During remarks on the Senate floor Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) spoke about the Republican budget currently under debate in the Senate.
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00:00We're rapidly approaching floor consideration of our reconciliation bill, and Democrats
00:07are melting down.
00:09I'm pretty sure the Democrat leader was on the floor every day last week, bemoaning
00:13the bill, and emphasizing how Democrats are going to fight with everything they've got.
00:19That's right, Mr. President, with everything they've got.
00:24Democrats are going to use every resource at their disposal to fight against extending
00:28tax relief for American families.
00:31They're going to fight against funding to secure our border, they're going to fight against
00:36funding to equip our military, they're going to fight against unleashing American energy,
00:42and they're going to fight against all our efforts to make America safer, stronger, and
00:48more prosperous.
00:49And I guess it's not that surprising, Mr. President, after all, Democrats' previous
00:54pledges not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 a year, often felt a little
00:59bit grudging.
01:02When you're constantly looking to expand government, I guess it makes sense that you'd be more interested
01:08in raising taxes than in allowing Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money.
01:14And if the Biden border crisis taught us anything, it's that Democrats have essentially no interest
01:20in securing our borders at all.
01:23And speaking of President Biden, after years of Biden budgets that deemphasize investing
01:29in our military, I guess it's no surprise that filling the gaps in our readiness is not
01:35a Democrat priority.
01:37Democrat hostility to conventional energy is also well known.
01:41And so, again, I guess it's no surprise that Democrats are opposed to unleashing America's
01:47energy resources.
01:49But it's worth thinking about, in essence, Mr. President, what Democrats are endorsing
01:55by fighting against this reconciliation bill.
01:59They're endorsing a $2.6 trillion tax hike on Americans making less than $400,000 a year.
02:07$2.6 trillion.
02:10Without our bill, a typical family of four making $80,000 will be sending an additional $1,700
02:16to Uncle Sam next year.
02:18$1,700, Mr. President.
02:21Apparently, Democrats are okay with that.
02:25Democrats are also implicitly endorsing a continuation of President Biden's tax policies at our border,
02:31along with an increasing and increasingly dangerous erosion in our military capabilities.
02:38The Air Force has the smallest fleet in its history, and a large proportion of that fleet is not mission-ready.
02:45Our Navy fleet is already smaller than China's.
02:48And without new investment, that problem will only get worse in the next few years.
02:52And in the defining technologies of tomorrow's wars, space, AI, hypersonics, and cyber, China is gaining quickly or already has an edge.
03:05On top of that, we're falling seriously behind when it comes to maintaining an adequate supply of munitions.
03:13But none of this, none of this, Mr. President, seems to matter to Democrats.
03:18In fact, nowhere in the hysteria that they're fomenting over this bill is any perceptible recognition
03:24of the importance of the priorities our bill is addressing from securing our border to bolstering our national defense
03:32to preventing a massive tax hike on American families.
03:37Indeed, judging from the Democrat leader's speeches last week, Democrats' biggest concern right now
03:43is ensuring that illegal aliens and able-bodied adults who refuse to work can stay on Medicaid.
03:50The leader certainly didn't put it that way, of course, but his obsession with the Medicaid provisions of our bill certainly suggests it.
03:58Mr. President, I think it's fair to say that Democrats lost last November because they didn't speak to the concerns of voters
04:04who were tired of the Biden inflation crisis and the Biden border crisis, I should say,
04:12and Democrats' focus on far-left ideologies.
04:17And judging by Democrats' opposition to our bill and their complete lack of interest in the issues our bill addresses,
04:25I think it's fair to say that Democrats haven't learned much since.
04:29Americans are looking for the things our bill will provide,
04:33from the economic benefits that will come with continued tax relief,
04:38to a secure border and a secure, stable, and affordable energy supply.
04:44Republicans, Mr. President, Republicans are going to deliver,
04:50no matter how hard Democrats fight to stand in the way.
04:55Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
04:59The clerk will call the roll.
05:00Ms. Also Brooks.
05:02Mr. President, now who has a certain 16th,
05:03Using a mandator who东Α WHO were able to turn right down right before the office,
05:05many members had part of the meeting.
05:07And I