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Floor Speech
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Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, election day has come and gone, but there is still quite a bit of uncertainty about what the next Congress will look like, particularly in the House of Representatives.
As final ballots are being counted in a number of States, there is a lot we still don't know. But here is what we do know: We know that Democrats will maintain a razor-thin majority in the Senate, and I emphasize razor thin. In a few weeks, Georgia voters will head back to the polls to determine whether Democrats will hold 50 or 51 seats.
We won't know the result of that race until December 6 at the earliest. Now, suffice it to say, this is not the result I would have hoped for. Like all of my colleagues, I have heard firsthand about the pain and frustration families have felt due to Democrats' policies. Their runaway spending habits have fueled inflation. Their open border policies have ushered in the largest migration crisis we have ever witnessed. The epidemic of fentanyl deaths is compounded by the Biden and Democratic open border policies. Their anti-police, soft-on-crime rhetoric has harmed public safety, and their detached-from-reality energy policies have sent gas prices soaring and undermined our national security.
Best I can tell, our Democratic colleagues still don't have a plan to address any of those issues. It has become an exercise in finger- pointing, and the latest scapegoat is now the former Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus. Even if the Biden White House and congressional Democrats--even if they did have a plan, it doesn't look like there is much appetite for action.
If Republicans had won the majority, these issues would have been at the top of our list, but, unfortunately, we came up short this time. I know many of my Republican colleagues are eager to have a frank discussion about the path forward for our party, and it is essential that we do so.
We need to ensure that in 2 years our policies and our message will resonate with the voters. So I agree with the need to have a frank, meaningful conversation--debate even. We shouldn't be afraid of spirited debate in the U.S. Senate. After all, debate about what our message should be and what our priorities should look like, that is essential.
Those discussions will begin tomorrow, and I hope there will be plenty of time to listen to one another and then to work toward consensus on a clear, concise, and impactful plan of action.
In terms of what to expect from our Democratic colleagues, I don't expect much to change. Given that Senator Manchin and Senator Sinema-- given their strong support for the 60-vote threshold for the Senate to act, I believe that will remain firmly intact. If the majority leader tries to go nuclear--as he has threatened to do time and time again-- and blow up the rules of the Senate, he simply doesn't have the votes. That is the good news.
There will be no Green New Deal. There will be no court packing, no DC statehood, no mass amnesties. Republicans, maybe with some Democratic support, will block the most radical aspects of the agenda for progressives in the Democratic Party, and we will continue to fight the irresponsible spending and government overreach our colleagues have pushed the last 2 years.
Instead, we will push for commonsense policies to bring down the costs and improve the standard of living for working families. We will work to increase domestic energy production, rather than go hat in hand to autocrats in the Middle East, and we will secure the border. I hope we can do this through bipartisan progress. These are the top issues facing families across the country and they deserve our attention and, more than that, they deserve our action here in the Senate.
Unfortunately, it is not just the Senate that is in a bit of a holding pattern. Several House races have yet to be called, and it is not clear which party will hold the majority. Republicans have a lead right now, and I am optimistic that that is where things will end up in the House. A Republican majority in the House would force our Democratic colleagues to abandon partisan governance, which has dominated in the last 2 years, as they have held the White House, they have held the House, and then had a working majority in the Senate.
But now Democrats would no longer be able to abuse the budget reconciliation process to circumvent the normal legislative process. They would be forced to work in earnest to find common ground, which is what the American people, I believe, clearly want.
Again, we are all eager for the ballot counting to conclude. It has been nearly a week since election day, and everyone is eager to have a final roster for the 118th Congress.
While there is a lot we still don't know, there are some exciting things we do know. The Senate will welcome at least five new Republicans at the start of next year. Katie Britt, Ted Budd, Markwayne Mullin, Eric Schmitt, and J.D. Vance will join the ranks of the Republican conference.
Each of these individuals is coming to Washington with a fresh perspective, right off the campaign trail, and a long list of ideas to improve the lives of folks in their State and across America.
While I am sad to see our retiring colleagues go, I am eager to welcome this new blood, this new energy, and these new ideas into the Senate.
There are also some new faces joining the Texas delegation. Given the explosive population growth in our State, we have added two new House seats this cycle, bringing the total to 38 House Members from the great State of Texas.
Next Congress, we will welcome five new Texas Republicans in the House, and I am eager to work with these men and women to solve some of the biggest issues families in our State are facing.
But if the truth be known, I am happy to work with anybody who shares my interest in trying to make life a little bit better and to address the critical issues facing American families today, which brings me to my next topic, the National Defense Authorization Act.
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