Graham Demands Ending Sanctuary Cities & Justice for Jack Smith Victims in Impassioned Floor Speech

[00:00:00] Senator from South Carolina. [00:00:01] >> Thank [clears throat] you uh uh to uh my [00:00:04] colleague Senator Schmidt. Well well [00:00:06] well said. Well done. Very logical [00:00:08] argument about what's at stake. U so I [00:00:12] want to tell you where I'm at. I'm an [00:00:14] appropriator [00:00:16] and I can never remember putting hold on [00:00:18] an appropriations bill [00:00:21] ever ever before. And I'll tell you why [00:00:24] I've done it. But I also want to [00:00:26] acknowledge the appropriations process [00:00:29] and chairman Gollins. [00:00:31] We've got a package of bills uh that are [00:00:34] bipartisan from a fiscal conservative [00:00:37] side. There's been less than the CR [00:00:40] to all the people in our conference who [00:00:43] demand the appropriations do better. We [00:00:46] delivered, but you've given no [00:00:47] acknowledgement. [00:00:49] You keep saying stuff that's [00:00:51] unrealistic. [00:00:54] You push the system in a way that nobody [00:00:58] can deliver. [00:01:00] Politically, you're dumb as a rock. I'm [00:01:03] not going to mention you. You know who [00:01:04] you are. But you probably don't if [00:01:06] you're that dumb. [00:01:09] We're asking sometimes [00:01:12] to make points that are not good for the [00:01:15] Republican party or the country. [00:01:18] might be good online. Might help you [00:01:21] raise a few bucks, but I'm tired of [00:01:23] that. Count me out. Senator Collins, [00:01:28] you've worked with Democrats and [00:01:29] Republicans, and before us is a package [00:01:32] of bills that I've all supported. [00:01:35] Why am I holding? What happened? [00:01:39] What happened in Minnesota [00:01:42] has to be addressed. [00:01:45] Senator Schmidt laid out the choices. [00:01:48] I'm arguing to both parties. You We need [00:01:50] to do a little soul searching here. [00:01:56] The man who was shot, I've seen the [00:01:58] video. It needs to be investigated. I'm [00:02:01] sure it will. [00:02:04] There are things being done on the ice [00:02:06] side that a lot of Americans are [00:02:08] uncomfortable with. I get that. to my [00:02:11] Democratic colleagues. If you want to [00:02:13] try to make it more professional, [00:02:16] count me in. If you want to have more [00:02:18] accountability, count me in. But your [00:02:20] rhetoric, count me out. [00:02:24] If you were from a foreign country, [00:02:26] Senator Schmidt, listening to the debate [00:02:29] on the cable channels, you thought we [00:02:31] were the Gustapo. [00:02:33] Have you heard any stories about a guy [00:02:35] getting his finger bit off? [00:02:38] The ICE agents and the border patrol and [00:02:41] all federal law enforcement involved in [00:02:44] this has been slandered and smeared. And [00:02:46] to the Republican party, where have you [00:02:48] been? [00:02:52] Count me in for holding them [00:02:53] accountable. [00:02:55] Where are you at, leaders? [00:02:58] Where have you been? These people are [00:03:00] patriotic. [00:03:03] They're away from home. These crowds [00:03:06] follow them to their hotel. [00:03:08] They intimidate their families. The [00:03:10] people pushing this are nuts. [00:03:13] They're not normal. The man who got [00:03:16] shot, investigate, but do not tell me [00:03:20] that he uh didn't have an agenda. Look [00:03:23] what happened 10 days before. [00:03:26] Maybe excessive force. Let's look. But [00:03:28] don't play a game like the people out in [00:03:31] the streets that are harassing ICE that [00:03:35] they're not part of the problem. [00:03:37] The real problem is not Christy known. [00:03:41] You'd say whether she's done a good job [00:03:43] or not. Stephen Miller. The real problem [00:03:46] is that there are 12 states in America [00:03:50] who openly defy federal law. [00:03:55] Why are we dealing with this? During the [00:03:58] four years of Joe Biden, you obliterated [00:04:01] our borders. You let anybody and [00:04:04] everybody that could get here get here. [00:04:07] You created chaos and a lot of Americans [00:04:11] have been destroyed by your illegal [00:04:14] immigration policy and all you want to [00:04:16] talk about over there are the cops. [00:04:19] Senator Schumer, you blame me, I blame [00:04:21] you. I work with you on comprehensive [00:04:24] immigration reform. It's not I can't get [00:04:26] there, but when you got in charge with [00:04:28] Biden, you did everything conservatives [00:04:31] were afraid of. You ignored the law. [00:04:36] Has anybody mentioned Lake and Raleigh [00:04:38] lately? The Lake and Raleigh Act was a [00:04:43] great piece of bipartisan legislation by [00:04:45] Senator Brett from Alabama. [00:04:48] We all came together to say no more Lake [00:04:51] and Rallies. Well, what are we talking [00:04:54] about? [00:04:55] Lake and Raleigh was killed [00:04:58] by an illegal immigrant who was in [00:05:01] detention in Texas and released because [00:05:04] they had no bed space. Under the law, [00:05:09] the secretary, DHS secretary cannot mass [00:05:12] release people. They have to do it on a [00:05:14] case-byase basis. They were releasing [00:05:16] people by the thousands. This young lady [00:05:19] is dead [00:05:21] because they had no place to hold him. [00:05:24] and they let him loose, knowing he might [00:05:27] be dangerous. He makes his way to [00:05:29] Georgia and he murders her. [00:05:33] One year ago yesterday, we signed into [00:05:37] law the Lake and Rally Act to the [00:05:39] Republican party. Why didn't we talk [00:05:41] about that? [00:05:43] Why didn't we remind the American people [00:05:45] that part of what we're doing here is to [00:05:48] not go back to the Joe Biden ways? We [00:05:51] made a mistake here. We're on the run in [00:05:54] an 80% issue and I'm tired of it. [00:05:57] We should be reminding the American [00:06:00] people we're different than our [00:06:02] colleagues on the other side. We're not [00:06:04] going back to Joe Biden policies. You [00:06:07] can be unnerved by what's happening in [00:06:08] Minneapolis. I get it. But the problem [00:06:12] is you want band-aid solutions. We're [00:06:15] going to have a vote on the floor of the [00:06:18] United States Senate in two weeks as to [00:06:21] whether or not we should criminalize [00:06:24] the act of local and state officials who [00:06:27] willfully disobey laws on the books [00:06:29] because it's good politics for them. If [00:06:32] we could go back in time, we probably [00:06:33] should have put George Wallace in jail [00:06:37] for defying civil rights. [00:06:40] These laws were on the books long before [00:06:42] Trump. What is the right answer when a [00:06:45] state or a mayor says, "I don't like [00:06:48] this federal law. I'm not going to do it [00:06:51] because it's good politics for me." I [00:06:54] think you risk going to jail. We cannot [00:06:57] live in a country this way where you get [00:07:00] to pick and choose the laws you don't [00:07:02] like. [00:07:03] You can't have 50 state immigration [00:07:06] policy. Sanctuary city policy is killing [00:07:09] this country. to the 12 states who are [00:07:12] doing this. Stop. [00:07:14] How are you ever going to fix illegal [00:07:16] immigration if there are pockets of the [00:07:18] country that if an illegal immigrant can [00:07:20] get there, they're home free? That's [00:07:22] what Senator Schmidt was saying. If you [00:07:24] want to reform ICE, count me in. But if [00:07:27] you don't get to the root cause of the [00:07:28] problem, then you're really not serious [00:07:30] about solving it. I will not lift my [00:07:33] hold on this bill until I get guaranteed [00:07:37] a vote on my legislation that would [00:07:39] criminalize the conduct going forward. [00:07:43] And what conduct am I talking about? [00:07:45] State and local officials openly defying [00:07:50] federal law that's been on the books for [00:07:52] decades incentivizing more illegal [00:07:54] immigration, [00:07:56] massive taxpayer ripoff, and a breakdown [00:07:59] of law and order. to these 12 states. [00:08:02] You're screwing it up for the rest of [00:08:03] us. You need to change your policies and [00:08:06] comply with the law that's been on the [00:08:08] books for decades. And this should be a [00:08:10] punishment. To me, what you're doing is [00:08:14] you're inciting chaos. You're putting [00:08:16] people's lives at risk. You literally [00:08:19] should go to jail if you will not [00:08:22] enforce the law, abide by the law. What [00:08:25] a novel concept. You break the law, you [00:08:28] go to jail. [00:08:30] Except you're elected official. I guess [00:08:32] we have an exception. If you're doing [00:08:34] what liberals like, then you actually [00:08:36] can break the law. No, you can't. I want [00:08:39] to vote on it. And if you got a better [00:08:42] idea, count me in. That's my idea. If [00:08:45] you can think of a better idea, let me [00:08:47] know. If you got ideas about reforming [00:08:49] ICE to make it more professional, count [00:08:51] me in. But what we will not do in two [00:08:54] weeks is leave unressed the root cause [00:08:57] of the problem. And that is four years [00:09:00] of the Biden administration, 11 million [00:09:03] people coming to the country. Only God [00:09:05] knows why they're here and where they're [00:09:06] from and the chaos they have created. [00:09:10] Lake and Rally is one example of too [00:09:13] many where somebody died because of [00:09:17] stupid, dangerous policies. [00:09:20] President Trump, like him or not, is [00:09:23] trying to lower the temperature in [00:09:25] Minneapolis. Tom Holman, good job. But [00:09:28] he's not going to quit and I'm not going [00:09:30] to quit. I'm not going to give up on [00:09:33] undoing the damage. I've had it. I've [00:09:36] worked with Democrats and Republicans to [00:09:38] fix illegal immigration. Now you're [00:09:40] doing everything to make it worse. I am [00:09:43] not going to sit on the sidelines and [00:09:46] not get in this debate and say sanctuary [00:09:49] city policy is dangerous. It's insane. [00:09:52] It needs to be fixed. You can convince [00:09:54] me ICE can be made better. I don't think [00:09:57] I will ever convince you to abandon [00:09:59] sanctuary cities because you're wedded [00:10:01] to it on the Democratic side. Let's have [00:10:03] this debate in 2026. If you want to go [00:10:07] back to Biden, vote for the Democrats [00:10:10] in 2026. If you want to try to get the [00:10:13] country back on a rational footing, vote [00:10:16] for us. We're not perfect, but they're [00:10:18] not either. So, what would it take to [00:10:22] lift my hole? A vote, not an outcome. [00:10:26] I'm like any other senator. I don't [00:10:29] demand a lot, but I am demanding that my [00:10:32] solution to fixing sanctuary cities at [00:10:35] least have a vote. You're going to put [00:10:38] ideas on the floor to make ICE better. I [00:10:41] want to put idea on the floor to get the [00:10:43] root cause of the problem. And that's [00:10:45] not unreasonable. Vote any way you want. [00:10:48] I'm asking this body to guarantee me [00:10:50] that vote and we move forward. Second [00:10:53] thing, [00:10:58] what happened with Jack Smith? [00:11:03] Here's what happened to me. [00:11:06] I didn't know, but now I know that they [00:11:09] literally started asking the phone [00:11:11] company about my phone calls [00:11:13] professionally and personally during a [00:11:16] period of time when I was chairman of [00:11:18] the judiciary committee by a subpoena. [00:11:21] No one's ever suggested I broke the law. [00:11:24] This actually really bothers me. If I [00:11:27] were a Democrat, I would be bothered, [00:11:29] too. The original Arctic Frost provision [00:11:32] was signed off by leader Schumer and [00:11:34] Thun, Senator Thun, and it was seen as [00:11:39] to have an ethical problem, not my [00:11:41] intent. I fixed it. I changed the [00:11:45] language so it would comply. No [00:11:47] enrichment by me or anybody else. But [00:11:51] I'm not going to give up on the idea [00:11:53] that we should abandon holding Jack [00:11:56] Smith accountable. [00:11:58] the House. [00:12:01] You took the Arctic Frost language of [00:12:04] the Senate and took it all out. You [00:12:08] could have called me about the 500,000. [00:12:10] I'd be glad to work with you. You jam [00:12:12] me. Speaker Johnson, I won't forget [00:12:15] this. [00:12:18] I got a lot of good friends in the [00:12:19] House. If you think I'm going to give up [00:12:22] on this, you really don't know me. So, [00:12:25] how about this idea to my House [00:12:27] colleagues? Why don't we expand a [00:12:31] private cause of action to the 430 [00:12:35] Republican groups that may have been [00:12:37] abused by Jack Smith. Nothing to do with [00:12:40] me. You took the provision and you [00:12:43] gutted it. You took the notification [00:12:46] provision out telling senators or [00:12:48] congressmen, they're asking for your [00:12:50] phone records when you're not under [00:12:52] criminal investigation. You should know. [00:12:54] Senator Peters and I are this close to [00:12:57] finding a bipartisan solution to protect [00:13:00] the body in the future. It's Republicans [00:13:04] today. It could be Democrats tomorrow. [00:13:06] We should all want to be notified as [00:13:09] senators [00:13:11] and a separate branch of government, the [00:13:12] executive branch, is looking for our [00:13:15] phone records unless we're charged or [00:13:17] investigating a crime. That's just [00:13:19] common sense. They took that out. There [00:13:22] was a stampede in the House. Everybody [00:13:24] says, "Well, it passed unanimously in [00:13:26] the House. I could care less. [00:13:29] What you did, I think, was wrong. You [00:13:31] overreacted. [00:13:32] We'll fix the 500,000. Count me in." But [00:13:36] you took the notification out. I'm not [00:13:37] going to give up on that. I'm demanding [00:13:40] a vote on the floor of the United States [00:13:41] Senate to an amendment that requires [00:13:44] notification to a member of Congress if [00:13:47] their phone records are being looked at [00:13:49] by the executive branch unless they're [00:13:51] under criminal investigation. That's a [00:13:53] fishing expedition. We should all be [00:13:55] against that. I'm going to demand a vote [00:13:57] on the floor that groups, not members of [00:14:00] Congress, who may have been harmed by [00:14:02] Jack Smith, have a private cause of [00:14:04] action. Charlie Kirk's Turning Point [00:14:07] USA, the Republican National Committee, [00:14:09] the Conservative Partnership Institute, [00:14:11] the American First Policy Institute, [00:14:13] Save America Pack, My Pillow, 430 [00:14:17] Republican line groups and individuals, [00:14:21] 197 subpoenas against these groups and [00:14:24] what they were doing to the House. If [00:14:26] you expect me to deny these people a [00:14:30] chance to have their day in court [00:14:32] against Jack Smith, you're talking to [00:14:34] the wrong guy. I am urging the speaker, [00:14:37] give these people and anybody else we [00:14:40] find, 430 groups, a chance to hold Jack [00:14:44] Smith accountable in court. [00:14:47] Nothing to do with me. And if you don't [00:14:50] do that, you're giving a pass to what I [00:14:53] think is the most abusive investigation [00:14:56] maybe in the history of the country, [00:14:58] Jack Smith. [00:15:00] Within three days of President Trump [00:15:02] announcing, "I'm going to run again," [00:15:03] they have a special counsel and within [00:15:05] six months they got 90 felony charges in [00:15:08] the most liberal districts [00:15:11] in the country. I believe it was a [00:15:15] coordinated effort to make Trump [00:15:18] unelectable. I believe it was lawfair [00:15:22] and I'm going to pursue my beliefs as to [00:15:24] me. [00:15:26] What have I done to justify this? He [00:15:29] says he can defend what he did to me. [00:15:31] Great. Get a good lawyer. See you in [00:15:34] court. What did I do wrong? I'm the [00:15:36] chairman of the judiciary committee. I'm [00:15:38] asking questions. When it came to [00:15:41] January the 6th, I think I was more the [00:15:43] solution than the problem. I took this [00:15:45] floor and say enough. I don't think the [00:15:48] election was stolen. There may have been [00:15:50] some abuses, but I'm done. [00:15:53] And what happens? I find out during all [00:15:56] this time they're looking at me for [00:15:59] being involved in a plot to skill the [00:16:01] election when I'm the biggest advocate [00:16:03] enough. [00:16:06] You actually use my name to Verizon. [00:16:10] See in court [00:16:13] to the government, [00:16:15] Donald Trump is suing the IRS for10 [00:16:17] billion because somebody the IRS may [00:16:20] have leaked his records. You should sue. [00:16:25] If our government can't be sued by [00:16:27] people only by people not in it, then [00:16:30] people like us are wolves [00:16:32] [clears throat] [00:16:33] or lambs to the slaughter. [00:16:36] If they ever say that because you're in [00:16:37] the government, you have no rights, that [00:16:40] because I'm a senator, my right to use [00:16:43] my phone without being interfered with [00:16:46] no longer exist. That's insane. [00:16:50] I'm going to pursue [00:16:52] the damage done to me, hoping it will [00:16:55] deter others in the future. I hope after [00:16:58] all this is over, people will not be [00:17:01] looking, going on fishing expeditions to [00:17:05] find out who a senator was calling and [00:17:08] why they were calling ever again, unless [00:17:11] they believe that senator's committed a [00:17:13] crime. Is that too much to ask? This is [00:17:16] a defining moment [00:17:19] about what's the root cause of problem [00:17:21] on immigration. [00:17:24] Senator Schmidt, you're right. [00:17:26] People have made mistakes in Minnesota. [00:17:30] But the reason we have this chaos is [00:17:33] that 12 states are pursuing policies [00:17:36] that are insane. I will not enforce [00:17:39] federal law because I don't like it and [00:17:42] it's popular. [00:17:44] Those days are over. And if a [00:17:45] conservative, if you start doing that [00:17:48] stuff, we've had clerks of court that [00:17:51] would refuse to do laws around marriage. [00:17:56] I had a uh opponent in the 2016 race. I [00:18:00] didn't last long. He did better. There's [00:18:02] some lady somewhere saying, "I'm not [00:18:04] going to recognize a certificate of gay [00:18:06] marriage because it violates my [00:18:09] religious beliefs." And that was her [00:18:12] job, right? And one one guy said, "Uh, [00:18:17] I will I I think she's right. I will go [00:18:19] to jail with her." And I said, "We will [00:18:21] miss you." [00:18:22] I'm not going to jail for that. [00:18:25] I've got my own views about gay. But if [00:18:27] you're a public official, you don't get [00:18:30] to have your own views and be a veto. So [00:18:33] on the right, there were a lot of people [00:18:34] wanted to make a point. I don't agree [00:18:36] with gay marriage. I'm not going to [00:18:38] follow law. Well, you could go to jail, [00:18:40] too. [00:18:42] That's my point. [00:18:45] Our political [00:18:47] desires have to have some boundaries [00:18:49] around here. [00:18:53] So, I am willing to lift my hold. [00:18:57] I'm willing to vote yes. I'm actually [00:19:00] like the products. [00:19:02] I'm asking for two simple things. [00:19:06] give me a chance to express myself on [00:19:09] what the solution to our problems on [00:19:12] immigration are. [00:19:14] I'm not asking for an outcome for a [00:19:16] vote. I've got a bill. I want to vote on [00:19:18] it. And as to Arctic Frost, [00:19:23] I want to have a chance to have a vote [00:19:26] on a version that would expand private [00:19:29] cause of actions for non-members of [00:19:31] Congress who may have a claim against [00:19:33] Jack Smith. It'd be up to them to prove [00:19:36] it. And I want to work with Senator [00:19:38] Peters to see if we can find a way to [00:19:41] give us notice so that the next [00:19:43] administration can't fish for who we're [00:19:45] talking to. They got to actually have a [00:19:48] real reason. That's all I'm asking. And [00:19:51] I think those are reasonable things. I [00:19:54] will end where I began to appropriations [00:19:57] process. It's a miracle we've done it [00:19:59] the way we've done it. It's actually [00:20:02] what we've been hoping for. Everybody [00:20:04] who's been complaining in our [00:20:06] conference, let's get back to regular [00:20:08] order. Well, when we try to get back to [00:20:10] regular order, they won't let us. [00:20:14] Let's do less spending. We check that [00:20:16] block. Well, that's not enough. [00:20:19] We actually have Senator Tillis [00:20:22] appropriations below CRS. [00:20:26] And like all of a sudden, we're still [00:20:28] the bad guys. [00:20:30] People have said, "Let's go to the floor [00:20:33] and debate." Well, they won't let us get [00:20:36] to the floor. [00:20:39] So, there are people in our conference. [00:20:42] I'm just like had it. [00:20:46] We got to have a regular to our [00:20:47] leadership. You're my friends. We're [00:20:51] playing not to lose. [00:20:54] They on the other side have the courage [00:20:56] of their convictions. They're coming out [00:20:59] here with 21 things that we should do to [00:21:02] stop abuses in Minneapolis. We're just [00:21:05] sitting around looking at each other [00:21:07] worried. [00:21:09] Hold the people accountable in ICE who [00:21:11] may have broken the law. But stand up [00:21:13] for those in the field trying to protect [00:21:15] America and have the courage to say it's [00:21:18] not about Christy Gnome whether you like [00:21:20] him or not. It's not about Steven Miller [00:21:22] whe you like him or not. It's a deeper, [00:21:24] bigger problem and that's a debate [00:21:27] worthy of a great country. So to my [00:21:30] Republican colleagues, we need to up our [00:21:32] game. I'm not asking you to do things [00:21:35] that I think are un unachievable. Have a [00:21:38] vote. If we lose, we lose. [snorts] But [00:21:41] I am frustrated and there are a lot of [00:21:43] people out there frustrated that the [00:21:45] moment is not being met. [00:21:48] I think it's time to re-evaluate. To my [00:21:50] Democratic friends, you think you got [00:21:53] the upper hand? You may for the moment, [00:21:55] but what you're asking for is really too [00:21:59] much. And part of your problem is you [00:22:01] haven't really acknowledged the lake and [00:22:04] rallies of the world and all the people [00:22:06] have had their lives upended. That's [00:22:09] that that's not balanced. You're [00:22:11] probably right about ICE reform, but [00:22:14] none of you, no protesters, nobody up in [00:22:17] arms about this young lady being [00:22:19] murdered and thousands other like her. [00:22:22] So, in two weeks, we're going to have a [00:22:23] debate. [00:22:25] I'll lift my holes. All I ask is to have [00:22:27] a voice in that debate. Down the road, [00:22:30] all I ask for is to give access to [00:22:32] people I think were harmed by Jack [00:22:34] Smith. They'll have to prove their case, [00:22:36] nothing to do with me, and protect the [00:22:39] body against fishing expeditions. That's [00:22:42] what I'm asking. I hope we can get [00:22:44] there. And I'll end where I began. It's [00:22:47] not about the appropriations process. I [00:22:50] actually think we've done a damn good [00:22:51] job beyond what I ever expected. Now, [00:22:55] the Arctic Frost [00:22:57] amendment, nobody talked to me. I've [00:22:59] talked with Senator Collins. We'll get [00:23:01] that right. [00:23:03] Final thought. I told Senator Thun, what [00:23:06] does it matter if a single senator says [00:23:08] the entire house is wrong? We should [00:23:11] respect that senator and let them have [00:23:13] their say. [00:23:15] I've been told the White House doesn't [00:23:17] like this. [00:23:19] And I told the White House last night, I [00:23:21] don't care if you like it or not. [00:23:24] I literally texted my friends at the [00:23:26] White House, if I were you, I would not [00:23:28] call me tonight. [00:23:30] And they didn't call me. I don't work [00:23:33] for the White House. They're my [00:23:35] political allies. I'm close to President [00:23:38] Trump. I don't work for him. I don't [00:23:41] work for the House. I've been in the [00:23:44] House. I enjoyed it. I like this better. [00:23:47] Why do I like the Senate better? Because [00:23:49] one person has a say. So, when I heard [00:23:54] that, well, the House passed it, I think [00:23:55] they made a mistake. I think they went [00:23:57] too far. The 500,000 thing. Let's fix. [00:24:00] But you took it all out because it's a [00:24:02] rush to judgment political stampede. So [00:24:05] don't ever come to me ever again and say [00:24:08] you're just one voice. [00:24:11] That's not a good reason to not let me [00:24:13] know what's going on or to deny me a [00:24:16] chance to have that voice. To every [00:24:18] senator in this body, when they started [00:24:20] this stuff a long time ago, 250 years [00:24:23] ago, they made you special. There's [00:24:26] things that we can do that nobody in the [00:24:29] government can do as a single senator. I [00:24:32] am not giving that right away to any [00:24:35] friend or foe in the White House. I'm [00:24:38] not letting the House take that right [00:24:40] away from me. I'm not letting the [00:24:42] leadership take that right away from me. [00:24:45] And you know why you should sort of be [00:24:48] in my camp? It could be you tomorrow. [00:24:50] Senator Tillis, you've done some things [00:24:52] by yourself that you thought were right. [00:24:55] We need more of that. Not less of that. [00:24:57] Senator Collins. [00:24:59] You got ripped by the president [00:25:03] and took it in a way that I think people [00:25:05] of Maine should be proud of. [00:25:08] I don't know what was said, but it was [00:25:10] reported as pretty tough and you stood [00:25:13] your ground. [00:25:14] And I don't agree with you about the [00:25:16] vote, but I know with Susan Collins, [00:25:18] here's what I get. She'll listen. She'll [00:25:19] make her mind up. And if you think [00:25:22] you're going to change Susan Collins by [00:25:25] a phone call, you really don't know her [00:25:27] very well. [00:25:29] She does it with a smile. [00:25:33] Problem solving. There's not enough of [00:25:36] it. [00:25:37] So this is a time for all of us to [00:25:40] reflect. I like never do this. [00:25:44] I never hold things. [00:25:46] I never say I got to have my vote or [00:25:49] else. I'm doing it now because I think [00:25:51] it will reset I think it will reset the [00:25:54] debate. I think it would be good for my [00:25:57] party to up our game. I think it would [00:25:59] be good for the Democrats to have a [00:26:00] challenge on their hands. [00:26:02] >> Does the senator for question? [00:26:03] >> I do. [00:26:04] >> Thank you, Senator. Uh you and I were [00:26:06] talking last night. You mentioned [00:26:07] [clears throat] you close with resetting [00:26:08] the debate. [00:26:10] I think that's so important right now [00:26:12] because we're talking about [00:26:14] appropriations bills, which is fine and [00:26:17] I've fully supported that and I I the ch [00:26:20] the chairwoman's done a great job. Um, [00:26:23] but what we're also hearing now, the [00:26:24] Democrats have now moved to they want a [00:26:28] policy debate and policy changes on [00:26:31] approaches bills, which by the way, I [00:26:32] thought I thought we weren't supposed to [00:26:33] do in this place, but that's what they [00:26:36] want to do. whether it's in two weeks or [00:26:37] four weeks or whatever we come up with [00:26:38] on this potential CR for DHS. And I [00:26:41] think it's very important for us to [00:26:43] remind the country [00:26:46] how we got here. This didn't start this [00:26:48] weekend in Minneapolis. It didn't start [00:26:49] last year when President Trump came into [00:26:51] office. It started in January of 2021 [00:26:53] when Joe Biden led 15 million people in [00:26:55] here illegally and fought every single [00:26:58] attempt to stop it. And what we [00:27:00] discovered was that laws don't really [00:27:02] mean anything if they're not enforced. [00:27:04] And we have a president now who ran on [00:27:06] the central platform of enforcing our [00:27:08] immigration laws and deporting people [00:27:10] here illegally. And the Democrats cannot [00:27:12] accept that. They can't come to grips [00:27:14] with that reality that the American [00:27:16] people I hear a lot of we're we're [00:27:18] preserving democracy. Well, if democracy [00:27:20] means anything to you, it means that [00:27:22] when the American people saw what [00:27:24] happened and they sent this guy back [00:27:26] here to clean up the mess that maybe we [00:27:28] ought to respect that for a year and a [00:27:30] half. But they don't want to do it. So, [00:27:32] we're going to have this debate, right? [00:27:34] So, the reason why I laid out the four [00:27:37] ideas is I want to make very clear to my [00:27:39] Democrat colleagues, [00:27:42] this is a home game for us. [00:27:44] You want the debate on immigration, [00:27:47] bring it on. And we can be out here [00:27:49] every single day for two weeks or four [00:27:51] weeks, every single hour because the [00:27:53] American people are fed up with this. [00:27:55] And I know you believe that, too. [00:27:58] >> Yeah. I Thank you. Is that a question? [00:28:00] >> It is. [00:28:00] >> Okay. That was a question mark at [00:28:02] [laughter] the end. I know you believe [00:28:02] that. The [00:28:03] >> answer is yes. [00:28:04] >> I know you believe that, too. [00:28:06] >> Yeah, I do believe it too. I hadn't [00:28:08] slept in a while, but it's just normally [00:28:11] not me. Senator Collins, I talked before [00:28:14] if we if we do this, if we can't get [00:28:16] appropriations through until we solve a [00:28:19] policy debate, we're never going to [00:28:20] appropriate again. [00:28:22] Today is immigration. Tomorrow it could [00:28:24] be abortion. The next day it could be [00:28:26] regulatory reform. Senator Collins is [00:28:29] very worried that policy debates need to [00:28:32] be done in authorizing committees. [00:28:35] To my authorizer committees, what have [00:28:37] you done lately? [00:28:40] Homeland Security. Senator Johnson, what [00:28:43] did we do? [00:28:46] These committees are becoming political [00:28:49] jousting. [00:28:51] Authorizing committees have to be bigger [00:28:54] than making points. [00:28:56] and you get mad at their appropriators. [00:28:58] Well, do your job. Senator Ris is [00:29:01] working well with Senator Shaheen, but [00:29:05] we haven't reauthorized the State [00:29:06] Department in like 25 years. [00:29:10] So, this is a dangerous model. And to my [00:29:13] Democratic colleagues, you would be [00:29:15] cheering on putting the clerk in [00:29:18] Tennessee or wherever she was in jail [00:29:22] for not recognizing [00:29:24] gay marriage because she disagreed with [00:29:27] the Supreme Court. You would be cheering [00:29:29] put her in jail, [00:29:32] but you're going to defend some mayor [00:29:35] who says, "I will not cooperate with the [00:29:38] federal government as I'm required to by [00:29:40] law." [00:29:41] That's politics for you. You're all [00:29:44] politics all the time. I've worked on [00:29:48] immigration. Senator Tillis has worked [00:29:49] on immigration. Senator Collins has. [00:29:52] When you got in charge, you blew by [00:29:55] everything you said you weren't for. [00:29:57] >> And wouldn't you agree that the reason [00:29:59] why we're here, if it was about ICE or [00:30:02] if it was about DHS or if it was about [00:30:04] President Trump, you would see this [00:30:06] everywhere in the country. The fact of [00:30:07] the matter is the instance of violence [00:30:09] against ICE agents is 500 times more [00:30:12] likely in nine sanctuary counties in [00:30:15] this country. And so Minneapolis has [00:30:17] become the epicenter. Why? Because the [00:30:20] local law enforcement doesn't help ICE [00:30:23] agents. They're having to do the job the [00:30:25] local law enforcement might do. Um [00:30:27] they're not telling them when criminals [00:30:29] are being released on the streets. Think [00:30:31] about that. If the American people knew [00:30:33] that murderers and rapists and child [00:30:35] molesters who were illegal immigrants [00:30:38] that we weren't we're not going to tell [00:30:40] federal enforcement, law enforcement [00:30:41] about it because you want everybody to [00:30:44] stay here indefinitely. That's insane. [00:30:46] And that's why it's dangerous. It's not [00:30:48] it's dangerous. [00:30:49] >> Well, let me end on this. Uh I made my [00:30:51] point. I hope Lake and Riley is murdered [00:30:55] dead today because immigration policy [00:30:58] was constructed [00:31:00] to the point they had too many people, [00:31:03] not enough beds, and they let the man [00:31:06] go. [00:31:08] He was released because lack of [00:31:10] detention space, [00:31:12] not because of some merit under the law. [00:31:16] She is dead. A year ago, today we signed [00:31:20] the law. There are a bunch of cases like [00:31:23] Lake and Raleigh, rape, murdered, dead. [00:31:26] There's two sides of this debate. I get [00:31:28] what you're saying about ICE going too [00:31:30] far. I am with Senator Schmidt. God [00:31:33] bless these people willing to do it. [00:31:35] Ones that did it wrong. Hold them [00:31:36] accountable. I am passionate about [00:31:39] cleaning up this mess. [00:31:42] It was a mess that needs to be cleaned [00:31:45] up. President Trump's adjusting with [00:31:47] Hullman, but I'm not going to give up on [00:31:50] the idea that the root cause of the [00:31:51] problem is not Trump. It's not Miller. [00:31:54] It's not gnome all the people you hate. [00:31:56] The root cause of the problem is that [00:31:58] you've instilled into your base. It's [00:32:02] okay to defile law when you like it. [00:32:06] 12 states are ignoring federal law [00:32:08] because it's good politics for those [00:32:10] governors and those mayors. like the [00:32:13] clerk, [00:32:15] you don't have the ability to override a [00:32:17] law, Supreme Court case because you [00:32:19] don't like it. [00:32:21] If you don't like the decision of the [00:32:23] Supreme Court on gay marriage and you're [00:32:25] a public official, quit your job. You [00:32:27] got to follow the law. [00:32:30] If you're a mayor or a governor and the [00:32:31] law is clear, follow it. And if you [00:32:35] don't follow it, then you're committing [00:32:36] a crime. We're never going to have law [00:32:38] and order until we insist on it. I mean, [00:32:41] appreciate this moment. I appreciate my [00:32:43] colleagues listening to my frustration. [00:32:46] I am ready to move forward. My requests [00:32:48] are reasonable. I celebrate the [00:32:50] accomplishments of the appropriations [00:32:53] committee, but this debate that we're [00:32:55] going to have in two weeks is long [00:32:56] overdue. I just ask to have a seat at [00:32:59] the table and a voice. [00:33:02] Thank you. I yield to