WORKING FAMILIES TAX CUT ACT

On 2026-06-23, Senator John Thune (R-SD) delivered a floor speech titled "WORKING FAMILIES TAX CUT ACT" in the Senate.

WORKING FAMILIES TAX CUT ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3028] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] WORKING FAMILIES TAX CUT ACT Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I spoke on the floor yesterday about the landmark bill Republicans passed last year, the Working Families Tax Cut bill, and I talked about how this bill fits into Republicans' efforts to turn things around in our country, turn things around by putting more money in Americans' pockets, helping small businesses grow, strengthening the agriculture sector, and giving a lifeline to rural healthcare. Any one of those things alone would have been a significant achievement, but the Working Families Tax Cut addressed all of them, all of them and more, much more, and this morning I want to talk about how this bill helps to make America more secure. That, too, is, unfortunately, a turnaround story. And I say ``unfortunately'' because the previous administration allowed our Nation's security to fall into a sorry state. Images of the chaos at the southern border during the Biden administration come to mind, so does the state of our military readiness. In recent years, our military readiness has not been where it needs to be to deter and counter threats. We had ships in need of maintenance, planes that can't fly. Meanwhile, China was investing in key military technologies. Yet the Biden administration showed little interest in making the type of investment needed to get our military back to where it needed to be. And so when Republicans took control last year, we didn't waste any time. As part of the Working Families Tax Cut, Republicans made a generational investment in America's military. It was a major investment to help get our readiness to where it needs to be quickly. It invested in shipbuilding, missile defense, defense manufacturing capacity, critical munitions, drones and counter-drone technology, an expanded Air Force fighter fleet, nuclear modernization, U.S. infrastructure in the Pacific and more. And alongside robust funding in the annual defense bill, these investments will help restore America's military strength and make our adversaries think twice before crossing us. As I mentioned, we also needed to address border security. When President Trump took office, he wasted no time implementing policies that restored order at America's southern border and put criminal illegal immigrants living in our country on notice, and we saw the results. Illegal crossings dropped precipitously. Border agents weren't being stretched so thin anymore and could spend more time stopping cartels and other criminals. That is how things should be at the border, and Republicans are making sure that it stays that way. As part of the Working Families Tax Cut, we made a generational investment in border security. We provided the resources necessary to finish the border wall and deploy additional barriers and technology to secure the border. There was funding to support the hiring of new agents and to bring on more immigration judges to address the massive backlog in immigration cases, and those resources are making a difference. Thanks to President Trump and the Working Families Tax Cut, as of the end of last month, apprehensions at the southern border are more than 90 percent lower than they were under the Biden administration. Border Patrol is seeing a few hundred border crossings on a typical day compared to as many as 10,000 in a single day, at times, under President Biden, and not a single illegal immigrant has been released from the border in more than a year. The American people support border security, and keeping America safe should be something that cuts across party lines. Unfortunately, our Democratic colleagues have repeatedly demonstrated zero interest in border security, and they consistently reaffirm their belief in open borders. First, there was their complicit silence as the Biden administration opened our borders to a flood of illegal immigrants. Then, every Democrat opposed our border security measures in the Working Families Tax Cut. And then this year--this year--Democrats took their radical open border beliefs to a new level and tried to defund Border Patrol and ICE. That is right. Democrats not only opposed giving these Agencies adequate resources to do their jobs, they opposed giving them any resources. Fortunately, Democrats' radical proposal did not carry the day, and Republicans were, once again, able to fund border security and immigration enforcement, unfortunately, without Democrats' assistance. The security of our country is one of our greatest responsibilities. Without it, nothing else matters. It is a responsibility that Republicans are taking seriously. The Working Families Tax Cut is a big step toward a more secure America. It invests in safer streets with funding for State and local law enforcement, safer skies by supporting air traffic control modernization, a secure border, and a strong military. We all watch the news and can see that the world is a dangerous place. There will always be bad actors and other dangers threatening the safety and security of the American people, but Republicans are working to ensure there are individuals standing ready to protect us and that they have everything they need to keep America safe. A stronger America is a safer America, and that is what Republicans are delivering. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The Democratic whip. ____________________