What Ron Wyden said, and what was done

“Mr. President and those following the debate, what this is all about is when you lose your home in a wildfire, the last thing you ought to be worried about is being hit by a massive tax bill.”

“Mr. President, I fully support taking tougher action against Russia. They have waged a deadly, years long war on Ukraine, and the United States must do more to tighten the screws on the Putin war machine.”

“Mr. President, very briefly. My colleague has hit a number of key points. To close, I just want to make a couple of points. The American people who are following this debate I am sure think that stuff can be corrected, stuff can be changed.”

“Mr. President, I am correcting the record and releasing my hold on Executive Calendar No. PN681-2, the promotion of Lt. Col. Vincent J. Noble. When I placed a hold on this promotion on March 24, 2026, I had gathered, from public reporting, including a New York Times article from 2007, that Vincent J.”

“Mr. President, earlier this week my home State set a new devastating record: Over 2 million acres in Oregon have burned in wildfires across our State this summer.”

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, first of all, let me say that, for years now, Bill Cassidy and I have worked together in the Finance Committee on healthcare, trying to find bipartisan common ground.”

“Mr. President, just to respond just for a brief minute. You can't originate taxes in the Senate. So what that means is this proposal gives the billionaires a free ride.”

“Mr. President, I speak today in opposition to the nomination of Jay Clayton to be Director of National Intelligence. He has repeated baseless conspiracy theories about American elections, refused to acknowledge who won the 2020 election, and participated in an abusive investigation of American journalists while providing false testimony to Congress about that investigation.”

“Mr. President, I am announcing my intention to object to any unanimous consent request to proceed to S. 4979, the PROMISE Act of 2026. I support my colleagues' efforts to address one of the most pressing issues for Americans: the future of Social Security.”

“Mr. President, colleagues, at the beginning of this year, the Trump administration empowered unaccountable AI companies to delay and deny certain types of care in traditional Medicare. Now, Donald Trump promised--promised--that he would not touch Medicare, and, today, it is clear that that Trump promise has been broken.”

“Fortunately, for--let me say to Senator Murray that I so appreciate your presentation, and particularly talking about the algorithms. And, also, the fact is that under what you have described very clearly, the big winner under this flawed experiment is a bunch of middlemen who are trying to profit off denials, and not the people who really desperately need care.”

“Mr. President, I rise now to offer my legislation with Senators Tina Smith and Patty Murray to restore funding for Planned Parenthood. That funding was gutted under the Republicans' budget bill passed nearly a year ago.”

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I rise to object to this bill, which would restrict access to vital healthcare coverage and make healthcare more expensive for many Americans.”

“Reserving the right to object is particularly relevant here, because I am sure my colleague is aware that the bill--the 3-week bill--was just defeated in the House on a strong, bipartisan vote this morning.”

“Mr. President, again, like yesterday, I am making what I believe is a real offer now. I am offering, again, to extend section 702 of FISA for 5 weeks and give the public more facts about how these surveillance powers have been abused.”

“Mr. President, just very briefly on this last point, the proposals I made yesterday and the proposals I made today are longer than anything else on offer--5 weeks--and I think that is the relevant fact.”

“Reserving the right to object. Mr. President, as the majority leader knows, the bill that came up in the House had a strong bipartisan vote this morning. It was not something that one party simply tried to jam something through on the other; it was a strong bipartisan vote.”

“Mr. President, the Senate is now debating section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which expires on Friday. Last week, the Senate resoundingly rejected a bill that would have continued the surveillance status quo.”

“Mr. President, I think it is unfortunate what my friend from Texas is saying. Let me be clear. The warrant requirements that I am talking about are sponsored or cosponsored by Republican Members both in the Senate and in the House.”

“Of course. Mr. CORNYN.--what we are talking about is the contact between the foreign target and the U.S. person or American citizen. We are not talking about content.”

“Mr. President, without continuing this well into the evening, let me just say that I am quite certain that the senior Republicans who have sponsored or cosponsored these ideas understand what this is all about, and I believe we will continue this conversation.”

“Mr. President, I have served on the committee for many years with my friend, and I appreciate him and don't want to give him a hard time. I am a U.S.”

“Our friendship will continue. Now, Mr. President, I think, at this point, my colleague has a unanimous consent request that he wishes to make. Then I will respond, and we will complete our business for the night.”

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object. I would only close my remarks by saying every day that section 702 is in effect without reforms is a day that Americans' rights are, unfortunately, under threat.”

“Mr. President, just very briefly before I leave the floor, I only want to say to my friend that I am always interested in talking to him about ideas, to bring people together and find some common ground.”

“Mr. President, there is nothing in this budget bill that is as important as holding down prescription drug costs for Americans. Meanwhile, Donald Trump says that he signed a deal with 17 pharmaceutical companies to get, and I quote here ``the lowest priced drugs in the world.'' Now, Trump wants Congress to put his deals into black letter law sight unseen.”

“Mr. President, as of a few days ago, every American taxpayer is subject to audit except for Donald Trump and all the members of the Trump family. No matter what you think about the Trump family finances, no one can deny that this is a double standard: one set of rules for an ultrawealthy individual--the most powerful person in the world--and another set of rules for everybody else.”

“Mr. President, I expect that the Senate will soon pass by unanimous consent the Blackburn-Klobuchar Safe Cloud Storage Act. This bill will enable Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies to use modern cloud computing services to store and process digital evidence when investigating online sexual abuse and exploitation.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to offer a joint resolution of disapproval that would restore critical privacy protections for consumers that the Trump administration did away with. The Fair Credit Reporting Act is one of our foremost laws aimed at protecting the privacy of the American people.”

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, let me pick up on where I think the majority leader wants to go as well. We have been working hard on the 702 legislation with the kind of lodestar that we want to prove that, for the first time, the government is saying that liberty and security are not mutually exclusive; that we can do both.”

“Mr. President, the majority leader states it correctly. That is my understanding as well. The point of this is to have some additional time. This is a very new period in this debate with, for example, AI driving so much of this.”

“Mr. President, so let me repeat the central business in a key area, and that is: I am prepared today to pass a short-term extension of section 702.”

“Mr. President, my colleague on the other side of the aisle is now ducking the issue that I have brought to light. I am clear that I am for a short-term extension.”

“Mr. President, the Senate is now delaying a vote on FISA because Members are waking up to the fact that this surveillance authority is too dangerous to hand to any President without new reforms.”

“Mr. President, just so we are clear, there is authority to continue the protections for the American people already. We will have that debate. I am eager to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle.”

“Mr. President, the amendment would require that the Government Accountability Office analyze Donald Trump's agreement with the pharmaceutical companies. He claims that he signed deals with 16 pharmaceutical companies to get Americans the lowest prescription drug prices in the world, but the details of these so-called deals are completely shrouded in secrecy.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to request unanimous consent to pass the Speedy Tariff Refund Act. The bill forces the Trump administration to immediately return the money it has stolen from American businesses under Donald Trump's illegal tariffs.”

“Just very briefly, as I know Senator Merkley is waiting to speak, we are talking about CBP. If we really want to know what they are in the process of doing, they are in the process of playing more stall ball, making it tough for small businesses to get access to these tariff refunds.”

“Madam President, I release my hold on the promotion of Col. Thomas M. Siverts, PN793-2, on the Executive Calendar. In March 2026, I raised concerns about Colonel Siverts' appearance on an episode of a podcast known as The Berm Pit, which is anti-Semitic and racist.”

“Madam President, Americans understand that every single day there are abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. And the reality is, a growing number of Democrats and Republicans are now saying that a straight extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act law is absolutely unacceptable in any way, shape, or form.”

“So for the last hour or so, I have been speaking to colleagues in the other body of the House. And they have told me, unequivocally, that this short-term extension makes reform more likely and expiration makes reform less likely.”

“Mr. President, soon, we will cast important votes here in the Senate on surveillance law. I rise today to share some important new developments about the surveillance practices of this administration, which are vital to this debate.”

“Mr. President, I come to the floor today to sound the alarm on a crisis that is a freight train speeding toward the Western United States in the form of what could be one of the worst wildfire seasons in modern history.”

“Just a few weeks later, Donald Trump plunged us into the longest government shutdown in the country's history. That put hazardous fuel treatment on hold and set treatment levels back even more.”

“Mr. President, Donald Trump has been trying for quite some time to coerce the States into handing over their voter lists since his first term. That is so he and Stephen Miller can create a list of people they do and, most importantly, don't want to have voting in Federal elections.”

“Mr. President, before he leaves the floor, let me thank my colleague from California for very important remarks with respect to this issue. And I am very pleased to be able to join Leader Schumer and Senator Cortez Masto on the floor to talk about energy costs and particularly clean energy jobs.”

“Mr. President, I give notice of my intent to object to any unanimous consent agreement regarding Executive Calendar No. PN681-2, PN835-2, and PN793-2, the promotions of Lieutenant Colonel Vincent J.”

“Mr. President, yesterday, I rose to explain my opposition to the nomination of Joshua Rudd to be the Director of the National Security Agency and to lead Cyber Command.”

“Madam President, just very briefly, because my friend is on the floor, I think we both agree that this position needs to be filled. What I am so troubled by is, on issue after issue, where we needed to see experience and savvy in concrete areas to do what Ben Franklin said--Ben Franklin said we need security and liberty, and smart policies will give you both.”

“Madam President, I rise to speak in opposition to the nomination of Joshua Rudd to be Director of the National Security Agency. During his confirmation hearing, General Rudd demonstrated a lack of familiarity with basic constitutional rights, and that ought to be a bare minimum qualification for this extraordinarily important post.”

“Mr. President, today, I want to recognize and honor the life of Kurt Paul Pfotenhauer, an extraordinary public servant and three-decade friend who passed away on January 21.”

“State of Oregon. That included making sure that our respective congressional and political staffs abided by that agreement. That last bit, as Senators know, sometimes can be easier said than done.”

“Mr. President, late last week, when I first scheduled this consent request that is relating to Jeffrey Epstein's bank records, I was not expecting it to be set against the backdrop of Donald Trump dragging America into yet another war in the Middle East.”

“But over the course of several years, Mr. Black paid Jeffrey Epstein $170 million for what he claimed was tax and estate planning advice. Keep in mind that Jeffrey Epstein wasn't a tax lawyer or an accountant.”

“Mr. President, I am going to be very brief. First of all, as my colleague knows, we are talking about a different set of files. I am concerned about the Treasury Department.”

“Mr. President, we will make this really brief. I have made a number of requests specifically for the information that my colleague has now described as something that is going to come out.”

“Mr. President, I oppose the nomination of Joshua Rudd to be Director of the NSA. His responses to questions posed to him at his confirmation hearing, as well as to written questions, reveal a lack of familiarity with basic constitutional rights that is incompatible with the position for which he has been nominated.”

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, this legislation prohibits any individual--senior citizens, people with disabilities, our veterans, refugees, and the poorest of the poor--from sending money to friends or family overseas for any reason.”

“Since my colleague is talking about my family's background, you might be interested to know that my parents fled the Nazis in the thirties. Not all got out.”

“Mr. President, in a little bit, the Senate is going to decide whether or not to interfere with the tax policy decisions made by the elected representatives of the 700,000 people who live in the Nation's Capital.”

“Madam President, the Senate will vote very soon on a resolution I put forward to overturn a new Trump administration policy regarding corporate taxes and partnerships. When you start using a whole bunch of Washington lingo about the corporate alternative minimum tax and income allocated across partnerships, people go to sleep in a hurry, so I am going to explain it as simply as I can.”

“Mr. President, last week, the Senate passed legislation to fund the Department of Health and Human Services and other Agencies, including a section reflecting bipartisan, bicameral negotiations on healthcare policies in the jurisdiction of the Finance Committee.”

“Mr. President, I will object to the Senate proceeding to the nomination of Sean Plankey of Pennsylvania, to be Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, CISA Department of Homeland Security.”

“Mr. President, for the Trump administration to stomp to death the 1st, the 2nd, the 4th, the 5th, and the 10th Amendments to the Constitution is not immigration enforcement.”

“Mr. President, before she leaves the floor, I just want to say that the Senator from Minnesota has been relentless in terms of standing up for folks who are just trying to get a fair shake on their premiums.”

“Mr. President, I am announcing my intention to object to any unanimous consent request to proceed to H.R. 5345, the Improving Social Security's Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act.”

“Mr. President, there is a runaway train barreling toward our country in the form of a massive increase in healthcare costs for millions of Americans who are tied to the tracks.”

“Mr. President, I am announcing my intention to object to any unanimous consent request to proceed to H.R. 5284, the Claiming Age Clarity Act. I support my colleagues' efforts to simplify the language the Social Security Administration, SSA, uses related to claiming retirement benefits.”

“Mr. President, families across the country are struggling with skyrocketing costs--health costs, grocery costs, energy costs--but instead of working to address these challenges, Republicans are bringing yet another disastrous Trump nominee forward to support his agenda.”

“While he is on the floor, I want to tell my colleague, it has been a pleasure to work with him on this, and what you have said is so eloquent.”

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I am going to make just a few brief points in response to Senator Ernst's proposal. This bill would rescind each dollar of unspent funding from emergency supplementals, including funds America needs to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.”

“Mr. President, I was participating in the 2025 Oregon Business Plan Leadership Summit and necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 635, the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Robert Chamberlin to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Mississippi.”

“Reserving the right to object, I don't often disagree with my friend and longtime colleague from Illinois, and I very much share the stated goals of the STOP CSAM Act.”

“Last Congress, Senator Durbin and I compromised on a different version of this bill and agreed to let that version pass by unanimous consent. Let me say that again.”

“Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of legislation to strike the provision in the Federal funding package that would give a windfall to a handful of Republican Senators who the Biden administration investigated in connection with Trump's effort to try to overthrow the government on January 6, 2021.”

“Mr. President, I come to the floor today to discuss several recent floor developments. Yesterday, Senate Republicans started talking about big insurance companies and women's healthcare. Now, I have heard a lot of talk from Republicans about how the Affordable Care Act is just a big giveaway to insurance companies.”

“American families that cries out for fixing. Again and again, we asked our Republican colleagues to work with us, sit with us, and negotiate improvements in a black-letter law that makes Americans' healthcare better for American families.”

“I think the remarks my colleague has made are thoughtful. He knows that since my days as director of the Gray Panthers, I have always wanted to work in a bipartisan fashion.”

“Mr. President, I rise to promote the passage of S.J. Res. 88, a resolution to repeal Donald Trump's price-hiking global tariffs. American families are being squeezed by prices going up and up and up.”

“Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Rhode Island, as well as Senator Klobuchar and Senator Kaine. We have all been teaming up to terminate Donald Trump's blanket tariffs on products Americans buy from Canada.”

“Mr. President, I rise to support my colleagues Senator Kaine and Senator Paul on their joint resolution to terminate Donald Trump's order placing blanket tariffs on products Americans buy from Brazil.”

“Mr. President and colleagues, I want to start by commending my partner from Oregon, who has now been on the floor for close to 18 hours. What he is doing is ringing the alarm bells about authoritarianism in America.”

“Senator Merkley, you have said it very well. It seems to me America is the last bastion of liberty in the world. There is nowhere to flee to, no mighty republic that stands if American democracy fails.”

“I know you have to ask permission. I just want to say that today has been an extraordinary day for Oregon and for the country. We look forward to continuing this discussion.”

“Would the Senator be willing to continue this discussion in the days ahead? Because I think this has been extraordinary. It has begun to lay out the implications of what this is really all about in terms of authoritarianism.”

“My colleague has richly earned a few hours of sleep tonight, but I am going to make sure that here in the Senate and across the country, people understand that this is the beginning of further discussion, not the end.”

“Mr. President, I join my colleagues, today, in standing up for Americans' basic constitutional rights. Donald Trump has again deployed agents and troops to my hometown of Portland, OR, and to other American cities.”

“Mr. President, I want to tell my colleague from Texas I look forward to the hearings on legislation that would ensure that all Americans have these protections because, as you and I have talked about, I think it is critically important there not be a double standard in America.”

“Mr. President, in the wake of the violent and senseless murders of multiple lawmakers and political advocates, I rise to seek passage of legislation that will provide a real measure of protection to all Americans for their privacy and security.”

“Mr. President, the Senator from Texas has offered to do a hearing on my proposal, and I do appreciate that. I simply believe it is unfortunate when the Senate will pass privacy protections for ourselves but not for all Americans and that only shady data brokers, would-be murderers and stalkers, as well as foreign adversaries buying data on U.S.”

“Mr. President, I come to the floor to recognize and honor an exceptional Oregonian. For 27 years, Kathy Ottele has served as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society and has been instrumental to the work and accomplishments of this unique organization.”

“Mr. President, we have been looking at this for well over 3 years now, and what I would like to do with my colleague Mr. Merkley, with all of my colleagues, is make an important point.”

“Indyke. That sounds about as bizarre and wrong as you can get. My colleagues and I believe it is a big mistake for the Senate to go out of session without making real progress on real transparency on the Epstein issue.”

“Mr. President, I want to thank my colleague from New Hampshire and my colleague from Vermont for both giving extraordinarily thoughtful comments. The reality is, when you talk about these deals, what you are really talking about, the Trump agreements is essentially giving our country a few lines scratched on a napkin.”

“I was honored to be the ranking Democrat on the Finance Committee as we worked together to get this passed. That deal produced real wins for the American people, like Oregon potato growers were able to ship potatoes to Mexico for the first time in decades.”

“Mr. President, for several years now, I have urged the release of an unclassified report by independent cybersecurity experts that is titled ``U.S. Telecommunications Insecurity 2022.'' Congress and the American people deserve to be able to read this report.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to highlight a true example of what we at home call the Oregon Way. At a recent open-to-all townhall meeting--I have held more than 1,100 of them--and this one was in Union County, and I was pleased to run into my friend Tim Cook.”

“So President Tim Cook is running not for office, but he is running for his students. He is pounding the pavement in the summer heat to highlight that when students' basic needs are met, they can focus on their education and create a brighter future for themselves, their families, and their communities.”

“Mr. President, Donald Trump has made some farfetched statements over the last few months, but a stunner in the last few days was his claim that the Jeffrey Epstein matter was a ``hoax'' and a ``scam.'' Here is why the President is wrong.”

“I am going to have more follow-up for Attorney General Bondi very quickly. As for today, if she doesn't want to do the investigating, doesn't want the DOJ to do it, let me just reinstate my original demand: Have that Treasury information given to the Senate Finance Committee and have us, on a bipartisan basis, do our work.”

“Madam President, in reserving the right to object, I want everybody to understand what is going on here on the floor of the Senate. Last week, the Republicans passed a gigantic bill that was full of massive cuts to healthcare and food assistance as well as huge tax handouts to big corporations and the ultrawealthy.”

“Mr. President, I wish to congratulate Rev. Dan Fowler and First Presbyterian Church of Ashland on 150 years of commitment to welcoming and accepting people through all walks of life into your community of faith.”

“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: 1. A motion to commit the bill to the Committee on Finance of the Senate with instructions to report changes that would prevent changes in policy that will lead to increased electricity prices for American families and small businesses, while protecting American energy jobs.”

“Mr. President, the Blackburn amendment penalizes innocent people who are eligible for Medicaid coverage and they are waiting to cut through a thicket of redtape and get healthcare.”

“Mr. President and colleagues, here is how flawed this plan is. The danger Senate Republicans are causing for rural hospitals is so great, Republicans have had to create a rural hospital relief fund so they can look like they are fixing the problem they are causing.”

“Mr. President and colleagues, Republicans started out planning to repeal the tax credits that Finance Democrats wrote for wind and solar energy. Then it got a whole lot worse.”

“The Republican plan actually taxes clean energy. Taxes raise energy bills. The Republican plan will raise your energy bills. If this passes, it is a death sentence for the wind and solar industries and hundreds of thousands of American jobs.”

“Mr. President, I am going to speak very briefly, and then I think my colleagues would like a voice vote. I rise in opposition to the Lee amendment.”

“Mr. President, I am happy to have a voice vote. Let me just speak briefly on this. This amendment is a backdoor way to undermine unemployment insurance. The fact is, Republicans have turned down numerous opportunities to ensure the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes.”

“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: 1. A motion to commit the bill to the Committee on Finance of the Senate with instructions to report changes that (1) would strike any provision that cuts funding for Medicaid; and (2) would ensure big corporations and the ultra-wealthy pay a fair share in taxes.”

“Mr. President, what the Republican majority is doing right now on the Senate floor is hiding trillions of dollars in handouts to corporations and the wealthy--trillions of dollars.”

“Mr. President, I want to pick up on the point that my colleague from Washington State touched on. Everybody ought to understand that this is the nuclear option.”

“Mr. President, before she leaves the floor, I want to thank my colleague, in particular for putting a human face on what this is all about for us on this side of the aisle--that small child, the senior you were talking about.”

“The healthcare cuts are getting a big focus with myself and colleagues because of the challenge for so many communities, but there is something else that is absolutely imperative; that is, the clean energy bloodbath, and it certainly deserves attention.”

“Mr. President, international trade is critical to the resilience and functioning of global supply chains, with goods and services--including industrial inputs and manufacturing equipment being imported and exported along the way.”

“Mr. President, child sexual abuse materials are a toxic plague on the internet. Congress should act as soon as possible to give law enforcement officials the resources they need to find and prosecute criminals responsible for exploiting children and spreading vile abuse materials online.”

“Mr. President, I want to make sure that the country and this institution knows that the leadership of our new colleague from the State of Delaware is making a difference already.”

“Mr. President, I rise to oppose the nomination of Rodney Scott to lead the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency. In my view, this is yet another appalling nomination from the Trump administration.”

“Mr. President, Mr. Scott admitted before the Finance Committee that he signed the illegal subpoena and expressed no remorse for his actions. He appears so unfazed by these allegations of brazen lawlessness that it seems inevitable he will sanction similar abuses of power if he is confirmed to lead Customs and Border Protection.”

“Mr. President, I was on my way to the floor to talk about clean energy policy this afternoon, but I have to join my colleagues in addressing the shocking video out of Los Angeles.”

“Mr. President, in a few minutes, the Senate will vote on whether to put somebody who is up to their eyeballs in tax scams, corruption, and coverups in charge of the IRS.”

“Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 299, confirmation of the nomination of David Fotouhi to be Deputy Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. Had I been present for this vote, I would have voted no.”

“Mr. President, I urge a ``no'' vote on Jim O'Neill to be the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. His nomination comes before the Senate as Republicans push ahead on an agenda that is going to cut Americans' healthcare by more than a trillion dollars and cause 16 million Americans to lose their health coverage.”

“Mr. President, I rise in support of his efforts. He is a valued member of the Senate Finance Committee, and this is a thoughtful approach to bring accountability at Social Security.”

“Mr. President, Social Security, as I say, has refused to provide me with a shred of evidence because we already know from the Social Security watchdog that Social Security fraud--and, colleagues, this is the relevant number--represents 0.009 percent of payments.”

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object. I would say to my colleague, I very much wish that I was not in this position. This morning, I was--like Chairman Lee, I was chairman of the committee, and I know this is a challenging process to put these measures together.”

“Just to briefly respond because we are hearing about hostages and extortion and all this kind of thing. I just want my colleague to know because he and I have worked together for years and years and we have never had a difference of opinion that was based on somebody trying to take hostages and these kinds of things.”

“Madam President, the Senate will soon vote on Frank Bisignano to serve as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. I came to the floor last week to lay out my concerns surrounding the confirmation process for Mr.”

“Mr. President, I rise to urge my colleagues to reject Frank Bisignano's nomination to be the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. The first 100 days of Donald Trump's second term have been filled with chaos and cruelty that have reached into every corner of American life.”

“To respond to my colleague, who I have worked together with so often in such a positive way, this is an area where we just have a very significant difference of opinion.”

“Mr. President, before he leaves the floor, I just want to thank Leader Schumer for all the help. We are going to be focused today on something that really matters to people, and I thank him.”

“Thank you, Mr. President. Senators, the devastating economic news we got this morning should be enough for Senators to vote yes tonight. The only winner from the tariffs is China, which is scooping up markets and allies Donald Trump has left in the dust.”

“Mr. President, I must object to the Senate proceeding to the nomination of Sean Plankey of Pennsylvania, to be Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Department of Homeland Security.”

“Colleagues, this amendment offered by Senator Hawley and myself says that $880 billion in Medicaid cuts have no place in this resolution. Right now, those cuts can be found on page 46, lines 3 through 7, and we ought to get rid of them.”

“Mr. President, before she leaves the floor, let me thank Senator Klobuchar for her outstanding remarks. She and Senator Van Hollen have really made the case that we want a tax bill that gives everybody in America the chance to get ahead, not just the people at the top, and I want to commend her for it.”

“Madam President, once again, Senator Sullivan is out here saying that he is for protecting vulnerable people, but by not defining the vulnerable, the Sullivan amendment is code for States to cut benefits or kick people off their coverage altogether.”

“Mr. President, ahead of the Senate's final vote on the nomination of Dr. Mehmet Oz to head up the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, I want to take a couple minutes to describe what is at stake with this vote.”

“Mr. President, first of all, I want it understood that we take a backseat to nobody--nobody--when it comes to fighting this fraud. That is why I negotiated a bipartisan package in the last Congress dealing with a host of issues relating to addressing fraud and making improvements to unemployment insurance.”

“Reserving the right to object, let me make sure we are clear with my friend because we do a lot of work together, and I am looking forward to continuing it.”

“Mr. President, just very briefly, my colleague says nothing is going to happen in the House to fight fraud. I have got to tell you that I don't see any fraud caucus out there in either the Senate or the House.”

“Mr. President, I rise to support my colleague Senator Kaine's joint resolution to terminate the Trump order placing blanket tariffs on products Americans buy from Canada. I am going to start by saying, as the Ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, I am always struck by how much doubletalk there is about trade.”

“Mr. President, I listened very carefully to my colleague from Alabama, and I don't believe my colleague used the word ``fentanyl,'' and that is what we are concerned about in the Pacific Northwest.”

“I thank my colleague. I have been listening to this, a Herculean presentation, for hours and hours. Your remarks reflect the urgency of our times, Senator Booker, and I thank you for it.”

“Mr. President, 4 years ago, I kicked off an investigation of Big Pharma's tax practices, the dodges and tricks these hugely profitable, multinational companies use to winnow down their tax bills.”

“Mr. President, I am going to take a few minutes to walk through these findings and discuss why they are so important. I am very pleased to be joined by several of my colleagues who are also outraged about this tax-dodging.”

“Well said, Senator Whitehouse. And I want to get my colleagues into this. Next in order of appearance is Senator Van Hollen. Once again, I want everybody to understand that the four of us are going to continue to go after this colossal tax avoidance until it gets fixed, because the American people are getting ripped off.”

“Mr. President, I thank my colleague. Once again, you can hear his expertise in the Ways and Means Committee and the body on these issues, and I thank him for his leadership.”

“Senator Welch, thank you for your leadership. It is great to have you on this committee. Mr. President, to wrap up, our investigation has found that Pfizer has carried out what could be the largest tax-dodging scheme in the history of Big Pharma.”

“Mr. President and colleagues, the Senate will soon take a vote on the nomination of Michael Faulkender to serve as Deputy Treasury Secretary. I urge my colleagues to oppose the nomination.”

“Mr. President, I come to the floor with my colleague from Vermont Senator Sanders to pass a set of critical improvements to America's healthcare system. This legislation is overwhelmingly bipartisan, fully paid for, and targeted at two objectives every Senator ought to support: improving healthcare for Americans and cracking down on the middlemen who take advantage of the system.”

“Mr. President, very briefly, I want to thank my colleague. We have been working, as we have indicated, for months and months, because Americans, with respect to healthcare, feel like they are getting hit by a wrecking ball here in terms of the costs and inability to get quality care.”

“Mr. President, I join my colleagues today to talk about the importance of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in defending typical Americans against scams and multinational banks. This Agency's entire purpose is standing up for regular people as a watchdog against the powerful and the corrupt.”

“Madam President, my colleague from New Hampshire is being way too logical for some of what passes as trade debate here. And it is my hope that her excellent proposal will be back on this Senate floor sometime soon for unanimous consent to pass a very important bill protecting Americans from tax hikes on imported goods.”

“Mr. President, first of all, I want to thank Senator Kaine for his extraordinary leadership on this. I think America is at a crucial time on energy policy, and Senator Kaine cuts right to the heart of the debate.”

“Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the nomination of Jamieson Greer to serve as U.S. Trade Representative. If confirmed, he would be the top official on one of the President's signature issues: trade and tariffs.”

“Mr. President, I rise in opposition. This amendment claims to protect Medicare and Medicaid, but it does neither. In particular, the Medicaid language seeks to talk about a group called the most vulnerable.”

“I will use my 24 seconds to say the reality is the House is looking at a budget in the Energy and Commerce Committee with the prospect of significant cuts in healthcare.”

“Mr. President, I want to thank my colleagues Senator Murphy and Senator Kaine for very strong speeches, and I look forward very much to working with them in this fight.”

“Mr. President, I would only say to my friend from Idaho that he says this is not going to happen, that people are going to be safe and seniors on Medicaid and the like will be safe--I would just say to my colleague, it starts today--today--in the other body of Congress, I would say to my colleague.”

“Mr. President, late into the night, Senators spoke on the Senate floor about why Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is the least qualified nominee to ever be tapped as America's chief health officer.”

“Mr. President, as we begin this discussion that is so important to America, I thought I would just mention the conversation I had recently with a couple of young medical students who came up to me and said: We know you are interested in healthcare and have been involved in this.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to oppose the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to be the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. And let me put it very bluntly to my colleagues: A vote for Robert Kennedy for this position is a vote for a sicker America.”

“Federal health programs he would be charged with running and a willful desire to mislead Senators about his views on science matters like vaccine safety. The only conclusion I am left with is that he stands steadfastly by the outlandish views he has expressed over his two-decade career as an anti-vaccine crusader, and he is fully prepared to implement the Republican healthcare agenda.”

“Madam President, today I will be speaking about the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to be Director of National Intelligence and my reasons for opposing her confirmation. First, I believe the Senate must consider with this nomination the examples of blatant lawlessness of the administration.”

“Before he leaves the floor, let me thank my colleague from California, my southern neighbor, for his excellent comments that so eloquently put in perspective what the choices are all about.”

“Madam President, had I been present for rollcall vote No. 17 of the 119th Congress--confirmation of Kristi Noem, of South Dakota, to be Secretary of Homeland Security--I would have voted nay.”

“Madam President, the Senate will vote shortly on the nomination of Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary. I urge opposition to this nomination. Here is why. First off, nearly a million dollars in unpaid Medicare taxes.”

“Regardless of what happens next, it is obvious that the Trump administration wants to eliminate those people who are going to stand in the way of corruption and call it out.”

“Madam President, I often worked with Senator Crapo in a positive way, and I know we are going to do that in the future. I want to make sure there is no confusion with respect to this Medicare tax issue.”

“Treasury policy, and we will have established another double standard in the tax area that sends a message that if you are powerful, if you have accountants, if you have lawyers, you can basically figure out a way to not pay what you would pay if you were a firefighter or a teacher.”

“Madam President, a number of serious and concerning issues were raised in Pete Hegseth's nomination hearing last week; and in the Hegseth nomination hearing last week, there were a number of important issues.”

“Madam President, at some point, the Senate will vote on the nomination of John Ratcliffe to be the Director of the CIA. I am here to outline for just a few moments why I oppose this nomination.”

“Mr. President, I come to the floor today to express my strong opposition to Republicans' so-called Born-Alive bill. I want to commend Senator Murray and all my colleagues who have done so much good work on this.”

“Imagine you and your spouse get the good news that you are expecting. You are over the Moon until a few months later when you get the worst news you could possibly imagine receiving during pregnancy.”