WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:
Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):
“Mr. President, before I begin, I want to mention Pope Francis, who died last Monday.
“Since he became pope in 2013, Pope Francis captured the world’s attention with his simplicity.
“He had great compassion for the least among us, and he sought them out wherever he went.
“In his final homily on Easter Sunday, he reminded us not to remain stationary, but to go out seeking Jesus everywhere and in everyone.
“And that’s how he lived – going out into the world, seeking Jesus, and bringing the Gospel to those he met.
“I trust that he is now at home with his father in heaven.
“And my thoughts and prayers are with South Dakota Catholics and all those mourning this humble servant of God.
“Mr. President, we’re kicking off the week today with a vote on a former colleague of ours, David Perdue, to be ambassador to China.
“And we’ll be working through several other ambassador nominations this week – including our ambassador to our close friend and ally, Great Britain.
“I don’t need to tell anybody that it’s important to have these individuals in place.
“And we are going to continue to confirm the president’s ambassadors as expeditiously as possible.
“We are also going to continue to focus on filling out the rest of the president’s administration.
“The president needs to have his team in place so that he can do the job he was elected to do, and I intend to make sure that happens as quickly as possible.
“We’ve already set a brisk pace on nominations, confirming more than 50 to date.
“And we are going to have a lot more nominees coming out of committee.
“And I want to make it very clear that we are going to process those nominees in a timely fashion.
“As I’ve said before, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.
“But one way or another, we’re going to get it done.
“The president needs his team in place, and we have a lot of other work to do.
“And speaking of some of that other work …
“Before Easter, the House and the Senate took a major step forward on a permanent extension of tax relief for American families by passing a budget resolution that will allow us to proceed to a final bill.
“We’ve been working toward the text of that final bill for months, and drafting has only accelerated since passage of the budget resolution.
“And I am looking forward to [the] House and Senate taking up the final legislation.
“There’s a lot on the line here.
“The tax relief that Republicans passed in 2017 – which put more money in working Americans’ pockets – is set to expire at the end of this year.
“And without congressional action, in 2026 tax rates will increase, the child tax credit will be cut in half, and the standard deduction will be nearly halved.
“Americans making less than $400,000 a year would see a $2.6 trillion tax hike.
“And a typical family of four making $80,000 would be sending an additional $1,700 to Uncle Sam.
“Republicans, Mr. President, do not intend to let that happen.
“And our final bill will not only extend the 2017 tax relief for hardworking Americans, it will make it permanent.
“And in addition to permanent tax relief, our final legislation will invest in our border, energy, and national security.
“All three have suffered in recent years under the Biden administration, and Republicans are committed to securing our border, unleashing America’s abundant energy resources, and ensuring that our military has the resources it needs to deter and defeat any threat.
“Finally, our legislation will also include substantial savings measures, as we take a hard look at how we spend taxpayer dollars and work to get our country on a more sustainable fiscal path.
“Work on drafting this legislation continues apace.
“And as we consider nominations, measures to repeal burdensome Biden administration regulations, and other legislation on the floor, off the floor we are getting ever closer to a final bill.
“Mr. President, it’s going to be great.
“And, Mr. President, I yield the floor.”
