During remarks on the Senate floor Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) spoke about the budget resolution that passed the Senate last Saturday.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Madam President, on Saturday morning, we took a major step forward on the Republican agenda
00:04by passing a budget resolution to lay the groundwork for a permanent extension of tax
00:09relief for American families and a transformational investment in our border, energy, and national
00:15security.
00:16And while I think Republicans' goals are obvious, for the sake of my Democrat colleagues
00:21who still seem to be operating under the delusion that we're here to hand out tax cuts to billionaires,
00:27let me review what we're doing and why we're here.
00:29First, Madam President, we are here to ensure that hard-working Americans don't see their
00:35tax bills rise next year.
00:37In 2017, Republicans delivered tax relief to the American people, but that relief is
00:42expiring this year, and if we don't act, American families making less than $400,000 a year
00:50will see a $2.6 trillion tax hike next year.
00:56Tax rates will rise, the standard deduction will be cut almost in half, and the child
01:02tax credit will be cut in half.
01:07That, Madam President, is not acceptable, and so we're here to prevent tax hikes on
01:11American families and permanently extend the 2017 tax relief.
01:16Second, Madam President, we are here to address the remains of the Biden border crisis, bolster
01:22our military readiness, and unleash American energy production.
01:27After four years of chaos at our southern border under President Biden, President Trump
01:30has taken action to secure the border and take criminal, illegal immigrants off America's
01:36streets.
01:38But the administration needs additional resources from Congress if this progress is going to
01:41continue, and we need a serious investment in our military to restore readiness and ensure
01:49that our men and women in uniform are equipped to deter and to defeat threats.
01:54We also need to take action to unleash American energy production.
01:58The Biden administration put us on a dangerous trajectory by seeking to stifle domestic conventional
02:03energy production, and we need to recommit to domestic production to protect our nation
02:10and ensure that the American people have a reliable and affordable energy supply both
02:14now and in the future.
02:17And finally, Madam President, we are here to take a hard look at how taxpayer dollars
02:22are being spent.
02:24We saw an incredible growth in government spending under the Biden administration.
02:28Federal spending in 2024 was 54 percent higher than in 2019.
02:36Fifty-four percent.
02:38And so Republicans are going to take a good, hard look at how taxpayer dollars are being
02:43spent and work to return us to a more sustainable spending and fiscal trajectory.
02:50Madam President, as I said, the resolution we passed this weekend – and I might say
02:54over the objections of my Democrat colleagues, who are apparently perfectly okay with allowing
03:00taxes to rise for working families – it was a major step forward on delivering on
03:05our agenda, and I'm looking forward to arriving at a final bill.
03:10Discussions on that will continue on the floor – meanwhile, or off the floor, I should
03:15say.
03:16Meanwhile, on the floor, we'll continue to deliver on other priorities, including
03:20building out the President's administration and lifting burdensome Biden regulations through
03:27Congressional Review Act resolutions.
03:29We've kept up a very brisk pace on confirming nominees, and that will continue.
03:36By the end of this week, I expect to have added several more to our total, and I also
03:42expect to consider a resolution this week to roll back a heavy-handed Department of
03:46Energy rule.
03:49Democrats will continue to distract, Madam President.
03:54Republicans will continue to act.
03:56Madam President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.