00:10Mr. President, Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats have successfully challenged several
00:15controversial judiciary provisions from the Republican so-called One Big Beautiful Bill.
00:23One example, the Republicans included a provision that would have limited the ability of individuals
00:30to challenge the Trump administration's executive actions by potentially putting them on the
00:37hook for millions of dollars when they try to defend their constitutional rights and go
00:41to court.
00:42Fortunately, the Senate parliamentarians struck this provision.
00:46Now, I'm proud of what we accomplished in eliminating some harmful provisions, but there's still
00:51a lot of problems with the Big Beautiful Bill.
00:55The more we learn about this bill, the worse it looks.
00:58Perhaps that's why there's a hurry to get this done before the Fourth of July and people
01:03can take a close look at the details.
01:06I cannot stand idly by as my Senate Republican colleagues try to steamroll this bill through
01:11Congress because the President wants to do something before the Fourth of July.
01:16We all know the provisions relative to health care and what they mean.
01:21The provision that came over, the version rather, that came over from the House of Representatives
01:26would have stricken health insurance coverage for 16 million families in America.
01:31What a wonderful idea.
01:33What are the Republicans thinking?
01:35There must be some really emergency reason to take health insurance coverage away from 16 million families.
01:43Well, it turns out the reason is to give a tax break to the wealthiest people in America.
01:49Oh, you Democrats, you always say that.
01:51It just can't be true.
01:52Listen, it is true.
01:54If you take people making $400,000 a year, the tax breaks that are being given by the Republicans,
02:0160% of them go to people making more than $400,000 a year.
02:06And at the highest levels of income, the Elon Musk part of the world, $346,000 a year in tax breaks.
02:15I've got to say I've met Mr. Musk.
02:18I don't know him very well, but I don't think he'll miss it if $346,000 in tax breaks don't come his way.
02:25But I do think 16 million families will miss health insurance coverage.
02:29I knew I would.
02:30In 2021, when I was chairman of the Judiciary Committee, the parliamentarian ruled against our efforts,
02:36democratic efforts, to include immigration policy in a reconciliation bill,
02:41even though the budget impact was more than $100 billion.
02:45At the time, the parliamentarian wrote, and I quote,
02:48the reasons that people risk their lives to come to this country cannot be measured in federal dollars.
02:54That's still true.
02:55Despite this precedent, Republicans' judiciary title as the big, beautiful bill
03:02is a wish list of policy changes to help carry out mass deportations of immigrants
03:07who've lived in our country for years and pose no threat to our safety.
03:12Let's get down to the bottom line here.
03:14If someone is living in this country seeking citizenship and they're dangerous,
03:17they commit a serious crime, as far as I'm concerned, they're gone.
03:21They've forfeited any right to consider staying in this country or acquiring citizenship.
03:28But there are so many others who came to this country and overstayed a student visa,
03:33overstayed a tourist visa, and they are technically in violation of the law.
03:37What have they done with their lives?
03:39Look around America.
03:40They're everywhere.
03:41They're working in your hospitals.
03:43They're working in your hotels.
03:45They're working in your restaurants.
03:47They're living next door to you, and they're going to church with you and your kids.
03:50These are people who are making America a stronger nation.
03:53And to brand them as criminals or rapists or terrorists without any proof whatsoever is just plain wrong.
04:00It's a shame that we've reached this point.
04:03Don't take my word for it.
04:05Listen to what White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said, quote,
04:11Wow, it's amazing what this bill, the big beautiful bill, accomplishes.
04:16The full border agenda, the full immigration agenda.
04:20These policies of mass deportation of immigrants are cruel and mean, and they go beyond any question of public safety.
04:28This bill would impose exorbitant fees that would make it impossible for vulnerable immigrants to access humanitarian relief in the United States.
04:38This includes a $1,000 fee on asylum and a $5,000 bond for parents seeking to be reunited with their child.
04:47The fee also placed barriers on due process.
04:51A $900 fee for an appeal in an immigration court.
04:54These fees are not just unconscionable, they're unfair.
04:59The Republican Reconciliation Bill increases state and local law enforcement grants funding.
05:04That sounds good, doesn't it?
05:06Well, you're wrong.
05:07This provision specifically prohibits using grant funds for community violence intervention and prevention programs,
05:15which are proven evidence-informed strategies to reduce violence.
05:21We have a gun violence epidemic in America.
05:24Currently, guns are the number one cause of death for American children and teens.
05:31Let me repeat that.
05:33In America, guns are the number one cause of death for American children and teens.
05:38Not auto accidents, not cancer, guns.
05:42We need to support and strengthen community violence intervention and prevention programs.
05:47I've seen them.
05:48And I've seen them work in the city of Chicago and all around my state of Illinois.
05:52To stop violent incidents before they happen.
05:55And we need to connect people with treatment and tools that decrease the risk of future violence.
06:00But instead of supporting valuable public safety measures, the Republican Big Beautiful Bill removes taxes and regulations on certain rifles, shotguns, and gun silencers.
06:12That's just what we need in America, isn't it?
06:15Cheaper guns.
06:17Combating this epidemic takes ingenuity and funding, not the reversal of lifesaving gun violence prevention policies.
06:25But Republicans' reckless reconciliation bill will jeopardize the progress that's been made in our communities.
06:31And to make matters worse, Senator Cruz of Texas has added a provision that would leave the USAI advanced intelligence industry an unregulated wild west.
06:43This provision would give states the choice between regulating AI or accepting federal funding under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program.
06:53This means states would have to choose between freezing all regulations on artificial intelligence for the next decade or give up specific federal funding.
07:03In addition to preventing new state regulation, it would make many of the laws already passed by states unenforceable regarding issues of AI such as political deepfakes, fake face recognition, and algorithmic discrimination.
07:17We are currently living with the results of our failure to regulate big tech when it came to social media.
07:23Let's not make the same mistake when it comes to AI.
07:26This provision by Senator Cruz will allow big tech and bad actors to prey on the lack of regulations in the AI space and develop deceptive, biased, and potentially dangerous tools that hurt ordinary Americans and diminish trust in technology.
07:43Senator Cruz claims that provisions would only affect states' eligibility to receive a part of the $500 million federal investment.
07:52But as my Democratic colleagues, Senator Cantwell and Markey have pointed out, there is also a stipulation of the provision that would hold $42 billion in essential broadband program funding hostage.
08:04This would force states to choose between protecting consumers from AI-related harm or expanding critical broadband.
08:11Senator Cruz's provision provides greater harm to the American people than good.
08:16And listen, it says that this will be for until 10 years.
08:21I would like to say that I'm confident the federal government would respond within 10 years, but there's certainly no guarantee.
08:29I promise to support any amendment that will remove the AI pause provision from this bill.
08:34And I hope my Republican colleagues will do the same.
08:37So now is the real test for my Senate Republican colleagues.
08:40Will they stand with President Trump and provide tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires?
08:45Or will they stand with their hardworking constituents and reject this betrayal?
08:50What's more important, a tax break for Elon Musk or the health insurance of $16 million America?
08:56What's more important, a tax break for the wealthiest people in America or your rural hospital?
09:02I think people know that when it comes to the quality of life, the hospital is more important and health insurance is critical.
09:09I hope for the sake of our country, four Republican senators will have the courage to step up and choose their constituents over special interest groups.
