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Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, over the August recess, I traveled across Illinois and found out what folks were thinking. There was one answer I heard more than any other; it was a concern about the healthcare cuts contained in the so-called Big Beautiful Bill. You remember that was the Trump budget that passed the Senate here with a party-line vote.

Their concerns, I think, are justified. This bill will cut Medicaid by $1 trillion over the next 10 years. It will cause up to 17 million people to lose their healthcare.

I just learned this afternoon that premiums paid for dental insurance are likely to go up as much as 90 percent because of the big beautiful Trump budget bill--90 percent. It is likely that 4 million Americans will lose dental insurance on top of the health insurance losses I just mentioned.

This means millions of Americans will no longer be able to afford prescriptions, hospital visits, surgeries. It is going to take its toll on America's population, and it won't just be the uninsured who are affected. I have heard from hospitals across my State that these healthcare cuts will force them to close.

Republicans tried to use the August recess to convince Americans that these cuts are worth it because they will see big tax breaks and economic growth, but they are wrong. Working families making less than $35,000 a year will see a tax break of $150 a year--$3 a week. Most of the tax breaks will go to billionaires making much more money, like Elon Musk who could see tax breaks of more than $300,000--$6,000 in tax cuts a week. And $3 a week for working families at the low end; $6,000 a week for the richest people in Illinois and the Nation.

Republicans claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility. And over the next decade, this big beautiful Trump budget law will add a whopping $3.4 trillion to the national debt. This President is going to take the prize again. In his first term in office, in 4 years, he added more debt to the U.S. Treasury than any President in history. Now he is going to break his own record.

That means that while corporations and the ultrawealthy receive giveaways, working families will see higher inflation and prices due to this foolish trade war the President has initiated. Combined with healthcare cuts, working-class families are going to be the losers.

You know what I think? Instead of playing golf one day, the President should spend a day with real families in America. Most families now are preparing for the school year to start. Last month, students across Illinois returned to the classroom for the start of the school year. New school year comes with a new list of school supplies--backpacks, binders, notebooks, pens, pencils, tech, and more. For working families, especially those with several children, and for the teachers who go above and beyond by dipping into their own pockets to help the kids, that tab can add up quickly.

But thanks to Donald Trump's numerous trade wars, families and teachers are actually feeling the squeeze in households across America. That is because prices on school supplies have risen under Donald Trump by more than 12 percent, $73 million compared to last year.

Donald Trump campaigned on lowering costs on day one. Remember when he said that over and over again? And he promised his tariffs would somehow liberate American taxpayers. In reality, his misguided tariff wars left fear, uncertainty, and higher prices for American consumers.

You wonder how he comes up with these numbers for tariffs. It sounds like it is a free association every morning: Should it be 25? Maybe 50. Let's try 40. No, let's do 35.

This uncertainty is leading to chaos across the world. It is not just school supplies; costs are up across the board on nearly all everyday products. I will show you. I go to my local supermarket in Springfield to make sure that I am in touch with what real prices are for at least a number of food items. Fresh vegetables are up more than 16 percent since June. Coffee is up nearly 30 percent. A carton of eggs is more expensive than it was last year. That is not all. The cost to repair your car, heat or cool your home, pay for formula, diapers, clothes for your kids--all up thanks to this President's policies.

American businesses Trump claims to be helping cannot plan because of the chaotic tariffs and their jarring impact on supply chains.

President Trump's reckless tariffs--the highest rates in nearly a century--are projected to cost American families thousands of dollars. These tariffs are sales taxes that consumers across America have to pay. That is not liberation; that is a tax increase on every American family, and that is the President's plan.

But the impact of these tariffs stretches beyond prices. It is also hitting American manufacturing. The uncertainty of Trump's tariffs has frozen the job market, driving investment away from U.S. factories and workers. Under this administration, the United States is set to lose another $500 billion by 2029 in manufacturing investment. Remember, these tariffs were supposed to create new manufacturing. We are still waiting. That hurts longtime manufacturing powerhouses like the cities of Peoria, Decatur, and Rockford that I represent. They rely on good- paying manufacturing jobs to foster local business groups, support families, and drive innovation.

Now, some targeted tariffs in areas where there is unfair foreign competition can be warranted, but that is not what is happening. What we have is chaos. Everyone knows the sloppy approach by this administration is bad for the American people and yet another example of Executive overreach by the President, which is why the courts have ruled these tariffs are illegal. But instead of respecting the courts, President Trump has doubled down.

On a Truth Social post, he said:

Without Tariffs . . . our Country would be completely destroyed, and our military power would be instantly obliterated.

That quote is from the President. The problem is, these tariffs, as we have shown, are already destroying the economy.

On the issue of military readiness and foreign policy, imagine what happened this week. The leaders of China, Russia, India, and North Korea all decided to have a summit meeting in China to announce some new arrangement where they were going to work together. Donald Trump has brought our adversaries together in a way I never dreamed was possible.

Trump's tariffs are reshaping the global order in a dangerous and unprecedented way. Just last week, Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Xi of China--our biggest adversaries--were seen smiling with Prime Minister Modi during this trilateral meeting. President Trump's tariff policies pushed India away from us and toward our rivals. Tariffs were ``supposed'' to strengthen our hand; instead, they are weakening our position around the globe. These tariffs mean higher prices, less opportunity, and a weaker standing abroad.

It is time to put American families and workers first and reverse course on this failed policy.

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