Trump Administration

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, as our Nation wages Donald Trump's reckless war with a dangerous and erratic enemy and as the Department of Homeland Security is still not funded because of the high jinks within the President's own party, Donald Trump has decided to focus on a taxpayer- funded, gold-plated ballroom instead of focusing on these important national security issues: the war in Iran--dangerous for the United States; the fact that we haven't funded Homeland Security--dangerous for the United States. Does Donald Trump roll up his sleeves and say ``Let's solve these problems''? No. He is focused on this ballroom--his gilded, gold-plated, taxpayer-funded ballroom--instead of focusing on the important national security issues facing the country.

Trump's values are perverse--just perverse. If the President and House Republicans truly care about our national security, fund DHS, fund the Secret Service, fund CISA, fund the Coast Guard, fund all the crucial, law-abiding Agencies that every Democrat and every Republican in the Senate unanimously voted to fund not once but twice.

Now House Republicans say they are tinkering with technical changes to our legislation.

Speaker Johnson, our bill--our bipartisan bill--doesn't need any changes. Just pass the damn thing. Pass the damn thing. We desperately need it.

Democrats chose to fund national security and keep Americans safe. For 32 days, House Republicans have blocked the funding for DHS. Donald Trump and Republicans' fixation on the ballroom just shows how out of touch--how very out of touch--they are.

Let us not forget that last year, Karoline Leavitt said Trump's gilded ballroom ``is not going to cost the taxpayers a dime.'' Well, rewind. Instead, the ballroom is going to cost the taxpayers a pretty penny, to the tune of $400 million. Let me repeat: $400 million for Trump's walled palace--that is how much his acolyte Senator Graham wants to authorize for the project in this new bill. He has also floated potentially forcing through ballroom funding with Republicans' partisan reconciliation process. Rush it through without debate and without amendment--$400 million for a ballroom? Seriously? Apparently, Donald Trump wasn't satisfied with forcing Americans to foot the bill for a war they do not want and $1 trillion in tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires that Americans eschew. It is absolute absurdity.

What happened to funding the ballroom with tens of millions of dollars in shady donations Trump received from billionaires and corporations or with the billions his family has made off the Presidency? What happened to that--ignoble as that was?

Instead of spending $400 million to build a walled palace for Donald Trump, Republicans should use that money to lower housing, food, gas, and healthcare costs for the American people. I am putting out a framework today on how to bring down healthcare costs. Republicans ought to follow it--helping the American people for once.

Unfortunately, holding up DHS funding isn't the only way Republican infighting is threatening America's national security.

Speaker Johnson, Donald Trump, and national Republicans: America's national security is at stake. Get your act together on FISA. America cannot afford for you to continue dithering on FISA.

Get your act together, Speaker Johnson. Run the House of Representatives like it should be run--dealing with the problems America faces.

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