Donald Trump and the Republican Party
Floor Speech
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Mr. REID. Mr. President, today the Republican Presidential nominee-- it is hard for me to say these words--Donald Trump, comes to Capitol Hill. He secured the party's nomination. He did that last week. Donald Trump will meet privately today with Speaker Ryan and Republican Leader McConnell. It is just the latest sign that Republican leaders in both Houses are marching lockstep with Donald Trump.
Senator McConnell has fully embraced Donald Trump. He said last week when Trump secured the nomination: ``I have committed to supporting the nominee chosen by Republican voters.''
While speaking with reporters earlier this week, the Republican leader sounded enthusiastic about Trump's chances in the general election. I guess he should be giddy about a Trump Presidency. Donald Trump is everything the Republican leader and his party could ever want in a nomination.
Trump's policy decisions are identical to the Republican Party platform. Today, when they meet in an hour or two, Senator McConnell can discuss that consensus with Trump.
Let's talk about the Supreme Court. Donald Trump and the Senator from Kentucky can talk about their obstruction--for the first time in the history of the country--to a Presidential Supreme Court nomination. It has never happened before. We have had some stalling and a couple of filibusters, but this is one where people didn't want to meet with him. A few of them have broken from that. They certainly don't want to have a hearing, and they don't want to vote.
It was Trump who said Republicans should ``delay, delay, delay'' filling the Supreme Court vacancy. Following Trump's lead, the Republican leader has personally overseen the blockade of Judge Garland's nomination, forcing Senators to fall in line.
Let's talk about Trump and women. When they get together they can talk about their policy about being anti-woman. Since Senator McConnell has so enthusiastically embraced Trump, we can only assume he agrees with Trump's view that women are dogs and pigs. We can only assume that the Republican leader is not repulsed by Donald Trump's vulgar behavior towards women. Look at the New York Times story yesterday with his cavorting with Howard Stern and how they talked about women.
After all, the Republican Party has spent years blocking every substantive bill for American women--equal pay for equal work. This Republican Senate has undermined women's health at every turn, trying to turn Planned Parenthood into a punching bag--even though millions and millions of American women have been helped by Planned Parenthood.
They will have an opportunity this morning to talk about the anti- Latino vote. They can discuss their anti-immigrant policies and their agenda. Since the Republican leader is all in for Donald Trump, we can only assume that he approves of Trump's calling immigrants rapists and murderers, and the DREAMers as being mules for drug dealing.
I assume they can have a long discussion about the wall--how high it should be, how they are going to get the Mexicans to pay for the wall-- even though most people think the idea is insane.
Let's not forget Republicans have demagogued Latinos and immigrants for decades. They are doing it today.
The Republican leader voted against comprehensive immigration reform.
Under Senator McConnell's leadership, Senate Republicans almost came within hours of shutting down the Department of Homeland Security because of President Obama's executive actions on immigration.
They can talk about their outlook on families. Donald Trump and the Republican leader can mention how little they have done for American families. Except now, in today's news, they are going to cut Medicaid and Medicare. I guess that is because he is getting lined up for the meeting with Paul Ryan, because that is his No. 1 issue.
Since the Republican leader has firmly established himself in Donald Trump's corner, one can only assume he is OK with Trump's shady business practices. He doesn't mind that Donald Trump rips off hard- working Americans, filed bankruptcy many, many times, and has a university that is corrupt. And the trial will go forward during the election.
Sadly, a disregard for the middle class is an all-too-familiar position for today's Republicans. The Republican Party refuses to address the minimum wage, college affordability, or any other legislation that helps families.
Here is a doozy. They can spend a lot of time talking about climate change. Trump and the Republican leader can, in this private conversation, talk about denial of climate change. But 97 percent of all scientists worldwide believe it is here. It is upon us. Ask the senior Senator from Florida. He will tell you it is here. Look at what is happening in Miami. You can talk to the Senators from Virginia, and they will tell you what is happening in military bases on the coast of Virginia.
Donald Trump's highest ranking supporter in Congress, Senator McConnell, assumingly agrees with Trump that climate change is a hoax-- here is what Trump said--perpetrated by Chinese manufacturers. That position fits with a Republican Party that refuses to acknowledge the environmental and national security threats posed by climate change. If elected, Trump and Senator McConnell would lead the nation backward on a climate change denial agenda that would put polluters first and make the United States the laughingstock of the world.
More than 170 countries have agreed to address climate change because of U.S. leadership, but Trump and McConnell have stated publicly that they will walk away from this.
Let's talk about what Republicans like to talk about--what is happening with the economy--keeping in mind that Bill Clinton balanced the budget. Keep in mind that when George Bush came to the Presidency, there was a $7 trillion surplus over 10 years. With two wars unpaid for costing trillions of dollars and with tax cuts not being paid for, that surplus has long since gone.
So they can talk about that. They can talk about how Trump has said that he thinks America should default on its debt. Just get the people we owe money to take less money. That is what he said. He doesn't want to pay our national debt. It seems that, on that issue, there is little distance between him and the Republican leader.
Senator McConnell has presided over a Republican caucus that has taken America to the brink of default on a number of occasions, not the least of which is shutting down the government--this great government-- shutting it down for 17 days--closed, out of business.
So Donald Trump and the Republican leadership should have a long, long conversation. They have a lot to talk about. At some point in the conversation, Donald Trump should thank the senior Senator from Kentucky. Trump owes his candidacy to the Republican leader and the policies he has led. It was the obstructionist, anti-woman, anti- Latino, anti-Muslim, anti-middle-class, anti-environment, anti-Obama, anti-everything Republican Party during the last 8 years that has made Donald Trump a reality.
I note that no one is on the floor. Will the Chair announce what the Senate is going to do this morning.
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