What Tina Smith said, and what was done

“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I want to say a couple of words about this bill that I strongly oppose. This bill would expand the already draconian global gag rule to apply to more types of foreign aid, more services, and more organizations by codifying the Trump administration's so-called human flourishing policy.”

“Mr. President, I want to thank my colleague Senator Klobuchar, who knew and loved and worked closely with Melissa for so many years. I know that this is a personal moment for her, to think about the loss that we experience every day not having Melissa with us but also just being able to capture who she was as a person.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to talk about Minnesota because the fight that is about to happen here on the Senate floor started far away from this place on the streets of my home State.”

“Alex Pretti. His family, law-abiding citizens exercising their Second Amendment right and the trust of the American people deserve a fair process. Who said that? Senator Crapo said that.”

“Madam President, I rise today to join my colleagues in defending the consumer protections that the Trump administration is working so hard to unravel. During the financial crisis of 2008, Americans lost trillions because of deceptive and abusive and irresponsible financial practices.”

“The CFPB has done its job. It has actually worked. It has returned more than $21 billion stolen from consumers. But in 2025, when the Trump administration came in, they began undoing all of this good work and dismantling this Agency that was created by Congress, by us, to protect the people.”

“Mr. President, I want to start by just thanking my colleague from Minnesota, Senator Klobuchar, and Senator Heinrich and Senator Baldwin and all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have joined me in opposing H.J.”

“Mr. President, I rise tonight thinking about my beloved Minnesota and thinking about all of the people in Minnesota and around the country that love the Boundary Waters.”

“Thank you, Senator Klobuchar. Senator Klobuchar, you and I have known each other for many years, and I never knew that your father was friends and colleagues with Sigurd Olson, which is really incredible.”

“Mr. President, I want to just thank my colleague from Wisconsin for her powerful words and her longtime support for the Boundary Waters and for treaty rights and for American jobs and American-made products.”

“Mr. President, I want to thank my colleague from New Mexico for laying out the issues so ably that are before us with this House resolution on the Boundary Waters.”

“I was searching, a moment ago, for--I had mentioned that I wanted to share some of the views of America's indigenous Tribes, talking about why they think that it is important to protect the Boundary Waters.”

“Having the support of the National Congress of American Indians is extremely important, but I also want to just note that the Minnesota Chippewa Tribes--that all of the Chippewa Tribes in Northern Minnesota have also expressed their strong disapproval of this action that the Senate is contemplating tonight.”

“Mr. President, allowing public land orders to be rescinded under the Congressional Review Act, which is what would be happening here tonight, is a dangerous precedent that would affect every State in our country.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to discuss a Congressional Review Act resolution H.J. Res. 140 that could come before the Senate any time over the next 2 weeks, and I want to speak directly to my Republican colleagues about this CRA and why you should vote against it.”

“What happens is you mine the rock underground; you bring it up to the surface. This is copper sulfide ore, and as soon as it is exposed to the air and to water, the sulfide in the rocks turns into basically what is battery acid.”

“So what we are doing here with this mine is we are creating a pathway--a pipeline--for this foreign company to build a mine almost certainly polluting the Boundary Waters to take the copper to send it to China where they then have a sweetheart deal for smelting and then sell it back out on the open market.”

“Mr. President, I rise today with a solemn heart to honor the life of U.S. Army Reserve MSG Nicole Amor from White Bear Lake, MN. Master Sergeant Amor was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Kuwait when she, along with five other servicemembers, lost her life serving our Nation on March 1, 2026, during a drone attack.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleagues to talk about the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and why it is so important. I want to start with core principles.”

“Mr. President, I thank my colleague Senator Klobuchar and all of our colleagues who are joining us on the floor this afternoon. We are here today because we have a full-blown, dangerous emergency unfolding in Minnesota.”

“We need accountability. ICE agents should be required to abide by the same set of laws, the same use-of-force standards that your local police department abides by. We need a fair and unbiased investigation, and we need no more of this secret police--no more masks and agents without proper identification, and body cameras.”

“Madam President, I rise today to honor my friend and great American Richard Moe, whom we lost to Parkinson's disease at the age of 88 on September 15 of this year.”

“If the Senator from Oregon would yield for a question, I would appreciate that. I have a specific question, but I would like to just actually follow up on the interesting conversation you were having with Senator Cantwell from Washington about soybeans, because I represent Minnesota, a very large soybean State, and I was just home in Minnesota last weekend.”

“I want to just follow up on something that you talked about with the attempt by the Trump administration to consolidate and get some control over our voting process in this country.”

“Mr. President, in May, Minnesotans suddenly lost Evan Berquist, of St. Paul. His kindness and thoughtfulness touched the lives of so many people in Minnesota and around the world who miss him dearly.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to honor Charlie Zelle, who is retiring today from his role as chair of the Metropolitan Council in Minnesota. Charlie has been a visionary leader for Minnesota.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to honor the late Robert Fleming of Minnesota. Robert passed away in Phoenix, AZ, at the age of 97 on July 31, 2025.”

“Mr. President, I stand before this body trying to make sense of the terrible shooting at Annunciation Catholic School, just a couple of miles from where Archie and I live in Minneapolis, and I can't.”

“Mr. President, many thanks to my colleague Senator Klobuchar for her heartfelt words. I rise today because my friend Melissa Hortman, speaker emerita of the Minnesota State House, incredible person and strong leader, was shot and killed Saturday morning, along with her husband Mark, in a tragic, politically motivated attack.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to call out the threat that this Republican budget and the Trump administration poses to Social Security. President Trump and Elon Musk's ``move fast and break things'' mentality is breaking Social Security, and it is obvious that they intend to dismantle Social Security, which will hurt the millions of Americans that rely on it, that count on it, including more than 1 million Minnesotans.”

“Mr. President, thank you, and thank you to my colleague from New Jersey for yielding for a question. I want to just start by thanking my colleague, who is one of my dearest friends in the Senate, for using your voice in such a powerful way over the many, many hours that you have been holding the Senate floor.”

“And in so many circumstances, he quotes science or studies that have been disproven. The studies that he has referenced have been withdrawn, or they don't say what he claims or purports to say that they do.”

“Mr. President, I rise today--I just want to thank my colleague Senator Schatz for his clear-eyed description of what is happening right now and how that connects to this nomination that is before the Senate right now, the nomination for Mr.”

“Mr. President, I rise today with my colleagues Senator Murray and Senator Schumer and Senator Durbin and my close colleague from Minnesota Senator Klobuchar and others to stand up for women and for doctors in my home State of Minnesota and around the country.”

“Mr. President, I rise today to honor Robin Philips, who is retiring after over two decades of leadership at the Advocates For Human Rights. Robin was on the organization's delegation to document violence against women in Romania in 1994.”