What Mark Kelly said, and what was done

“Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 160th anniversary of the Buffalo Soldier regiments and to honor the extraordinary legacy of service, courage, and sacrifice of the Black soldiers who helped shape the U.S.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of James Hong Shee, a respected Arizona community leader whose decades of civic engagement, business leadership, and public advocacy helped strengthen communities across our State.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Robert ``Bobby'' Edward Douglas, an Olympian, coach, mentor, and one of the most respected figures in American wrestling.”

“Mr. President, later today, we are going to take a vote on the delivery of bulldozers and 1,000-pound bombs to Israel. First, let me say that I cannot and will not abandon Israel.”

“Mr. President, like every American, over the past few weeks, I have watched the videos of Americans being shoved and beaten and pepper-sprayed and shot and killed by Federal immigration agents.”

“Mr. President, 16 years after the Supreme Court's disastrous Citizens United decision, families across Arizona are paying more for groceries, rent, gas, and healthcare. And they are wondering why the people they elect to represent them always seem to have time for the priorities of billionaires and big corporations but not enough time for them.”

“Madam President, I didn't expect that I would ever find myself here, as a U.S. Senator, having filed a lawsuit against a Secretary of Defense. When I graduated from the U.S.”

“Mr. President, exactly 5 years ago today, I, as well, was in this Chamber, listening to my colleagues debate something that never should have been in question--the validity of the electoral votes from my State of Arizona.”

“Madam President, for more than a month, I have been here in DC fighting to keep healthcare costs from spiking for my constituents, and for more than a month, I have been hearing from people I represent about what their healthcare costs now and what it will cost if these tax credits are allowed to expire--people like Leslie from Buckeye, who is a diabetic and whose premium is about to go from $600 a month to $1,000 per month; and people like Jessica from Yuma.”

“Trump thinks that they should go to a food bank for groceries so they can have something to eat. Now, I also think we need to be perfectly clear about why we are here and how we got here.”

“Mr. President, every American is supposed to have two Senators and a Representative fighting for them here in Washington. All of us should care about that, whether it is our constituent or someone else's.”

“Senator Merkley, I appreciate everything you are doing to highlight the many ways that this President has been undermining the Constitution and the rule of law. We have now experienced about 9\1/2\ months of this Presidency, and I am going to ask you a question about one thing in particular, and it is about the U.S. military and the leadership of the U.S. military.”

“Mr. President, in just a few weeks, millions of Americans will start the process of picking new health insurance plans, and I believe a number of them are going to see the cost of their health insurance double.”

“Mr. President, we are just a day away from a government shutdown because President Trump and Republicans would rather shut down the government than work with us to keep healthcare premiums from spiking for American families.”

“But instead of working with us to lower costs and avoid a shutdown, Donald Trump has refused to even sit down and talk about it for weeks until just today, barely 24 hours before the deadline.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to welcome His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Washington, DC. He is the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christianity, the second largest Christian Church in the world, with more than 250 million members worldwide and over 1 million here in the United States.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to honor a great American and an exceptional member of the U.S. Air Force, Maj. Michael P. ``Mikey'' Mason. As a Department of the Air Force Senate Legislative Liaison Officer, from January to July 2025, Mikey performed his duties well and without reservation supporting the 119th U.S.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a visionary leader and a lifelong advocate for the Latino community Janet Murguia on the occasion of her 20th anniversary as president and CEO of the Nation's largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, UnidosUS.”

“Mr. President, now is the time that we should be investing in the future of our country and helping American families get ahead, but what we have in front of us this week does the opposite.”

“Mr. President, I don't think we are looking to take any money out of Jelly Roll's pocket here, but giving a tax break to the richest people and most profitable corporations is a choice, and paying for it by kicking 17 million Americans off of their health insurance is a choice.”

“Mr. President, what are we doing here? Seriously. I am still waiting for somebody to tell me how this makes sense. We are debating a budget that gives another round of tax cuts to billionaires and giant corporations on the backs of everyday Americans.”

“I receive Disabled Widow's Benefits, Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP. Get this. She said: My rent and utilities eat all but about $300 of my monthly income. SNAP and my healthcare card used to cover most of my food costs.”

“Mr. President, I have to say this week stood out for me personally with some positive notes and some real downers. The week didn't start great. We saw the President of the United States--for the first time, I think, in possibly my lifetime--send troops without a request from the Governor into a State because people were protesting.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to honor a great American and an exceptional member of the U.S. Air Force, Lt. Col. Lauren Harrison. As an Air Force Senate legislative liaison officer from April 2023 to May 2024, Lauren performed her duties well and without reservation supporting the 118th U.S.”

“Force, have together flown over 2,500 combat hours as Air Force aviators and have instilled a legacy of service for their children Lillian, Corrie, and Claire. They have sacrificed much as a family in service to our Nation.”

“The White House has said the case is closed, but the American people still haven't gotten the transparency and accountability about the national security breach that they deserve.”

“As Senator Booker knows, I did grow up in the State of New Jersey, and growing up in New Jersey, I came from a very working-class family. My family didn't have a lot of money.”

“Mr. President, with all of the chaos in Washington right now, it can feel like it is tough to keep up. In the middle of bombshell revelations, new Executive orders that threaten the safety of Americans, and the administration's plans to give rich people trillions of dollars of tax cuts, what is often lost is how this all impacts the people we represent.”

“Mr. President, I returned Sunday night from 2 days in Ukraine. It was my third trip since the war began, and it came at a perilous and difficult time.”

“Un to try to win this war, and every single day, his soldiers commit war crimes. Not only must he agree to the terms of this cease-fire; he has to be held to them by the United States and our allies.”

“Mr. President, we made a sacred promise to our veterans that after their service, they would get the care and support that they earned. That promise did not come with an expiration date.”

“Arizona, we have seen VA workers and the families who rely on the VA impacted in a real way--like Brandy and David, who shared their story with Arizona's Family News and are both veterans themselves who became loan specialists to help fellow veterans navigate financial hardships and avoid homelessness.”

“Mr. President, I want to state the obvious: The United States has real energy needs. We have to produce enough reliable energy to make utility bills affordable for families and to bring online the advanced manufacturing and data centers that are powering our economy and will power our economy into the future.”

“Mr. President, since we now know that $10 million did not meet the threshold, we are debating who in this country is so rich that they don't need a tax cut.”

“Mr. President, the folks in my State are working hard but finding it tough to get ahead. Now, let's just look at the price of eggs. The Hickman's Family Farms is one of the top egg producers in the country, and they are the biggest in our State.”

“Mr. President, today the Senate is deciding whether COL Tulsi Gabbard should be the person who, each day, makes the call on which intelligence gets in front of the President of the United States.”

“Mr. President, I will bet a lot of folks watching tonight cannot believe that we are here, talking about the Office of Management and Budget. The Office of Management and Budget--there is nothing more bureaucratic sounding in this whole city, and that says something.”

“Mr. President, Arizona is a couple thousand miles away from here, and as folks know, we are a bit unique in the sense that we do not observe daylight savings time.”

“Mr. President, I stand before you today as the son of two police officers. Growing up in our family, service always came first. My mom was actually the first woman to become a police officer in our hometown of West Orange, NJ.”

“Mr. President, I am concerned that soon the U.S. Senate might confirm the most unprepared nominee to lead the Department of Defense that has ever been put forward.”