Jeff Merkley

My colleague from Kentucky is right that this bill is unfunded, that it adds to the deficit and adds to the debt. And maybe the best way to address that is not to send $70 billion to two Agencies that are sitting on top of $103 billion…

Let us today, all 100 Senators, uphold our oath to the Constitution. The indiscriminate use of American bombs in Iran and Lebanon and Gaza that targets civilians and infrastructure by Israel must end. We should not sell these bulldozers…

This is all part of his effort to rig the upcoming November election. We can’t let him succeed. Save our Republic!

The answer to that, as I already pointed out, is that I am going to offer two proposals: One, that we fully fund TSA, and we do it not for 2 weeks but we do it for the balance of this year through September 30.

And so I will just put forward the fact. I am not impugning anyone, just the fact that nine times Members of this body have come to the floor and asked unanimous consent to fund TSA. And an additional 12 times, Members of this body have…

Let's release these hostages because TSA is being held hostage by my colleagues across the aisle, and FEMA workers are being held as hostages--

I will just note, once again, the failure to completely address the point that this bill is targeted at stopping students from voting, stopping Tribal members from voting, and that the broader bill from which it is derived is aimed at…

I asked my colleague from across the aisle if he would pause for a question not to address all the lists of particulars he threw out to all 47 of his colleagues on this side of the aisle but to simply make one point. That is, he said, that…

It's so important we be honest with the American people about what happened.

It’s so important we be honest with the American people about what happened

5 years and 2 days ago, the Capitol Police protected us as a team stormed the Capitol. Many other forces came and defended the Capitol as well. It was more than just stopping folks headed toward the Capitol to try to interrupt the counting…

Well, I did think it was connected because you said the mission was to stop drugs from getting into the United States. So it seems inconsistent. But if, in fact, there is so much evidence that these boats are moving drugs, why wouldn't it…

My question is, if the President is trying to stop drugs from coming into the United States, why did he pardon the kingpin who built the cocaine superhighway that killed thousands of Americans?

The authoritarian takeover is not down the street. It is not around the corner. We are in the middle of it, right now.

I’ve come to the Senate floor tonight to ring the alarm bells. We’re in the most perilous moment, the biggest threat to our republic since the Civil War. President Trump is shredding our Constitution.

Suddenly, you have the three elements that create tyranny in place of freedom, or authoritarianism in place of a republic.

Tyranny comes in two forms: the attack on freedom and the disappearance of the fundamental separation of powers.

Tyranny has already arrived. It is not down the street. It is not around the corner. It will not be encountered on the path tomorrow. It is here at this very moment.

President Trump is shredding our Constitution. Is it OK for masked federal agents to arrest people off the street because of their skin color or their accent? No way, not in a free America.

Thank you, Senator. I not only agree, but I so admire what you accomplished. It is so frustrating. Why can't we accomplish that again? I know one of our Members worked hard with my colleague across the aisle to do a bill that may have been…

Or more. And this body can't even come together and address children brought here through no fault of their own, who know no other country, who speak no other language, who grew up here and are productive citizens. Many of them, when we…

I am so pleased that so many have been able to come from the caucus and help ring the alarm bells, because this is the most perilous moment for our Republic since the Civil War, and never did I expect it to be in my time. I thought, yes…

But here we have evidence of the President tearing down a symbol of our Republic and building a symbol that is really a symbol about authoritarian power, about a government that serves the rich. Just the fact that we are spending money on…

That is horrific that he is flying away. He absolutely should be sitting down right now and holding a conversation with you about how we solve this problem for millions of Americans.

When I think about these last few years, I am concerned that the military has been substantially politicalized. I may be wrong about that because I don't have that view from inside. But I think about how the President gave the speech to…