TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

On 2026-09-30, Senator John Thune (R-SD) delivered a floor speech titled "TRUMP ADMINISTRATION" in the Senate.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 155 (Wednesday, September 30, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 155 (Wednesday, September 30, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S5300-S5301] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TRUMP ADMINISTRATION Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, on chaos, with a record so terrible, with an agenda so deeply unpopular, Trump has resorted to sowing chaos everywhere he can--chaos in our financial markets; chaos in our streets, where he unleashed his rogue ICE agents to go after Americans; chaos abroad, where his war has put our economy at risk--all because he didn't think to keep the Strait of Hormuz open when he began. Republicans have embraced Trump's chaos at every turn, but Senate Democrats have done everything we can to restore stability, especially in our elections. Trump has waged an all-out war on free and fair elections in the United States. He has tried to disenfranchise millions of Americans, kill vote-by-mail, and make it harder for people to make their voices heard in their democracy. Trump has given up on winning over the electorate, so he is trying to silence it. Republicans tried to jam through Trump's SAVE Act--the most devious anti-voting rights legislation Trump ever dreamed up--to purge millions of voters from the rolls. We told Republicans that the SAVE Act ain't going to happen. It didn't. We killed the SAVE Act in Congress, we took Trump to court over his attacks with his voter-suppression Executive orders, we protected mail-in voting, and we defeated Trump's attacks on our elections in case after case after case. Senate Democrats launched our Election Protection Task Force to plan how we will protect our elections on election day from Trump, we held tabletop exercises to prepare for Trump's efforts to interfere with our elections, and we launched a historic Election Observer Program to train and deploy Senate staff volunteers across the country to monitor for any meddling in our electoral system. In America, Donald Trump should know--he doesn't--that voters pick their leaders; leaders don't pick their voters. You hear that, Trump? Voters pick their leaders; leaders don't pick their voters. Senate Democrats have taken every precaution to make sure it stays that way. In conclusion, make no mistake, the past 2 years have been hard-- extremely hard--on Americans. Costs are through the roof. Millions are losing their healthcare. Trump's masked agents have run down Americans in the streets. At least 19 Americans have been killed, and hundreds more have been wounded. The global economy is in tatters, and Americans are watching costs climb even further because Trump launched a reckless, illegal war with absolutely no plan. We are fighting Trump tooth and nail on every front, but we are the first to recognize that stopping the worst of the worst isn't enough. We are ready to hit the ground running to lower costs, rein in chaos, and stop the corruption. Republicans broke faith with the American people. We know we need to build that trust with the Americans back up, and we will. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. [[Page S5301]] ____________________