John Thune Speaks On The Senate Floor After Passage Of The Big Beautiful Bill Act

Sen. John Thune (R-SD) spoke on the Senate floor Tuesday after the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Transcript

00:00Is the Senate a quorum call?

00:02We are not.

00:04Mr. President, it's been a long road to get to today.

00:08More than a year ago, groups of Republican senators and staff began meeting

00:12to lay the groundwork for extending tax relief for hardworking Americans

00:16if we were given the opportunity.

00:19Mr. President, voters gave us that opportunity.

00:22And since we took office in January, Republicans have been laser-focused

00:25on achieving the bill before us today.

00:29And now we're here, passing legislation that will permanently extend tax relief for hardworking Americans.

00:36Mr. President, that will spur economic growth and more jobs and opportunities for American workers.

00:42That will rebuild our military, secure our borders, unleash American energy,

00:50and cut waste, fraud, and abuse in federal programs.

00:54With this legislation, we are fulfilling the mandate we were entrusted with last November

00:59in setting our country and the American people up to be safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

01:07Mr. President, no bill of this size comes together without a lot of very hard work.

01:12And I want to thank the committee members and the chairman who have worked for so long on this legislation.

01:18I also want to thank the committee staff, and the leadership staff, and the member staff,

01:24who have put an incredible number of hours in putting this bill together.

01:29None of us would be where we are without our staffs.

01:32And nowhere is this more true than on this bill, which would not have come together

01:38without a lot of very late nights and early mornings and long afternoons of tireless work from staffers.

01:45And I hope, Mr. President, that they take pride today in what they've helped achieve for the American people.

01:51Mr. President, I also want to thank all the individuals who keep the Senate floor running

01:57and who worked overtime this weekend during consideration of the bill.

02:02That includes the cloakroom staff, the clerks, the doorkeepers, the Capitol Police,

02:09and the pages who stayed past the end of their session to help out.

02:14I am very, very grateful to all of you.

02:19And with that, Mr. President, I hope everyone manages to get some sleep.

02:23And I look forward to the House taking up and passing this historic legislation

02:28and getting it to the President's desk.

02:31Mr. President, I yield the floor.

02:34In the absence of a quorum.

02:36Clerk will call the roll.

02:38Ms. Also Brooks.