Business Before the Senate

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, so let's talk about what is going to happen in the Senate in this period, in this work period.

Now, we convene at the start of this pivotal work period. This week, Republicans are expected to begin marking up the text of their reconciliation bill.

With so many problems facing our country, with a threat of recession on the horizon, with tariffs driving costs up, and Elon Musk taking a meat cleaver to Social Security, to veterans' care, and to cancer research, what are Republicans in Congress spending their time on? They want to cut taxes for billionaires and make working people pay for it. They want to add over $52 trillion--trillion dollars--to the national debt. I think of my grandson when I think of that. They want to make the biggest cuts to Medicaid ever. This is the Republican agenda: Billionaires win. American families lose.

Republicans have gotten by so far with a bunch of empty and deceptive promises that none of the outrageous cuts they propose will come back to harm ordinary Americans. But their rhetorical runway is quickly going to run out. Soon, they will have to show everyone the real details of their legislation, and it is not going to be pretty.

Even if Republicans pass a fraction of the cuts they are proposing to Medicaid, it would devastate communities--urban, suburban, and particularly rural. The cost of healthcare will come up for those least able to afford it. Healthcare workers would lose their jobs. Millions could lose coverage. And for what? So billionaires can pay less in taxes. It is a revolting--thoroughly revolting--agenda.

Democrats will vehemently oppose this bill and all the harmful elements of the Republican agenda at every opportunity.

Tomorrow, as I said a moment ago, Senate Democrats will take to the floor to highlight the disaster of Trump's first 100 days.

On Wednesday, we will take to the Senate steps and join in one voice with our House counterparts to decry the ways this President has already--already--only 100 days in, failed our country.

In the coming weeks, we will continue to oppose deeply unqualified nominees who have no business serving in government. We have seen that already, for instance, with the antics of Mr. Hegseth.

We will also fight Donald Trump's disastrous trade war. Soon, the Senate will vote on bipartisan legislation I cosponsored with Senators Wyden, Kaine, and Paul that nullifies Donald Trump's trade war. To nobody's surprise, the President has already threatened to veto this bill.

Senate Republicans who know how bad tariffs are for their States should join us to nullify Donald Trump's trade war and ignore his veto threat, and, if necessary, we should override the President's veto. These tariffs are so bad and are already pushing America into recession.

``Recession'' is an economic word for shrinking growth. But what does it mean to American families? More likely to lose a job, harder to find a new job, more likely to have prices go up and not be able to afford those price increases.

Finally, Senate Democrats will do what Senate Republicans refuse to do: conduct oversight on this administration. We will do it on our own. That means pushing for investigations into the leadership failures at the Pentagon. What Hegseth did there was horrible. It means pushing back against attacks on Social Security. It means resisting the defunding of public resources like PBS. It means exposing the chilling arrests of Americans without due process.

Day after day after day, we will hammer home the Republican agenda, and Americans will see the difference between Democratic unity and Republican disarray.

It is no wonder Republicans are in such disarray--House Republicans fighting with one another, Senate Republicans fighting with one another, and Senate and House Republican leadership not even on the same page. That is incredible. Why? Because their programs are so unpopular with the American people.

Democrats are united in our mission to lower costs for families, protect healthcare, defend American democracy. Meanwhile, Republicans are at loggerheads with each other.

As I said, House Republicans are fighting among themselves. Senate Republicans are fighting among themselves. Leadership in both Chambers are at odds. And why do Republicans face this situation where they are so at odds with one another? The simple answer is, again: because their agenda is so unpopular with the American people, and neither House--and no Republican Senator--wants to be left holding this hot potato.

The backlash Republicans are getting from the public--whether it is town halls, in the streets, or through dismal polling data--should serve as a warning to our colleagues on the other side: If they proceed with their agenda, the political outcry will be enormous, just enormous.

So as long as Donald Trump pushes America down the dangerous road we are already on, he will face resistance from Democrats, from the courts, and, most importantly, from the American people themselves.

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