During Sen. Cory Booker's (D-NJ) historic filibuster, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) joined with questions and repudiations of the Trump Administration.
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NewsTranscript
00:00rising up of good trouble, as John Lewis would say, to say, not in my country, this is unacceptable.
00:09Will the Senator yield for a question?
00:11To Senator Dick Durbin, somebody who's been my mentor and friend,
00:16I will yield for a question while retaining the floor.
00:21Thank you. First, I want to acknowledge this extraordinary moment in the history of the Senate.
00:27I believe you have been holding the floor now for more than 10 hours,
00:33and perhaps we'll go on it even longer. And you've been joined by your colleague and friend,
00:39Senator Murphy of Connecticut. And I'm sorry to take the early morning shift, but I didn't want
00:45to miss this moment in history, not just for the historic nature of it, but for the substance of it
00:51as well. I just remind my colleague and fellow member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, it was
00:57only three, maybe four weeks ago, that we had witnesses before the Judiciary Committee.
01:05And I asked a question, and one of them is pending on the calendar, the executive calendar
01:11on the floor. His name is Dean Sauer of Missouri, and he's seeking the position
01:18of Solicitor General of the United States. Along with him was the lady aspiring to be the
01:27Assistant Deputy Attorney General for Civil Rights, Harmeet Dhillon, and Aaron Reitz,
01:35who has been approved by the Senate for a legal policy position. And the questioning went to the
01:43basics of our Constitution, which you have noted here today. And that is, what is the check and
01:51balance on a president? What is the accountability of a president under the Constitution?
01:58As I read it, and I don't profess to be expert, I'm still learning. As I read it,
02:05the accountability of the president is in Article 2. And Article 3, I'm sorry,
02:10Article 3 of the judiciary. Ultimately, the president can be held accountable by impeachment
02:17in Congress or by decision of court that some of the orders that he is promulgating are
02:25inconsistent with law and the Constitution. And the question that was asked of the witnesses
02:31who are seeking positions in the Department of Justice, does a public official,
02:36can a public official defy a court order? It seems so fundamental and basic. The answer is no,
02:45of course. But these three witnesses all equivocated in their own ways,
02:51which raises the question, if this president is not held accountable by a court order,
02:58what then can control a president who misuses their office to the detriment of the nation
03:04or the people who live here? And that, I thought, was a fundamental question.
03:10It was interesting to note, you may remember, that one of our Republican colleagues on the
03:15Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, after hearing these witnesses
03:21equivocate on whether a public official can defy a court order, came to the committee
03:28and basically said, what are you saying? The answer is obvious. You can criticize
03:36a decision of the court within the bounds of propriety as a member of the bar. You can appeal
03:43a decision of the court. But if that doesn't satisfy you, your recourse is to quit, resign,
03:49leave. The Constitution has the last word. The courts have the last word. And I think that's
03:55a question that you're raising today. Where is the accountability of the president of the United
04:01States when he misuses the power of office? In the cases that you've mentioned, the Alien Enemies
04:07Act, it's a law that's been around since, I think, 1807 or somewhere that time. I think it's clear,
04:15unless you have declared a war or unless you are invaded, you cannot invoke the Alien Enemies Act
04:23as this president has done. And he's being challenged in that regard. Yesterday, our friend,
04:30Senator Grassley, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, and I say friend, some people back
04:36home say, don't say that anymore. We don't talk to those people. They're wrong. This is a body
04:40where we do talk to one another, and we should, for good reason. Well, he raised the question
04:45yesterday, why is President Trump being challenged so often in court? Well, he has issued 102
04:53executive orders. I don't know if that's a record, but I'll bet it is. 102 executive orders
04:59questioning something as basic as birthright sovereignty, birthright citizenship. And so
05:05the point that I'm getting to is, in obvious situations here where President Trump has gone
05:11too far, where is the accountability? It's not going to be an impeachment. We're realists. We know
05:18that the Republican House of Representatives is not likely to ever consider that.
05:23It could be in the courts. And if it goes to the courts, the question is,
05:27will this president follow a court order if it goes against his policy?
05:32And if he won't follow that court order, where is the accountability? Where is the
05:36check and balance? Where is the constitutional framework, which is supposed to be at the
05:41foundation of this democracy? I think you're raising important questions. In the Insurrection
05:48Act, the use of our military for political purposes is a frightening prospect. It's
05:55something we have avoided throughout our history and should continue to. And I just commend you
05:59for raising this point because I believe it's timely. It's as timely as the questions that we
06:04asked of these Department of Justice nominees about the enforceability of court orders. And
06:10the question is now, will the American people speak up? I'm counting on some of our Republican
06:15friends to speak up too. Throughout history, there have been moments when the party other
06:19than the president's party showed extreme courage, political courage, and spoke up.
06:26We need that kind of voice now. I thank you for raising that on the floor this morning. My
06:31question to you is, at this moment in time, as we ask these nominees whether they would follow a
06:37court order or defy a court order, doesn't that get to the basics of our constitutional democracy?
06:44Yes, yes, yes, it does. I mean, you put forth this litany that where we have to ask ourselves is,
06:52at what point do my colleagues in the House or the Senate and the Republican Party say,
06:58enough, enough? God bless John Kennedy for calling out the absolute absurd. I was in that hearing
07:07where you have nominees for some of the highest positions in the administration
07:11failing to say that they will abide by a court order. I mean, that is something we haven't heard
07:19people on either side of nominees just say so bluntly now, not yes, I will follow the orders
07:26of a court they're equivocating. And God bless one of my colleagues, John Kennedy, who said,
07:31that's absurd. You either obey the order or you resign because we have a constitution.
07:40And so when is it enough? When is it enough? This is the week, this is the month of Passover,
07:46and there's a wonderful song I love singing when I'm at a Pesach, the Dayenu.
07:51It would have been enough, is the song, you know, if God just delivered us from the Egypt. It would
07:57have been enough if he parted the seas. It would have been enough. Dayenu, Dayenu, Dayenu. This
08:01is a kind of a twisted version of that. When is it enough? When the president of the United States
08:07starts a meme coin on his first day, violating the emoluments clause immediately and enriching
08:14himself. When is it enough? When he takes an agency that is on the front lines of stopping
08:19infectious diseases like Ebola or, or tuberculosis resistant, drug resistant tuberculosis from coming
08:27here. Is that enough? When we created that in Congress and he has no right to stop that agency,
08:34would that have been enough? When is it enough for him to issue executive orders that trample
08:41on the highest ideals of this land? When he mocks members of the court so badly that even
08:49the current chief justice admonishes him. When is it enough? When Elon Musk is indiscriminately
08:56firing people and then realizing, oops, we need the FAA safety folks. Oops, we need the nuclear
09:02folks who are helping us keep our regulation. When is it enough that you will say, okay,
09:06I'll call them in and have a hearing to create some transparency in what he's doing. When is it
09:12enough? When he activates the alien enemies acts and starts disappearing human beings without due
09:20process. When is it enough? Well, it's enough for me. It's enough for me. 12 hours now I'm
09:29standing and I'm still going strong because this president is wrong. And he's violating principles
09:37that we hold dear and principles in this document that are so clear and playing the, the powers of
09:44the article one branch are spelled out and he is violating them. Don't take my word for it.
09:50Republican appointed judges, Democrat appointed judges are saying it and stopping him. And then
09:56he maligns the judge that did that. When is it enough for people to speak out and not just fall
10:02in line to put patriotism over a person that's in the white house. So to your question, sir,
10:10to my friend, and I'm sorry to get a little animated at this early morning hour, but I am
10:15so frustrated and not just because of that, but I'm reading the stories. We're going into the
10:21next section, which is national security. And I'm reading the stories of our citizens of this
10:27country, not just New Jerseyans. There's a lot we've read in these 12 hours, but there are people
10:34from all over the country are reaching out to my office and I know they are yours. You're the second
10:39highest ranking Democrat in here. I know they're reaching out to you because you're a man that
10:42stands for justice. I know they reach out to your office too, because you're one of these outposts
10:47for sanity in a Congress that is being too complicit to an executive that is overstepping
10:53his authority and violating the constitution and hurting people who rely on healthcare
11:01and social security. I'm reading these stories, sir, because the voices of the Americans that
11:10don't have the privilege that the hundred of us don't get to stand here. But I believe the power
11:15of the people is greater than the people in power. That's the ideals of our democracy and our
11:20constitution. So I'm rip roaring and ready. I'm wide awake. I'm going to stand here for as many
11:30hours as I can, 12 hours. And I recognize that my other friend, another person I consider more
11:35than a friend, like a sister to me from the state of New York, my neighbor. Senator Booker, would
11:43you yield for a question? My sister, for you, I will yield for a question while retaining the
11:49floor. Senator Booker, I've been listening to this debate all night and I got to say you're on fire
11:57and you're on fire because the American people are very, very angry about what is happening.
12:04They are not happy with what this administration has done. It's contrary to what was promised.
12:10It's contrary to what was expected. And I know we're going to talk about national security in
12:16a few minutes, but can I ask a question about one of the topics you talked about last night?
12:21Because it was exactly what my constituents were talking to me about yesterday.
12:26So I was in New York yesterday and we talked about these cuts to social security. I have to say,
12:34I was stopped by the gentleman who worked at Amtrak and said, Madam Senator, Madam Senator,
12:41I just want to thank you for protecting my social security. That has never happened to me before.
12:48Never happened at Amtrak to be stopped by someone who worked there to thank me for one
12:53thing I had done that day. But I'm telling you, Senator Booker, when Elon Musk stops firing
13:02people, starts firing people at social security and tells the social security administration,
13:07you cannot answer the phone. What are our mothers and fathers and grandmothers and
13:13grandfathers supposed to do? Many of them are not readily available to be on a computer.
13:19Many of them can't ask their question online. And worse, Elon Musk is expecting them to show
13:27up in person at a social security office. How many of our older Americans are not able to drive
13:32anymore or are uncomfortable driving? How many of our older Americans feel uncomfortable getting
13:39in the subway to get to a social security administration because there's stairs or
13:44because the lighting's not good enough? These are the challenges that our older Americans have.
13:49And so I just want to talk about the things you told us last night about the risk to social
13:55security. Social security is our seniors' money. It's not the government's money. It's their money.
14:05So what happens when you make it hard for a senior to call and make sure their check's on the way or
14:12their check never showed up and they can't find it? For a lot of older Americans, that social
14:18security check is the only money they have for that month. It pays for food, right? It pays for
14:27heating bills. It pays for their medicine. It pays for their rent. It pays for everything they need
14:34to survive. And Elon Musk's office doesn't believe anybody should be answering the phones.
14:43Who is he to tell America how to run a social security administration when
14:49our seniors need those checks? They've crippled the phone service.
14:55Even though, get this one, can't answer the phone, crippled the phone service, you can only make an
15:01appointment on the phone. So how are you supposed to make an appointment if you are going to go in?
15:06I mean, that's absurd. They plan to cut 7,000 staff. That's a lot of staff. 7,000 staff,
15:16even though the social security administration staffing is already at a 50-year low.
15:21So they are lying when they are saying this is about efficiency. They just want the money. And
15:28what do they want the money for? Tax cuts for billionaire buddies of Elon Musk. It is an
15:34obscenity. It is an absurdity. It is an outrage. And everyone in America should be concerned.
15:41Hands off our social security, Elon Musk and President Trump. Hands off. They are rallying
15:47all across the country to say hands off my social security, hands off my Medicare, hands off my
15:54Medicaid. It's an outrage. And I don't think people should stand for it. Because your social security
16:03check is your hard-earned money. It is not for Elon Musk to play with, to shift around, or send it
16:11to tax breaks for his billionaire friends. Now, I have to say, my office has been working closely
16:21with one senior. Now, she's a New Yorker with a disability. And she was told that she had to call
16:29a specific representative's extension by the end of March. Well, that was yesterday. And if she
16:37didn't get this person, her application could be denied. She's called every day, sometimes more
16:42than once a day. She has been on hold for four to five hours just to reach this representative.
16:53As of yesterday, when we reached out to her, she had still not reached the representative.
16:58So Americans across the country are panicked. They are stressed. They are worried that they
17:03won't get their hard-earned money back, their retirement, to pay for the things that they need.
17:09Now, this is the money they've spent their entire careers paying into. You know, every time you get
17:14a paycheck, Senator Booker, there's a line that says social security because that money's been
17:20taken out of your paycheck and put into social security so it's there for you when you retire.
17:24It's your retirement. The page is sitting here right here. You are paying into your social
17:28security. Now, imagine this is your first paycheck, isn't it? I bet it is your first paycheck.
17:33Your first paycheck, you're putting in dollars that, you know, you want saved so that when you,
17:40you can't even imagine what it's going to be like to be 65. But the day you're working here,
17:45the fact that you spent all night here supporting Senator Booker, that's your retirement. Wouldn't
17:50you be pissed off if Elon Musk took your retirement money? You should be. He doesn't
17:56have any right to it. And what he's doing is he's doing it by cutting staff. So if you need help
18:02because your social security didn't arrive, then how are you supposed to get that check?
18:07They can't issue you a new one unless they know that it didn't show up in the mail like it's
18:11supposed to. Ultimately, cutting individuals from social security doesn't just affect them.
18:19It affects the entire economy. So you can imagine if all our seniors are getting this
18:24social security benefit, you can't go then buy your groceries. You're not going to be able to
18:30then go buy whatever you need for your home. Those stores will get less money and that means there'll
18:39be less resources in the economy. Social security, if you didn't know it, it's our country's largest
18:46anti-poverty program. It keeps people out of poverty. That's what it does. When we designed
18:52social security, however many decades ago, it was so that our seniors don't die in poverty
18:59because they were dying. About half of seniors at that time were dying in poverty. They didn't have
19:04enough food to live. And so we created social security. It's one of the most popular programs.
19:10It's one of the most effective programs. So reducing access to this key program, Senator
19:16Booker, is an outrage. It's harmful. It's cruel. It's hurtful. So I know that this is something
19:24that you've really spent a lot of time on last night, but don't you think it's cruel
19:31to not allow phone service? Don't you think it's wrong to make it harder for people to get access
19:36to their hard-earned money? Don't you think this is something that America did not sign up for in
19:42this election? I read last night, thank you for the question, my friend. I read last night some
19:51of the most painful letters of people over and over again from throughout my state and through
19:57other states who are living in fear, who use words like terrified and told stories that they couldn't
20:06sleep because of the rhetoric of this president, the rhetoric of Elon Musk calling it a Ponzi scheme,
20:12telling lies during a joint address. And then I read stories from people that work in social
20:19security. They're telling about not having desks and the waiting lines and the inefficiencies that
20:25this has created and the horrible deteriorating customer service. And I've been trying as much as
20:32I can during this last 12 hours to read the stories of Republicans. Yes. To read editorials
20:42from the Wall Street Journal to just show that this isn't a partisan thing. This isn't about
20:47left or right. It's about right or wrong. It's about will we as a country honor our commitments that we
20:55made? And then I read independent folks that are saying this is crazy that this program is even in
21:02jeopardy. I have another question for you because I know you want to move on to some national security
21:08issues this morning. I will yield for a question while retaining the floor. Thank you, Senator
21:13Booker. So the other thing that stressed out my constituents that I talked about this weekend
21:19is air safety. They're very, very stressed out about these cuts to the FAA.
21:27You know, there was a plane crash not too far from here.
21:31Helicopter crash. Everyone on the helicopter perished. We've been reading about stories
21:38across the country about flight safety and the fact that there are near collisions all the time.
21:47We had a horrible crash in New York, in Buffalo, the Colgan Air crash. I've gotten to know the
21:54families over the last several years because they've worked together for legislation to make
21:59sure we have pilot safety. But what I've been watching in terms of this administration is they
22:07don't seem to care. They just have made up this idea that cuts across the board are necessary
22:16to get rid of fraud and waste in the budget. And I agree, we can make government more efficient.
22:24But the way you do that is at least learn what each of these agencies do. Study what's happening
22:31in them and how to make them more efficient. Make sure the right number of personnel are hired.
22:35Make sure the right training is offered. Make sure there's no wasteful programs. That's good
22:40government. That is not what Elon Musk and his doge boys are doing. That is nothing like what
22:46they are doing. They're just cutting everything because they want to make space for these tax
22:50cuts for their billionaire buddies. It's really disgraceful. It's something that I don't quite
22:56understand. So over the past two months, just the past two months, we've seen horrifying accidents
23:06and near misses at airports all across the country. And there was another close call just
23:12this past Friday. Again, at DCA. Many of these accidents have been a result of chronic under
23:19staffing and antiquated technologies at the FAA. But instead of fixing those problems,
23:27the first thing the Trump administration did when it came to power was fire people.
23:33I think he's kind of stuck in the loop of the apprentice. You're fired. You're fired. You're
23:38fired. I don't get it. Like good government is important and I support efficiency. That's not
23:45what they're doing. It's like they're on a power trip and they just want to fire everybody across
23:50the board. Just fire them all. So while a court forced the FAA to rehire workers, thank God for
24:00the courts. Thank God for the judges that are doing their jobs and looking at these lawsuits
24:05appropriately. Many federal workers have simply moved on and found new jobs because these are
24:11highly skilled, highly sought after employees, people that we really want working in the federal
24:17government to keep our country safe. Now, just weeks after the horrific plane crash here with 67
24:27people getting killed in Washington, the administration fired hundreds of federal
24:33aviation administration employees jeopardizing the public safety and threatening our national
24:37security. So that made no sense. Like it was right on the heels of some horrific accident that we all
24:44witnessed. Now, over 90% of US airport terminal towers don't have enough air traffic controllers.
24:52Critical shortages remain for other aviation safety personnel as well,
24:57such as safety inspectors and mechanics, because to make sure when we get on that plane,
25:03plane's ready to go. In York, nearly 40% of positions are unfilled at two facilities on
25:10Long Island that direct air traffic for Newark, our shared airport, JFK and LaGuardia. As a result,
25:18over these past few years, the US has experienced a substantial and alarming increase in the number
25:23of near misses. According to an analysis from the New York Times, in 2023, close calls involving
25:31commercial airlines occurred on average multiple times each week and a number of significant air
25:38traffic control lapses increased 65% over the previous year. What did they cite as the major
25:48reason behind the increase? A shortage of air traffic controllers. While the Trump administration
25:55claims no air traffic controllers or critical safety personnel were fired, we know that many
26:02of those who were let go played an essential role in maintaining those and maintaining our air
26:09traffic control infrastructure. Others were responsible for maintaining navigational,
26:14landing and radar systems. We also know that safety inspectors, systems specialists,
26:23maintenance mechanics are among workers who are affected and at least one of the employees fired
26:29worked for FAA's National Defense Program, which protects our airspace from enemy drones,
26:35missiles, aircraft and used as weapons. I want to talk about those missiles and drones as well. I
26:41really want to talk to you about what your thinking is here that we don't have a plan.
26:47You had the incursions in New Jersey, incursions in New York at the same time,
26:53and we don't have assurance that those drones aren't being operated by China or Russia or Iran
26:59or another adversary for a nefarious purpose. We have to get to the bottom of this and that's
27:05something that Senator Booker, you and I have been at the forefront on when questioning the
27:10administration about what they're doing on this issue. So the question I have is why did
27:15the administration fire these workers and so easily part with them? Who will perform these
27:21duties going forward? What risk analysis was performed to ensure this won't make flying less
27:28safe? Now I asked these questions of the Secretary of Transportation in a letter on February 20th,
27:34over a month ago, and what was their response? We don't know. They haven't answered my letter.
27:40They're not willing to engage the Senate in actually policy and decisions that keep our
27:47state safe. What's worse is that we don't know if this is where it ends or if more reductions are
27:55coming and more reductions that allow for safety for our FAA. Now DOJ's so-called workforce
28:05optimization initiative, it's BS. They don't do the analysis first. They just make the cuts.
28:16We need the Secretary and the acting FAA administrator to be responsive to Congress's
28:22questions and oversight. The American people deserve to have a federal aviation agency that
28:27is dedicated to actually doing the job of protecting us, protecting this country. The
28:34Trump administration needs to take immediate steps to address FAA staffing shortages across
28:40the entire agency, not just air traffic controllers. So Senator Booker, the question I really want to
28:46ask you is, for your state, for New Jerseyans, what are they thinking? How do they receive this
28:55information? What do they say when they read about drone incursions over one of your arsenals,
29:02over one of your sensitive military bases? What do they think about cutting staff to the FAA when
29:08they watch all this information about crashes? I know my constituents are pretty stressed out
29:14about it. They don't understand why someone's making these cuts. Again, the why is the most
29:22important question. It's not for efficiency. It's not to get rid of the fat. It's not to get rid of
29:28the fraud. Never heard an allegation there's fraud in the FAA. Never heard an allegation there's fat
29:34in the FAA. They've been understaffed forever. So they're lying about the purpose. So what is the
29:41purpose? What is the purpose? What are they going to do with that money, Senator Booker? I'd like
29:44to know. So I appreciate this more than you know. And there's a line threaded throughout your entire
29:50question about the way they're going about doing this from so many agencies. First, they're trying
29:58to kill certain agencies, Department of Education, which they can't legally do.
30:04The USAID, they can't legally do. We created that. It's the Article 1 branch of government.
30:09But on some of these other agencies, like Social Security, where you started,
30:15we know it's ready, fire, aim. And actually, the aim part never happens.
30:21They're savagely cutting personnel. And organization after organization,
30:27seniors, thousands of them are already writing in about the undermining of service. The Wall
30:33Street Journal article we read last night said that the customer service at Social Security is
30:41going from bad to worse and painted horrific pictures that are putting seniors in crisis,
30:47not to mention the closing of Social Security centers in rural areas where people have to now
30:52drive hours and hours and hours. And so the FAA was one of the early outrages that they hired people
31:01that they then realized they needed and tried to find some way to pull some of them back.
31:06And you and I both know that the way they talk about government workers,
31:12a large percentage of them are veterans. The way they demean and degrade them,
31:19the way they accuse them of being parts of corruption, fraud,
31:23or fat, when the stories we've been reading of what some of these folks do is extraordinary.
31:31And so your question, though, brings up a lot of national security issues. I'm going to bridge to
31:35that because you and I both were really, really incensed that we weren't getting enough information
31:44when we had these incursions. And I want to start what I've been doing in other sections. It's just
31:50reading, elevating on this floor the voices of people from our country, trying to elevate more
32:00the voices to let people know, we see you, we hear you, your outrage, your hurt, your fears,
32:09they have value. I have another question before you start your letters, Senator Booker,
32:13if you'd like to entertain another question, if you'll yield. I will yield the question while
32:17retaining the floor. Okay. So because you're going into the national security section,
32:21and I want to give you a couple of questions to pepper your answers, because I sit on the
32:26Special Committee on Intelligence in the Senate. I also sit on the Armed Services Committee.
32:32And so national security is an area where New Yorkers care a deep amount about. And I've been
32:37spending the last 15 years focused on how we keep this country safe and what we should be doing.
32:43And so I get a lot of questions from New Yorkers about this issue. So I want you to address the
32:48drone issue for sure, because that is something you and I have been working on continuously since
32:53we've seen these incursions. And just to give a little more context for New Yorkers who might be
32:57listening to this debate, we've had drone incursions over sensitive military sites
33:03for quite some time now. And it's something that I've been working on on a bipartisan basis on
33:08through the Intelligence Committee. And some of these incursions are every night over and over
33:14again, over sensitive military bases. There was one over Langley. We've had them over arsenals in New
33:21Jersey, over sensitive sites in New York. We've had them over military bases across the country.
33:29And I don't like it when the answer is, oh, we know where most of this is. This is mostly
33:36FAA traffic. And I don't like it when I hear it from this administration or any administration,
33:43because it's not true. Some of the drone sightings are planes in the air, helicopters,
33:52maybe weather balloons, maybe enthusiasts. But they do not know if all are. And in these specific
34:00incursions, they do not know the origin of them. They do not know whose they are. They do not know
34:06who is operating them. They do not know the purpose of these drones. These drones could easily be
34:11spying. They could be planning attacks. They could be doing anything nefarious. We have no basis
34:17to say it is all known and we are not concerned. And so this is something we are going to get to
34:24the bottom of. I am very incensed about it. It does not leave our personnel as safe and does not
34:30leave our secrets safe. So drones is one issue. The second issue, if you could address on the
34:37national security side, is cyber security. I think that and election security, one of the
34:46cuts that the Doge boys made, which I literally cannot understand why they would ever do this.
34:52This is making us weaker. It is making us less safe. It is not good for America. And it shows
34:59how ill-advised this process is and how uninformed this process is and how we can see through these
35:07cuts how insincere this process is. This is not about waste. This is not about fraud. This is not
35:14about good government. This is about making massive cuts for tax breaks for billionaires
35:21because that is where they want to spend your tax dollars, New Yorkers' tax dollars and
35:27New Jerseyans' tax dollars. They want to take it and give it to tax breaks to the billionaires.
35:32Okay, so this is the question. These cuts, they have cut all the personnel or the main personnel
35:42at an organization called CISA that were supposed to be doing election security. So the people who
35:48actually were working with the states to make sure our election system can't be hacked, they fired
35:53those people. They fired the senior personnel at the Department of Defense, our most experienced
36:01generals across the board, members from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, just fired them.
36:06For what reason? I don't know. No substantive reason was ever given. But these are the senior
36:11personnel who actually keep us from wars, who have the judgment and the experience to advise
36:18the president, to advise Congress, to advise us on how to keep us safe. And so, and then the last
36:24group they cut were the lawyers. Do you remember that Shakespeare play, the first thing we do is
36:30kill all the lawyers? Well, the context in which that was given was in order to have a coup.
36:38So Shakespeare, hundreds of years ago, said, if you want to have a coup, the first thing you do
36:42is kill all the lawyers. Well, they fired all the lawyers, the senior lawyers at the Department of
36:48Defense. They fired the generals who actually know how to keep us safe. And then they fired the
36:53personnel at CISA who are responsible for election interference. They fired the people at the FBI
37:02who are also responsible for election interference. So again, these firings make no sense. I don't
37:10think they're making us less, I don't think they're making us more safe. I think they are
37:16making us less safe. When you fire the people who know what they're doing and are dedicated to
37:22keeping us safe, doesn't make us safer. What do you think, Senator Booker, about any of the topics
37:30that I raised, specifically the drones, the firing of the election protection personnel at CISA,
37:35the firing of the generals, the firing of the senior lawyers at the Department of Defense,
37:41firing of the FBI personnel, also expert at election interfering? These are the smartest,
37:47most capable, the most sophisticated senior personnel that are there to help us keep this
37:54country safe. I really want to hear what you're hearing for your state and what you're thinking
38:00about this reckless, reckless approach to national security. I'm so grateful for the
38:05questions from my colleague, from my friend. I want folks to know that probably the best dinner
38:11I had when I came here was with the senator from New York who really gave me a quick rundown on how
38:18to get things done in this body. I've watched her work on both sides of the aisle relentlessly
38:26to get things over the finish line, to help people in our region from 9-11 folks who were
38:33our first responders to get their health care, to fight, to support the military, empower the
38:39military, but to fight against sexual assault in the military. She is one of these phenomenal people
38:44and a lot of her questions we're going to get to, including that question that was obviously
38:49painful about national security is like, hey, one of the strategies of Russia, we know this,
38:57is to attack elections of other democracies, to try to sow discord, to try to undermine
39:03the very voting process. The Trump administration pulled away a lot of the people in the DOJ and
39:09elsewhere that their sole purpose was to fight against foreign election interference.
39:14And so how can we have a nation where the president is in charge of national security
39:18is not doing things to address the issues that were in your questions? And I want to start
39:22by reading a couple of constituent letters. I know we want to step back and talk a little bit
39:26about immigration because my colleague and my friend and my partner in leadership in the Senate,
39:32Tina Smith is here, but I want to get into some of these letters because I said
39:36over 12 hours ago that we were going to continue to elevate the voices of people out there. And so
39:42this is coming from someone from New Jersey, and they're writing, Dear Senator Booker, I'm writing
39:52to express my deep concern regarding the current state of our nation and the lack of response to
39:57the looming constitutional crisis. It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the actions
40:04of a president who routinely lies and makes outrageous proposals such as annexing Greenland,
40:10Mexico, and Panama, or even renaming the Gulf of Mexico. Those proposals not only undermine
40:16our international standing, but also disrespect the foundations of our country. Furthermore,
40:22I'm alarmed by the growing threat to press freedom. Recently, for example, the Associated
40:27Press was barred from the White House press room simply for referring to the Gulf of Mexico
40:34rather than the Gulf of America, a clear sign that the president's disregard for free speech and
40:39press's role in holding power to account. The president is actively trampling on the
40:47Constitution and blatantly ignoring the rule of law, as Senator Gillibrand was saying.
40:52He has taken steps to slash vital federal agencies and disaster relief programs,
40:58undermining our nation's capacity to respond to crises. His decision to appoint unqualified
41:05individuals to high positions for the purpose of following his will is another example of how our
41:11democratic systems are being systematically weakened. Additionally, his reckless and
41:16irresponsible approach to foreign policy is making the world more dangerous. His insistence on
41:21blaming Ukraine for Russia's invasion and ongoing war is not only historically inaccurate, but also
41:28deeply damaging to our allies and global stability. Even worse, his administration has entertained
41:34so-called peace settlements that exclude Ukraine from the process entirely,
41:40effectively allowing Russia to dictate terms without any Ukrainian input. Such actions
41:46betray our commitments to sovereignty and democracy and embolden authoritarian regimes
41:54worldwide. Domestically, his agenda is destructive. His administration has pursued the withdrawal
42:00from USAID, the gutting of critical global humanitarian and development efforts that
42:06have long served U.S. interests abroad. At home, he is enabling tech billionaires like Elon Musk
42:12to take a chainsaw to government agencies, arbitrarily dismantling institutions that
42:17provide essential public services. His attacks on the NIH and its funding jeopardize critical
42:23medical research and public health initiatives, undermining scientific progress for purely
42:29ideological reasons. Beyond these threats, his treatment of our closest allies is both reckless
42:36and embarrassing. His taunting of Canada, whether through inflammatory rhetoric or deliberate policy
42:44snubs, weakens our diplomatic ties and disregards the importance of maintaining strong relationships
42:50with our neighbors. This petty, short-sighted approach to international relations is isolating
42:55the U.S. at a time when global cooperation is more critical than ever. My greatest frustration,
43:02however, is the lack of action from our representatives and governors. Too many
43:08are cowering in fear of the president's authoritarian tactics. I am troubled by the
43:14absence of pushback. I am troubled by the absence of pushback. I'm troubled by the absence of
43:20pushback. We are witnessing the erosion of checks and balances, and the consequences could be
43:25dire. I was heartened by Governor Janet Mills of Maine's standing up to the president's orders.
43:31Unfortunately, his response was a threat to her political future, further evidence of the
43:36intimidation tactics being employed. I implore you, Senator Booker, to show some moral courage
43:43and take meaningful action to stand up to this growing threat to our democracy.
43:48Please let me know how you are responding to this situation and what steps you, Senator Booker,
43:54are taking to defend our Constitution and the rule of law. Thank you for your time, and I look
43:59forward to hearing from you soon. I hope at this early morning hour, at almost eight o'clock, that
44:03maybe you are listening because I hear you, I see you, and I'm standing here because, in part,
44:12of letters like yours. This is not normal. These are not normal times. We must begin
44:18to do as John Lewis says, get in good trouble, get in necessary trouble. I want to read another
44:23constituent. I just want to see where this person's from. I'm not trying to violate the
44:31privacy as my staff doesn't want me to do. What's that? We know Wisconsin's getting a lot of
44:40love here. I know my colleague, I kept seeing folks from two towns, one in your state and one
44:49in the great state of Pennsylvania, but this person, alas, is from Jersey.
44:56I wrote to ask you to do all you can to resolve funding for the National Institute of Health
45:03and USAID. I work in information technology at Princeton University, and I've seen
45:08firsthand the destruction, the destructive termination of funds
45:14is causing to e-research and education. We are losing the momentum of research
45:24and causing deep and lasting loss of educational resources.
45:28The NIH and the National Science Foundation provide funds for basic research as well as
45:34applied topics. The benefits of this research will be long-lasting and the cost of disruption
45:40will be very high. Similarly, the disruption of USAID is tragic. My daughter works for an
45:47organization working with USAID on climate mitigation and adaptation. She has lost
45:52job security as a result of the Trump administration's actions. Work she has built
45:58on in Ethiopia, Kenya, and elsewhere will be disrupted due to lack of funding. Thank you for
46:05your leadership as our senator. I am proud to be represented by you as well as our new senator,
46:12Andy Kim. The promise of our country is great, but we must redefine our purpose and imagine a
46:19new future. Your experience and knowledge will be critical to our country's success.
46:25Let me go with two more and then turn to my colleague. This is a short one. I am writing
46:32to express my concerns about the chaos and lawlessness coming out of the White House.
46:38USAID must be restored. Please use powers to restore democracy to the United States of America.
46:45This is not what democracy looks like. Thank you. Somebody from New Jersey.
46:54And one more. One more. One more voice.
47:05As a parent of a USAID Foreign Service officer recently in Ukraine, now in Kenya, I am outraged
47:11and horrified by the coup now being staged by Elon Musk under the authority from the President
47:16to be called criminal after putting your life at risk in the service of America's interests
47:22is itself to be a victim of criminal-like behavior. I have seen the beautiful roads
47:29and railroads in Africa built by Chinese. In one fell swoop, Trump has given that continent to
47:36the Chinese and the Russians. He did the same thing years ago by canceling participation
47:42in the Pacific Free Trade Pact, forfeiting our power and our goodwill, making China the largest
47:48player in the region. I saw the goodwill in the eyes of passersby from the Philippines to Georgia
47:55to Tajikistan. Now I hear it turned to hostility. Think of sports fans in Canada
48:05booing our national anthem. Think also of the infants that will now die from AIDS
48:11because of USAID's treatment program was abruptly stopped, along with vaccination
48:17programs and programs for stopping diseases such as Ebola, monkey pox, hemorrhagic fever.
48:24These diseases will come home. With even a 90-day pause in workers in these programs,
48:30we will lose jobs and rent and some never will return. Refrigeration of medicines will be at
48:37risk. Clinics and offices will become unavailable. Humpty Dumpty will not be quickly put back together
48:43again. Some of what Trump wants to do will ultimately need approval of Congress. I urge you
48:52to fight every one of his proposals and appointments. Slow the legislative process as much as you can.
49:02Please. I hope Trump will lose his majority. Thank you for your attention. I will be of service
49:10in any way possible to right these wrongs. I love when constituents don't only point out what's
49:14wrong but stand up and say, I will be in service. Let me know how I can help.
49:19Your voice is helping tonight. Speaking to these issues is helping tonight.