can continue to operate a pay-to-play pardon system, where fraudsters and friends and supporters of the President can essentially buy their way out of convictions and jailtime.”

“Mr. President, the Republican majority, representing the views of the President here on the floor of the Senate, are trying to engage not in a save-democracy but a steal-democracy movement.”

“Mr. President, in a moment, I will ask unanimous consent that the Senate pass the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA 2.0, bipartisan legislation that would finally update our children's online privacy law for the modern internet age.”

“I thank my friend for his consistent support in protecting teenagers and children in our country. With that, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 304, S. 836.”

“With that again, Mr. President, I thank Senator Cassidy. It is a historic day. We have begun this process on the Senate floor today with protections in place, which has been long overdue for teenagers and children in our country.”

“Mr. President, the military strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel are a reckless escalation of an illegal war. Americans do not want another endless war in pursuit of regime change.”

“Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. President, I am so happy to come to the floor today to reopen the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs.”

“Mr. President, I rise today because, once again, the sitting President of the United States has threatened something antithetical to our democracy, something patently unconstitutional and unlawful, something that should give every single American pause.”

“The objection we just heard to my resolution proves exactly why this resolution that we should be debating is absolutely necessary in order to ensure that President Trump does not, in fact, nationalize--or attempt to nationalize our elections.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to honor Patricia Harrison, president and chief executive officer of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as she concludes her service at the close of a historic chapter for public media in America.”

“Mr. President, I rise today because the United States, once again, stands on the brink of a dangerous and unnecessary war, one that neither the American people nor the elected representatives whom they sent here to Washington have authorized and one that risks yet another endless conflict that will drain our coffers and cost American lives.”

“Mr. President, 5 years ago, Donald Trump incited a vicious MAGA mob to storm the U.S. Capitol with one goal: to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election.”

“But by the afternoon, the peaceful transition of power was obstructed by armed rioters sent to us by Donald Trump. Trump's vicious mob forced its way into the Capitol Building armed with firearms, bear spray, and baseball bats.”

“Mr. President, I was prepared to come to the floor today to seek unanimous consent to pass H.R. 5100, a bill to temporarily extend the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs until September 30, 2026.”

“Committee. Five of these six negotiators agree that the best path forward is to temporarily extend the SBIR and STTR programs, to keep them running while we continue to negotiate reforms and a longer reauthorization.”

“Mr. President, I rise to acknowledge the leadership of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, spiritual head of more than 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide. As the 269th direct successor to the Apostle Andrew and the 270th Ecumenical Patriarch, he represents a centuries-old tradition of faith, service, and moral guidance that has shaped communities around the globe.”

“Mr. President, today, I rise in support of the legislation that is going to be considered here on the Senate floor tomorrow to extend the Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits so that we can lower the healthcare costs for 22 million Americans.”

“Mr. President, I also rise today to oppose the effort to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to permanent, irreversible damage from the Big Oil industry. This effort to overthrow the Biden administration's Record of Decision for the management of the Arctic Refuge through the Congressional Review Act process will sow chaos, create legal uncertainty, and put the refuge into limbo.”

“Mr. President, our dedicated Federal workers deserve to get paid, and I am glad this deal means that the government will reopen, that public servants will be returning to work, and that they will receive their paychecks, including backpay.”

“Mr. President, I stand here today on behalf of the people of Massachusetts to say that we are angry. We are angry that Trump and MAGA Republicans are doubling the costs for millions of Americans and that their healthcare bills are going to skyrocket when they promised lower prices.”

“Mr. President, I rise today in defense of one of the most sacred pillars of our democracy: the freedom of speech. Last Saturday, President Donald Trump declared on social media that comedian Seth Meyers' jokes about him were ``100% ANTI TRUMP, WHICH IS PROBABLY ILLEGAL!!!'' That is right--``illegal.'' The President thinks it is probably illegal to make jokes about him on television, that what Seth Meyers was doing is illegal.”

“Reserving the right to object, I agree with my colleague, for sure, that during a government shutdown, lawmakers should not be paid. That is why I am having my pay deferred during this period.”

“Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Kaine for his leadership on this issue, highlighting it, meeting on it, bringing it to the attention of the American public.”

“By opposing my bill and preventing those sensible resolutions from moving forward in the House, Republicans are allowing Trump to tax any good from any country for any reason--no rules.”

“Well, thank you, and thank you so much for raising all of these issues about the threat to our democracy. Authoritarianism is running rampant. Healthcare, education, our environment are all being threatened in violation of the U.S.”

“Thank you. So Republicans are shutting down the government to cut Americans' healthcare. In fact, Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans have been shutting down our government since day one.”

“I want you to follow up a little bit on that University of North Carolina Sheps Center study. I requested them to do that study. It came back, and it was a blistering, scalding indictment of the Republicans' support for these dramatic cuts to our healthcare system.”

“Mr. President, we are down here telling the Trump administration that their energy emergency, as they call it, is the emergency for our country. Trump, Secretary Chris Wright--this whole administration is using emergency authorities to make up a crisis that is resulting in our electric bills going sky high all across our country, and our clean energy jobs are going up in smoke.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to seek unanimous consent to pass H.R. 5100, a bill to extend the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs for 1 year.”

“Agencies are required to allocate for these programs in order to maximize our innovation potential. I want to strengthen our commercialization efforts through better data collection, training, and designated commercialization officers.”

“The SBIR and STTR Programs expire at midnight tonight, separate from everything else that is going on here in the Senate today. The only bipartisan option to avoid the program ending is to pass H.R. 5100 as passed by the House of Representatives already before us.”

“Madam President, the First Amendment is the beating heart of our democracy. It protects the right of Americans to speak freely, to criticize their leaders, and to entertain and inform without fear of government reprisal.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and congratulate the Boston Passport Agency on its 100th anniversary. For a century, the dedicated public servants at the Boston Passport Agency have connected the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts--and travelers from across New England--to the wider world.”

“Boston Passport Agency enriches our region's institutions, industries, and communities. The agency enables small businesses to reach new markets, assists families in cultivating bonds across borders, and supports Americans in representing our Nation's values abroad.”

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object. Unfortunately, I cannot support the Senator from Iowa's proposed legislation. I agree that we must reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs before their authorizations expire at the end of this month.”

“Mr. President, I want to thank the Senator. I am happy to continue to negotiate with her. Again, in my opinion, a 1-year extension gives us the time to do that.”

“Mr. President, President Donald Trump's so-called Golden Dome for America is the latest reincarnation of President Ronald Reagan's ``Star Wars'' fantasy: thousands of space-based missile interceptors supposedly capable of stopping a missile strike from any adversary anywhere in the world.”

“Physical Society estimated that to counter a larger attack of 10 missiles, we would need a system of 40,000 interceptors, costing about $1 trillion. And a system to defend against hundreds of incoming missiles from Russia or China would cost trillions more.”

“Mr. President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of S. 1593 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; 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 with no intervening action or debate.”

“Mr. President, you know, I am very troubled that the Senator from Ohio has objected because, obviously, what I am trying to do here on the Senate floor is to make it possible for there to be an exemption for small businesses in our country.”

“Mr. President, I would just say this. Right now, here is what American small businesses know: Unemployment is going up. Inflation is going up. Tariffs are going up.”

“Mr. President, I want to start tonight by addressing those on my side of the aisle. My friends, I am taking the floor with a simple message to you: Don't give up.”

“Republicans and Trump do not care about working with Democrats. When they say ``bipartisan process,'' what they really mean is ``We are going to do whatever we want to do.”

“Putting these five climate deniers in charge of a climate-science report is like putting a vaccine denier in charge of the national health Agency. Wait. Wait. I am sorry.”

“Hollen in the Inflation Reduction Act, which is projected to spur more than $250 billion in public and private sector investment to create jobs, lower Americans' energy costs, strengthen our energy independence, combat the climate crisis, deploy solar, deploy charging stations for electric vehicles.”

“I thank you, Madam President, and I will conclude, and I will be back because this subject is just too important. We are now in a climate crisis.”

“Mr. President, as ranking member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, I rise today to oppose the nomination of Casey Mulligan to be Chief Counsel for Advocacy at the Small Business Administration.”

“Mr. President, I just want to follow on what the minority leader and Senator Blumenthal are saying about this chaotic tariff regime which the Trump administration--which Donald Trump himself is imposing upon country after country around the world.”

“Mr. President, I thank Senator Schumer for his historic leadership on this issue. He has framed it perfectly for this Chamber and for the American people to understand what is at stake in our country in the year 2025.”

“So this bill is also going to add $3.4 trillion to the Federal deficit because they gave more in the tax breaks to the billionaires than they actually cut in these programs.”

“Mr. President, my motion would ensure that this Republican bill will not cut access to children's educational programming through public television stations. From 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every single day, the public television system is the children's television network for free in our country.”

“The Markey motion says--and I ask for an ``aye''--keep the children's television network on PBS on all day all across our country for free, for every child. That has educated generations of children in our country.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to speak not just in opposition to the proposed rescission of public broadcasting funds but in strong support of something far more important: the survival of local public radio and television stations across the country.”

“Mr. President, when the Senate considers the reconciliation bill, H.R. 1, it is my intention to make the following motions to commit the bill: A motion to commit the bill to the committee on Finance to protect small businesses from increased costs incurred as a result of duties imposed by President Trump's Tariffs.”

“A motion to commit the bill to the committee on Finance to strike any provision that would increase the likelihood of rural hospitals being forced to close, convert, or reduce or stop providing services, including emergency care, mental and behavioral health care, and labor and delivery services in the West region (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming).”

“Mr. President, first of all, I just want to say how powerful the presentations were talking about the tragedy in Minnesota and how all of our hearts go out to the families and to the entire State because it is obviously something that had a profound impact upon the entire community, and it is something that has all of us grieving for them.”

“So the people who will benefit the most are the upper 0.1 percent. And as millions more Americans lose their healthcare, billionaires who can afford concierge medicine will get a handout from the government.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to honor a remarkable U.S. Senate staffer Sean Moore for his 30 years of dedicated public service in the U.S. Congress. Sean's path to public service started early in childhood.”

“Mr. President, today, I rise to advocate to my colleagues in the Senate for my Small Business Liberation Act, and I do so with Leader Schumer and Senator Hirono, who have each already spoken on this very important issue.”

“Well, a small business is defined in the Small Business Administration definitions, and those would be the ones which we would exempt. And it can be different, depending upon the industry or its status, but, in general, what we are using is the definition used by the Small Business Administration.”

“First of all, I want to say that I appreciate the comments of the Senator from Ohio. But here is the bottom line: This isn't just about China.”

“Mr. President, today, I am here to defend clean air regulations that tackle the climate crisis, protect public health, and save drivers money at the pump. For more than 50 years, California has had the legal authority under the Clean Air Act to adopt stricter emissions standards than the Federal baseline.”

“Wright, the fracker in chief. He is a fracker. He really believes in fracking for oil, in fracking for gas. He is a man who, just last week, told the Congress that his Agency had paid all its bills, canceled no clean energy grants, laid off barely a handful of staff, and wasn't freezing funding.”

“So now we come back to Chris Wright again, who is bringing that same attitude toward governing. And he just doesn't get the attention he deserves for the malevolent way in which he is trying to destroy the clean energy future of our country.”

“Mr. President, I would like to speak on this motion to confirm Casey Mulligan to be chief counsel of the Office of Advocacy. In the last 3\1/2\ months, we have seen an unprecedented assault by the Trump administration on America's small businesses.”

“Mr. President, 100 days ago, Donald Trump proclaimed ``the golden age of America begins now.'' But in 100 days, since Inauguration Day, ``King'' Donald has shown us that he sits on a throne of fool's gold--one built on empty votes, unfulfilled promises, and lie after lie after lie.”

“Mr. President, I am here today to defend the standards for our appliances that save energy, that cut climate emissions. They reduce costs for American families and businesses.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to talk about a regime of censorship that is increasing by the day. It is the story of Donald Trump's relentless attacks on CBS and its flagship news program, ``60 Minutes.'' It is the story of how the Federal Communications Commission, an Agency with a storied history of protecting free speech--how it has been weaponized to pressure journalists to soften their coverage of President Trump.”

“Minutes'' journalist Scott Pelley reported on Owens' resignation and called out Paramount directly. The full story inside Paramount, CBS, and ``60 Minutes'' remains unclear, and Pelley made clear that Paramount has not killed any ``60 Minutes'' stories.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to lawfully extend the deadline by which ByteDance must either divest TikTok or face a ban in the United States. In a few moments, I will ask unanimous consent to pass my legislation with Senator Wyden, Senator Van Hollen, and Senator Booker, the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act, to extend the divestment deadline until October.”

“Mr. President, I just want to reiterate what I said in my remarks--that ByteDance ownership in TikTok does create national security risks--but I also agree with my colleague.”

“Mr. President, in just over 1 week, Elon Musk has vowed to use his DOGE chain saw to hang up all of the telephone services at the Social Security Administration that Grandma and Grandpa use to access Social Security benefits.”

“Madam President, Social Security is under attack. Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE are revving up their chain saw and coming after America's earned Social Security benefits. They are cutting staff, slashing services, closing offices, and lying about the program.”

“Some of the Social Security offices are a couple of hundred miles away from people. But that is the plan. We are 10 days away from that being put into place.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to speak on a matter that should not require clarification. In the United States of America, no President, Republican or Democrat, serves more than two terms.”

“Mr. President, I thank Senator Kaine for his leadership on this issue. President Trump's new tariffs are not ``Liberation Day''; they are ``Obliteration Day.'' They are going to be remembered as something that raised taxes on every American consumer, had foreign countries then attack businesses all across our Nation, all without a plan from President Trump to have an end game.”

“First of all, thank you so much for what you are doing, Senator Booker. You are drawing our Nation's attention to what Donald Trump and Elon Musk and DOGE are seeking to do to our country, especially the most vulnerable in our society.”

“Helene and Hurricane Milton last fall and $150 billion worth of damage in Los Angeles from climate-driven storms. By the way, only $50 billion of it was covered by insurance--catastrophic for all those communities.”

“I think it is the most well-financed lobbying effort in Washington, DC. I think they have had an ownership of this building for a hundred years, and they are afraid it is about to slip away.”

“You know, the Senator from Rhode Island is wise and precise in his analysis of the agenda of these companies. The Senator from Rhode Island and I have for 12 years led the effort, along with the Senator from Connecticut, to have offshore wind all along the Atlantic coast, and the Biden administration put in place a plan to deploy 30,000 megawatts of offshore wind.”

“Thank you. What I would like to talk about a little bit, if I could, with you and Senator Whitehouse, is this pollution agenda that they have for us in New England, that they have writ large for the whole country as well.”

“Mr. President, Social Security is under attack. It is under attack from Donald Trump. Social Security is under attack from Republicans. Social Security is under attack from Elon Musk.”

“Mr. President, President Trump and Elon Musk and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon have declared war on public education in the United States, plain and simple. They outlined their anti-student, anti-family, anti-educator agenda in Project 2025.”

“Mr. President, I thank my great friend from the State of Virginia. I thank him for his leadership on this. I thank him for bringing out this very important subject because the American people are being robbed by the fossil fuel industry in broad daylight, and the Trump administration is driving the getaway car.”

“Mr. President, the American people are being robbed in broad daylight. Big Oil is cashing in on their billion-dollar deal with Donald Trump from his campaign; the $1 billion to help Trump win.”

“Mr. President, funding for Alzheimer's research at the NIH is essential. Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's right now, and if nothing changes, 15 million Americans--15 million baby boomers--will have Alzheimer's by 2050 with a cost of $1 trillion a year to our healthcare system.”

“Mr. President, I am here to speak in opposition to the confirmation of Senator Kelly Loeffler to serve as Administrator of the Small Business Administration. I am concerned for the more than 722,000 small businesses that call Massachusetts home and that last year relied on $708 million in loans from the Small Business Administration.”

“As I stand here today, DOGE operatives continue to work under the cover of darkness, including at the Small Business Administration. The American people want answers. Is the private information of families and businesses and individuals safe at the SBA?”

“Mr. President, I stand here in strong opposition to the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to serve as the Secretary of Health and Human Services for the United States of America.”

“The American people know that our healthcare system is broken. Families have to work through too much health insurance redtape, only to be denied care or forced to pay out of pocket.”

“Even with the promises he has made on the vaccine misinformation, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has not demonstrated that he will fulfill his promises. He has used his position to lead people down the dangerous path of vaccine misinformation.”

“Mr. President, I rise tonight in opposition to the nomination of Russell Vought to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget, also known as OMB. My colleagues and I have been holding the Senate floor since yesterday to sound the alarm on this dangerous nomination.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to speak out on behalf of the American people about the Trump administration's unjust and unconstitutional cutoff of Federal grants and assistance programs.”

“Trump, Elon Musk, and their unelected, unqualified henchmen keep our services going and stop breaking the law because the American people are paying the price on a daily basis.”

“Madam President, we are about to have a monumental vote out here on the floor of the U.S. Senate on who will become the next Secretary of Defense for the United States of America.”

“Madam President, we are in a climate emergency. Over just the past few months, powerful hurricanes and severe wildfires have caused nearly one-half of a trillion dollars in estimated damage.”

“Mr. President, I am disappointed that my colleagues have objected to this simple legislation. I recognize the national security risk here. But the fearmongering about the supposed anti-American content on TikTok is the exact type of government overreach that has left tens of millions of Americans furious.”

“Well, they took it to court to find out if this law was constitutional. They have a right to do that. They have a right to go to the Supreme Court.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to address the profound economic, social, and political importance of TikTok's creators and the serious consequences of a nationwide TikTok ban. When the Senate passed legislation last year authorizing a ban on TikTok, it was bundled with essential foreign aid measures.”