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Congressional Daily Record
This section covers nominations, confirmations, or other executive branch business. It mentions members such as John Thune.
Official title: Democrat Party Priorities (Executive Session)
Issued
July 20, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextMr. THUNE. Mr. President, at the beginning of last year, the New York Times took a poll of the American voters, and the headline captures their results. This is what it said: “Many Americans Say the Democratic Party Does Not Share Their Priorities.”
Let me repeat that, Mr. President. “Many Americans Say the Democratic Party Does Not Share Their Priorities.”
That is right. A New York Times poll taken weeks after voters rejected Democrats at the ballot box suggested that one of the reasons for Democrats' loss was that Americans don't think Democrats share their priorities.
The story went on to say:
The issues that people cited as most important to them
personally were the economy and inflation, health care and
immigration . . .
important priorities, Americans identified issues like abortion and climate change, among others.
months now. And we have given them plenty of opportunities to show some evolution—perhaps even moderation—to voters.
left of their party. They still have the same priorities that turned voters off from Democrats in the last election.
Mr. President, for starters, radical transgender ideology remains an article of faith among Democrats.
of women's sports. And when the Supreme Court ruled unanimously last month that State laws protecting women's sports are allowable under the plain language of title IX, one Democrat Senator called the ruling unjust.
“Unjust,” Mr. President.
should not be playing women's sports, but that doesn't seem to matter to Senate Democrats. And their commitment to transgender ideology doesn't end with supporting the presence of men in women's sports.
gender transition procedures being performed on minors. Procedures, I might add, with no substantial medical evidence to support them and plenty of reason to believe they are extremely dangerous for children, but apparently Democrats are fine subjecting children to those risks.
And of course, Mr. President, Democrats are still proudly pro- abortion. And when I say pro-abortion, I mean pro-abortion.
legislation to provide medical care to a baby born alive during a failed abortion?
pregnant college student knows that there are resources available to help her finish her degree and have her baby.
and it is not just on those issues. Far-left activists seem to be the audience for almost everything Democrats do these days. Take, for example, Democrats' two—that is right, two—record-long government shutdowns.
record 43 days to show the far left that they were fighting President Trump. And while TSA lines snaked outside of airports and Americans were visiting food banks because they had to work without pay, the Democrat leader was quoted as saying:
Every day gets better for us.
Better, that is, for Democrats seeking the approval of the far left.
became the official position of the Democrat Party as they tried to completely—completely—defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.
less safe with open borders. Their audience, far-left activists, wanted them to defund border security and immigration enforcement officers, so they did.
And Democrats weren't done. Last week, Democrats here in the U.S. Senate blocked the National Defense Authorization Act, the bill that authorizes funding for our military. That is right. Democrats voted against authorizing funding for our military.
all the way up to our national security, but that is where we are. Democrats have had numerous opportunities in the last year and a half to work with us on things that matter to the American people. And, again and again, they have chosen to follow members of their far-left base, in some cases—see New York City's mayor—follow them directly into socialism.
That is right. Self-identified Democrat socialists have been winning elections across the country.
So what is next? Will the Democrat Party adopt the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America?
To quote the New York Times again, “Many Americans say the [Democrat] Party does not share their priorities.”
A year and a half later, it is obvious that that is still the case: men's and women's sports, abortion up until the moment of birth, open borders, defunding law enforcement.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant executive clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.