Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On President Trump and Republicans’ Skewed Priorities To Use Taxpayer Money To Fund Trump’s Ballroom Instead Of Focusing On Actual Issues The[...]

Washington, D.C. - Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke on the Senate floor on President Trump and Republicans' skewed priorities to use taxpayer money to fund Trump's gold-plated ballroom instead of passing the twice-Senate-approved bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security and addressing the issues the American people are facing. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here.

As our nation wages Donald Trump's reckless war with a dangerous and erratic enemy, and as the Department of Homeland Security is still not funded because of the hijinks within the president's own party, Donald Trump has decided to focus on a taxpayer-funded, gold-plated ballroom instead of focusing on these important national security issues. The war in Iran, dangerous for the US. The fact that we haven't funded Homeland Security, dangerous for the U.S. Does Donald Trump roll up his sleeves and solve these problems? No. He's focused on this ballroom. His gilded, gold-plated, taxpayer-funded ballroom, instead of focusing on the important national security issues facing the country. Trump's values are perverse. Just perverse.

If the President and House Republicans truly care about our national security, fund DHS. Fund the Secret Service. Fund CISA. Fund the Coast Guard. Fund all the crucial law-abiding agencies that every Democrat and every Republican in the Senate unanimously voted to fund not once but twice. Now House Republicans say they are tinkering with technical changes to our legislation. Speaker Johnson, our bill, our bipartisan bill, doesn't need any changes - just pass the damn thing. Pass the damn thing. We desperately need it.

Democrats chose to fund national security and keep Americans Safe. For 33 days, House Republicans have blocked funding for DHS.

Donald Trump and Republicans' fixation on the ballroom shows just how very out of touch they are.

And let's not forget, last year, Karoline Leavitt said that Trump's gilded ballroom "is not going to cost taxpayers a dime."

Well, rewind.

Instead, the ballroom is going to cost the taxpayers a pretty penny to the tune of $400 million.

Let me repeat: $400 million for Trump's walled palace. That's how much his acolyte Senator Graham wants to authorize for the project in his new bill. He's also floated potentially forcing through ballroom funding with Republicans' partisan reconciliation process.

Rush it through without debate, without amendment, $400 million for a ballroom? Seriously?

Apparently, Donald Trump wasn't satisfied with forcing Americans to foot the bill for a war they do not want and a trillion dollars in tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires that Americans eschew.

Absolute absurdity.

What happened to funding the ballroom with the tens of millions of dollars in shady donations Trump received from billionaires and corporations? Or with the billions his family has made off the presidency? What happened to that? Ignoble as that was.

Instead of spending $400 million to build a walled palace for Donald Trump, Republicans should use that money to lower housing, food, gas, and health care costs for the American people. I'm putting out a framework today on how to bring down health care costs. Republicans ought to follow it, helping the American people for once.

Unfortunately, holding up DHS funding isn't the only way Republican infighting is threatening America's national security.

Speaker Johnson, Donald Trump, national Republicans: America's national security is at stake. Get your act together on FISA.

America cannot afford for you to continue dithering on FISA. Get your act together, Speaker Johnson. Run the House of Representatives like it should be run. And deal with the problems America faces.

###

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Tweet