00:01Mr. President, yesterday, the United States Senate...
00:05Can we have order, Mr. President?
00:07Order.
00:07Thank you, Mr. President.
00:08Mr. President, yesterday, the United States Senate got an update from the administration
00:13about Saturday's strike on Iran.
00:17We heard from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth,
00:22Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe,
00:25and General Dan Cain, who was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
00:31They told us, beyond a doubt, the Iran strikes were successful.
00:36Two things are clear.
00:38One, President Trump protected our country.
00:42And two, America drew a red line on Iran, no nuclear weapons, and President Trump enforced it.
00:50One, every recent president has said a nuclear Iran is unacceptable.
00:56Bill Clinton said it.
00:57George W. Bush said it.
00:59Barack Obama said it.
01:00Joe Biden said it.
01:02Even Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said back in 2015,
01:06if there is only a 10% chance Iran uses a nuclear weapon, it is vital.
01:12We prevent it.
01:14That's exactly what President Trump did, and he did it effectively.
01:18For over 40 years, Iran has targeted, threatened, and terrorized the United States and our allies.
01:26We know from our own intelligence and from independent experts that Iran was dangerously close to getting nuclear weapons.
01:35My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have called for diplomacy.
01:39Well, President Trump tried diplomacy for months.
01:43President Trump laid down guidelines and deadlines, and then he drew a red line.
01:50Iran used diplomatic talks to stall.
01:53It did so as it continued to race toward a nuclear weapon.
01:58As Commander-in-Chief, President Trump has the full authority to act.
02:03He did so consistent with Article 2, Section 2 of the Constitution, and he did so decisively.
02:12It was a limited, powerful, and precise strike.
02:17It was aimed specifically at Iran's nuclear facilities.
02:21Not at Iran's leadership.
02:23Not at the Iranian people.
02:25And here's more good news.
02:26No American lives were lost.
02:28Absolutely none.
02:29This was a powerful message to Iran, but not just to Iran, also to Russia, to China, to North Korea, and anyone else who is an adversary of the United States.
02:42The message is this.
02:44America means what it says, and America will keep our people safe.
02:48Now, Democrats, of course, rush to turn this successful strike into a political fight.
02:55Even today, they're forcing the Senate to vote this very afternoon on a resolution that says the President lacked the authority to do what he did.
03:05They've gone so far as to imply that the successful protection of the American people is an impeachable offense.
03:13Democrats, Democrats are calling for the President's impeachment because of his successful attack on the Iranian nuclear program.
03:22Mr. President, national security should be something that unites us.
03:28But let's not forget, Democrats have said presidents can act without a vote of Congress.
03:33They've said it many times in the past.
03:36Recall when President Obama struck Libya in 2011.
03:39Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress wasn't needed because the strike was limited.
03:46Now that there is a Republican in the White House, what we're seeing is that Democrats are suddenly trying to rewrite the rules.
03:55National security moves fast.
03:57That's why our Constitution says give the Commander-in-Chief real authority.
04:02President Trump sees the moment.
04:05He did it responsibly.
04:06He did it decisively.
04:08And he did it constitutionally.
04:11America and our allies are safer today because of it.
04:15And the resolution from Senator Kaine that we're voting on today, I believe it's not needed.
04:21And I most certainly will oppose it.
04:24If passed, it would prevent the President from protecting us in the future.
04:28I urge all of my colleagues to reject it.
04:31Mr. President, on a related matter, the Iranian airstrike is about more than nuclear weapons.
04:39It's about also the threat of terrorism.
04:42Iranian terrorists have targeted Americans for decades.
04:46Iran actively pursued an assassination plot against President Trump.
04:50Other top officials in the United States have also been targets of Iranian terrorists.
04:57Recently, Iran threatened to activate its so-called sleeper cells right here inside the United States.
05:04Let that sink in.
05:06This is an urgent reminder that national security starts with border security.
05:11Under Joe Biden and the Democrats, more than 1,500 illegal immigrants from Iran crossed our southern border.
05:21729 of them were released into our country by Joe Biden.
05:26And that might just be the tip of the iceberg.
05:28Because remember, under Joe Biden and the Democrats, there were millions of gotaways, people that weren't stopped sneaking across the border.
05:36They were detected, either satellite images, different mechanisms of looking for people, heat detection of people moving across the desert, but not being able to be captured.
05:50How many of them were Iranian agents as well?
05:52How many of them are today in sleeper cells?
05:55Well, the truth is, no one knows.
05:58What we do know is this.
06:01President Trump took office, and since that time, illegal border crossings are down by 95%.
06:08Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents are working fast.
06:12In the last seven days alone, ICE arrested 130 illegal immigrants from Iran.
06:19Right now, 670 Iranian nationals are being detained.
06:23President Trump's detentions are working.
06:26Now the administration needs more resources to finish the job.
06:32That's why Republicans are fighting for our comprehensive safety agenda.
06:36Our bill increases funding for border security and enforcement by $160 billion.
06:41It finishes the wall.
06:43It hires thousands of new border patrol and ICE agents.
06:48It gives them a bonus for keeping our communities safe.
06:51In November, Madam President, Americans want, need, and voted for safe communities and secure borders.
06:59Our Republican safety agenda delivers what the Americans wanted, need, and have voted for.
