John Thune

“I understand that there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading. The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (S. 4632) to provide for a period of continuing appropriations in the event of a lapse in appropriations under the normal appropriations process, to establish procedures and consequences in the event of a failure to enact appropriations, and for other purposes.”

“Yesterday on the floor I discussed some of our accomplishments here in the Senate, and one of those accomplishments is restoring regular order consideration of appropriation bills. Unfortunately, in fiscal year 2025, we were forced do a full-year CR after the failures of the previous Democrat majority and the Biden administration to enact full-year bills in a timely manner.”

“What I consider to be the most consequential action not just of this majority but of my entire time in the Senate is the Working Families Tax Cut—because of the permanent tax relief Republicans delivered in this bill, tax relief that puts more money in hard-working Americans' pockets.”

“The month of May is dedicated to America's finest. We observed Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day last week, and the entire month of May is Military Appreciation Month. Armed Forces Day was Saturday, and next week, we will observe Memorial Day and remember all those who have laid down their lives in America's service. It is an extraordinary thing they do, the men and women who sign up to join our military. They don't simply choose service; they choose a kind of service that may require them to sacrifice everything.”

“It doesn't seem to matter who President Trump nominates-- the Democrats blindly oppose them. Democrats aren't interested in a person's qualifications. All they care about is opposing President Trump, and it has been that way since he took office last January. President Trump is the only President on record who has not had a single--single--civilian nominee approved by voice vote or by unanimous consent here in the U.S. Senate--the only President in history. Democrats have dragged out the process on every single one of his nominations.”

“My Democrat colleagues refused to provide a single dollar for the men and women who protect our borders. They refused to provide a single dollar for the men and women who take dangerous criminal illegal aliens off of our streets. I can scarcely think of anything more obvious, but, apparently, the need for law enforcement is not obvious to my Democrat colleagues because they are right back to a "defund the police" position — this time, it is defunding law enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security.”

“We have a lot to do over the next 2 weeks: confirm Kevin Warsh to the Federal Reserve, approve a nominations package, and fund law enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security. That last item should not need to be on our agenda. We should have been able to have funded border security and immigration enforcement officers as part of the final Homeland Security funding agreement, but my Democrat colleagues refused.”

“Sometimes, I have to wonder if Democrats remember the last election and how 4 years of recordbreaking illegal immigration on President Biden's watch helped hand the House, the Senate, and the White House to Republicans, because to watch the Democrat Party right now, you would think that 2024 never happened. Democrats not only haven't rejected the open borders philosophy of the Biden administration; they have doubled down. At least we had the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement under President Biden.”

“We are approaching 1 year since the Working Families Tax Cut became law. For nearly a year now, the American people have been seeing the benefits of this bill, from a more secure border to a stronger military, larger paychecks and bigger refunds, support for farmers and ranchers, and a lifeline for struggling rural healthcare providers. For the past year, the story of the Working Families Tax Cut has been unfolding across the country in different ways.”

“This week, the Senate takes a big step forward on an issue that is important to many Americans, and that is homeownership. Whether you read about it in the news or hear about it in conversation with friends and family members, most people know that the dream of homeownership is out of reach for too many people in our country. Limited housing supply and burdensome regulations have contributed to higher prices, and many Americans are simply being priced out of the housing market.”

“Last week, a U.S. Army Apache helicopter went down off the coast of Iran. Within 2 hours, a rescue boat located the pilots. This was not an ordinary rescue boat. For the first time ever, an unmanned sea drone was sent to pick up the pilots and bring them to safety. From the battlefields of Ukraine to the conflict with Iran, drones and other unmanned systems have become the weapon of choice. Yet the U.S. military has been dangerously behind in drone and counter-drone capabilities.”

“I don't think at this point there are too many people who think Democrats were actually interested in reforms of Border Patrol and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement because it was pretty clear from their actions that they were not. If you are interested in getting reforms, you don't say no when you are repeatedly offered a robust reform package, even if you can't get every single thing you want. But Democrats, of course, said no again and again and again.”

“On Thursday President Trump nominated Jay Clayton the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York to be the Director of National Intelligence. He has an impressive resume with experience in both the public sector and the private sector, and he has the kind of skill set necessary for managing issues as complex and varied as those faced by the Director of National Intelligence.”

“Next week, our top priority will be funding the government until the November election. The American people have faced two--two--recordbreaking government shutdowns in the past 10 months. We need to ensure that they do not face a third. We owe the American people some certainty here. They should not have to be hoping and praying that on September 30, the government will get funded and that government services will continue.”

“Yesterday, we said goodbye to our friend and colleague Lindsey Graham. But though we said farewell, Lindsey's work continues. Last night, we began consideration of the bill to which he devoted so much of his time and energy over the last year. He had worked on it with world leaders and Members of both parties here in Congress, and he was working on it on the day he died. That bill is now known as the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act.”

“This afternoon, we are going to move on the nomination of Jay Clayton to be Director of National Intelligence. Amid a heightened threat environment, having a proven leader in this role is especially important, and Jay Clayton fits this mold. During the first Trump administration, Jay Clayton served as Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission for almost 4 years, and under his leadership, the SEC went after financial crimes and fraud and aimed to protect Main Street investors.”

“Americans tend to trust Republicans more than Democrats when it comes to national security. And, boy oh boy, do Democrats seem determined to demonstrate why that is the case. Yesterday afternoon, Democrats voted against the National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill that authorizes spending for our Nation's defense. Their ostensible excuse was the conflict in Iran. Well, in case they were operating under a misconception, I am happy to tell them that this year's National Defense Authorization Act is not an Iran funding supplemental.”

“I come to the floor today with a heavy heart. I look to my right, and I see a desk which we in the Senate refer to and know as the John Calhoun desk. It is covered by a black shroud, and on top of that shroud is a bowl of white roses. That is Lindsey Graham's desk. It is difficult to believe that Lindsey Graham is no longer here with us, that we won't run into him at a meeting today or share a joke with him at this afternoon's vote. The halls of the Senate already feel empty without him, and I know I am not alone in that feeling.”

“we are on day 40 of Democrats' shutdown of Department of Homeland Security--day 40. And that is on top of Democrats' recordbreaking 43-day full-government shutdown in the fall. Altogether, thanks to Senate Democrats, a lot of DHS employees have been working without pay for more than 80 days so far this fiscal year. That is shameful. It is no wonder TSA agents are quitting in droves-- anyone would be if they had been working without pay for almost 50 percent of the fiscal year so far.”

“Mr. J. Res. 140 from the House. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is correct.”

“Just before I begin my remarks, I would associate myself with the remarks of my colleague from South Dakota pertaining to the Postal Service and their work in South Dakota. If there was a way to build an incredibly inefficient model, they have figured out how to do it. It needs to be fixed. I share his view, and we will work with him to insist and ensure that they make changes that improve the service that affects the constituents, the people that we represent and serve.”

“A week or 2 ago, I came down to the floor and talked about growing up in a small town in South Dakota. As I said in those remarks, I carry those South Dakotans with me in a special way in my work here in Washington. When I consider bills or look at regulations, I think about what kind of impact they will have on those Americans, on hard-working people without a lot of extra money in the budget, on people living paycheck to paycheck or, as was the case with some of the farmers I grew up with, harvest to harvest.”

“I am pleased to say that the text of the continuing resolution has been released. It is a strong, bipartisan piece of legislation, and I hope it will receive overwhelming support from both parties in the Senate. I am deeply grateful to Appropriations Chair Collins for her work to produce this legislation, in consultation with Members of both parties, and I also want to thank Senator Murray, vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, for her efforts to get this done. I look forward to passing this bill in the next few days.”

“The Democrat leader said that Border Patrol and ICE are two Agencies that 'nobody respects in this country.' Democrats apparently think it is reasonable to have nobody patrolling the southern border. They think it is reasonable to let criminal illegal immigrants continue living freely in our country.”

“It is difficult to believe that this is the third time--the third time--President Trump has faced an assassination attempt. And, as we know, the shooter's ambitions in this instance extended even further, to other administration officials and the Vice President.”

“this week, the Senate takes a big step forward on an issue that is important to many Americans, and that is homeownership. Whether you read about it in the news or hear about it in conversation with friends and family members, most people know that the dream of homeownership is out of reach for too many people in our country. Limited housing supply and burdensome regulations have contributed to higher prices, and many Americans are simply being priced out of the housing market.”

“I expect there will be a lot of amendments today on a lot of topics. So I want to take just a minute to focus in on the essence of the bill that we are on that we will be considering and voting on today. It is a simple bill. It will do nothing more than fund Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the next 3 years. And why are we doing this bill? Why are we doing appropriations for these Department of Homeland Security Agencies separately and for 3 years instead of the usual 1?”

“There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.”

“later today, the Senate will begin consideration of the Trump administration's rescissions package. Reining in waste, fraud, and abuse in the Federal Government is a priority shared by President Trump and by Senate Republicans. I appreciate all the work the administration has done in identifying wasteful spending, and now it is time for the Senate to do its part to cut some of that waste out of the budget. It is a small but important step toward fiscal sanity that we all should be able to agree is long overdue.”

“I send a cloture motion to the desk. John Thune, Markwayne Mullin, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Tom Cotton, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Pete Ricketts, Shelley Moore Capito, James E. Risch, Joni Ernst, Katie Britt, John Kennedy, Todd Young, Tim Sheehy, Kevin Cramer, Jon A. Husted, John Barrasso, Bernie Moreno.”

“I move to refer the House message on S. 1071 to the Committee on Armed Services with instructions to report back forthwith with an amendment numbered 3963. The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from South Dakota [Mr. Thune] moves to refer the House message to accompany S. 1071 to the Committee on Armed Services with instructions to report back forthwith with an amendment numbered 3963.”

“the first bill that a new majority considers is an indication of its priorities. The American people are rightly concerned about the illegal immigration crisis in this country, and they sent a clear message in November that they want to see it addressed. That is why the Republican majorities in the House and the Senate have made it our first order of business to take up the Laken Riley Act. This bill is a small but critical step for resolving the Biden border crisis--the first of many, I might add. The Laken Riley Act is not a complicated bill.”