heard in the first instance. by a select committee with members of both political parties who hear the evidence and after doing that, some of the whole matter for a final vote to the whole senate. you can hear evidence that individual witnesses. you can receive evidence in documentary form. there are 1000 different ways to conduct a trial. some of which allow the child to be conducted pretty quickly. others it might take more time. but there 1000 ways we can do it. and here, as of the other two states of being in the legislative calendar and then on the executive calendar. now as we sit as a court of impeachment we have narrowed our

work again. shirking our responsibilities again. again declining to perform our constitutional duties. this is shameful. i am embarrassed that we as a set it seems so enamored with the idea that we cannot do the thing given to us. what is especially troubling about this is all we are in fact a government of limited enumerated powers. our job is not to, some people put it, run the country. our job is not to make a law on any matter that we think appropriate or significant. our job is not to just enact legislation in any area we think it might break down in one way or another to the net benefit of

the american people. no, we're supposed be a government of limited powers. charge with a few basic things. we are in charge of the uniform system of weights and measures. immigration and nationality laws, trade or commerce between several states with foreign nations and with indian tribes. we are in charge of declaring war. establishing and regulating an army and a navy coming up with rules governing state militias which we now describe or refer to as national guard.

>> the regulation the dispose of territory owned by the united states and then there's one of my favorite powers of congress false graduating letters of mark and reprisal mark in this instance spelled marque we should do one letter of reprisal a hall pass issue by congress that allows those acting pursuant to it to engage in acts of piracy on the high seas with imperty offered by the united states if they're able to make it back with whatever loot they

take into the united states. and then divide the spoils and share the spoils with the united states government. that's about it. there are few other powers of congress here and there, but that's the lions share of what the federal government can do and, of course, we occupy the most significant prominent, dominant and dangerous power within that because we're the law making branch. we make the laws. executive branch enforces the laws we make deferring to our policyings and enforcing the policies that we enact the judicial branch headed by the supreme court just -- interprets them not just in the ab abstract but a way brought before the jurisdiction of the courts disputes over the meaning of federal law. so we get the most dangerous, prominent, come dominant positin

make sure founding fathers entrusted us because the branch to the most regular intervals you can fire all 35 members of the house every two years, you can fire one-third of the body that the members of this body every two years. and it's one of the reasons why you know, founding fathers considered the power that we wield most dangerous because they made us subject to the most frequent and regular and direct kinds of guarantees of accountability that is through elections. so now we've got somebody who has been impeached because a law that we passed that he was charged with enforcing and administrating, administering and implementing and executing. didn't do his job. so it falls on us to decide thatter a myriad instances in which that violation of the law

can't adjudicated in court such as this case we referred to earlier united states versus texas where a majority of the supreme court of the united states -- against, by the way, brilliant desent by justice alito concluded that the state of texas didn't have standing to what address violations of law and variations of law from secretary mayorkas and the biden administration. so if not us then who? countless instances courts can't do it. the executive branch isn't going check the executive branch. the buck stoppings with us it is our job to do this and we failed we didn't just fail in the stheans we tried and didn't.

but the majority of us unfortunately tried not to when out of our way to define our role as thing that it is not to define law as saying something other than what it, in fact, says so that we can sure our responsibilities yet again. shame on us, shame on those members of this body who voted to do that today. i wonder what future generations will say about this. i wonder how many ways in which future generations will suffer from what we did today. i hope to shout -- they'll take this as a lesson and whatnot to do and soon depart from this awful precedent otherwise this will lead to the shedding of tears and worse -- we're told that the senate is apparently just too busy.

to conduct an impeachment trial just about to be told that the senate is too busy to require the federal government to get a warrant before searching the private communications of american people distinct incidentally collected in the 702 databases too busy but i think we're told it is not too busy to send even more money to ukraine and already sent $113 billion. not too busy to do that. not too busy to expand fisa. without adding a warrant requirement but just way too busy apparently to do what the senate and only the senate can do and whatever the constitution we must do. madam president, like the ghost

of christmas future, in charles dickens a christmas story, i hope that as we examine our future and what today action pretends about the future of the united states and of the united states senate, i hope we can choose to depart from this course. while i fear that our past will prove to be our prologue. i sure hope we won't solidify more deeply entrench this unwise indefensible move that we took today. but i'm glad we've had the chance today to set the record

straight to make an adequate record of what really happened. and that while a majority of bare, slim majority chose to excuse the inexcusable today, some of us nearly half of us tried to stand in front of that train and stop it. i -- i hope that this will prove to be an aberration. let's all pray that it does. thank you madam president. i yield the floor.

[silence]

the majority leader. >> i have eight requests to meet during session of the senate they have approval of the minority and majority leaders. >> duly noted. >> madam president i have unanimous consent that the committee on environment and public works be discharged from further consideration of hr4389 and senate proceed to its immediate consideration. >> the clerk will report. >> hr4389 act to the migratory

act to make improvements for that act and for other purposes. sfntle there objection proceeding to measure? >> ski that the bill be considered read a third time. >> without objection, the committee is discharged from the senate will proceed. >> be considered read of third time. >> i know of no further debate on the bill. >> if not the question is on passage of the bill. all in favor say aye. >> all oppose no. ayes have it appear to have it the bill is passed. >> i ask motion to reconsider be considered late and laid upon the table. >> without objection. finally unanimous consent when the senate completes its business today it stand adjourn until 12, noon april 18th be expired journal of proceedings

be approved to date and date two leaders used later in the day and morning business be closed that upon the conclusion of morning business is senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to calendar 364 calendar 888. >> without objection so ordered. >> if there's no further business before the senate i move it stand adjourned on previous order. >> question son the motion all in favor say aye. >> opposed no. the ayes appear to have it and have it motion is agreed to. >> the senate stands adjourned until noon tomorrow. [silence] the senate stands adjourned today. the impeachment of alejandro mayorkas proceedings in the senate taking just a little over three hours today here's one of

the headlines from bloomberg news on the impeachment mayorkas impeachment dives in senate thwarting a republican attack. ellen gillmer reporting to east homeland security alejandro mayorkas met anti-climatic but predictable fate as swift shrine charges against him and hill newspaper marked first tile in 225 years that the senate voted to immediately dismiss impeachment charges approved by the house instead of holding a floor trial or referring the matter to a special committee to review it. we have some time here at the end of the day in the united states senate to take some of your phone calls getting your reaction to the proceedings in the senate today. that impeachment trial and then a group of republicans and there's holding the floor for about two and a half hours after the trial was adjourned to talk about the impeachment of alejandro mayorkas here's how you can get in touch with us

republicans that it 202-748-2021 all others 202-748-8922 as you're calling in we want to show you senate majority leader chuck schumer speaking to reporters just after the impeachment proceedings were closed on senate floor. this system of what he had to say. >> as suspected, the republicans prove this afternoon that this whole impeachment was nothing more than a political show. problem was they weren't prepared. we had offered to have an open and public debate and votes on multiple resolutions by republicans. rather than taking that time to hold the debate, that republicans claimed was imperative, they denied our fair and reasonable offer and didn't seem to know what to do. we saw today what we saw today was a microcosm of this

impeachment since day one. hallow frivolous, political. and we felt very strongly that we had to set a precedent that impeachment should never be used to settle policy disagreements. i felt that very strongly. this is the first impeachment i can recall. you look at history, none were done because there were policy disagreements. if we allowed that to happen, it would set a disastrous precedent for congress could throw our system of checks and balances into cycles of chaos. any house time the house would want to just shut the senate down they have another impeachmt resolution and could create frivolous after frivolous impeachment trial after impeachment trite. so i felt it really important

that dangerous precedent was not the one that republicans are talking about. but the one of letting impeachment take the place of policy disagreements. cabinet person after cabinet person. could be subject to this, we cannot have that happen and i felt that that's what the senate had to do to keep its response to step up to its responsibilities. we're supposed to have the debates on the issues. not impeachments on the issues. we are not supposed to say that when you disagree with someone on policy, that that suddenly is a high crime misdemeanor that would degrade government. >> that was chuck schumer minutes after impeachment proceedings closed at the senate at the end of the day in the united states senate we're taking your phone calls getting your reaction to what happened on the floor of the senate during impeachment proceedings jar wards when a group of

republican senators held the floor for two and a half hours to discuss what happened today in the senate. here's how you get in touch with us 202-748-8921 democrats 202-748-8920 all others 202-748-8922 i want to also show you from just after the proceedings in the senate ended, more from the press conferences held by various leaders around the capitol including speaker mike johnson whose republican managers marched over those impeachment articles earlier this week, this was speaker johnson. >> we're deeply disappointed? senate action that the senate action they've just taken on the mayorkas impeachment proceedings there should have been a full trial american people should have been able to see the evidence and evaluate for themselves what i think they know already intuitively and that is that -- secretary mayorkas hadding --

fantastic breach of duty. he breached his constitutional responsibility and openfully defied the federal law and immigration and will of congress. and my view he's lied on multiple occasions to congress under oath and he's done it to me on house judiciary committee and my view i believe my evaluation is he's probably the least effective and i think most dangerous in erm its of his policy implementations of any cabinet secretary in the history of the united states. and if there's ever been a -- cabinet secretary that deserve to be impeached, he is that and the idea that the senate and under chuck schumer leadership voted on party lines to not even allow american people to evaluate evidence is shameful ig it is a violation of their constitutional responsibility, and i think there will be a reckoning for all of this in the election cycle in the fall i really do. >> that was a speaker mike johnson just after impeachment proceedings ended in the senate's talking to reporters on capitol hill from statuary hall

one more statement for you this afternoon, this from the department of homeland security a spokesperson for alejandro mayorkas by the senate to reject house republicans baseless attacks on secretary mayorkas, proves definitively there's no evidence or constitutional grounds to justify impeachment. the spokesman going on to say as he's done throughout more than 20 years of dedicated public service secretary mayorkas will continue working every day to enforce our laws and protect our country it is time for congressional republicans to support the departments violation mission instead of wasting time playing political games and standing in the way of common sense, bipartisan, border reforms that statement coming from the department of homeland security. time for your calls this afternoon i want to hear from you getting your reaction phone lines for republicans, democrats, and all others starting in new york, ray good afternoon. >> thank you for taking my call.

this is a dark day for the united states senate. to not give a trial to make a decision before you -- before you hear all of the evidence if democrats wanted to make a -- a quote after they heard all of the evidence. that would be one thing. to stay this wasn't worthy of to share the trial and have both sides make their case i think it is a really dark day. i think this is going to have major election ramifications. this is just something that -- that we don't expect the united states of america. we lose going through the process, and it's very depressing to me and i give a lot of kudos to senator lee said this afternoon. >> and ray did you watch all about three hours of the proceedings on the impeachment and then the two and a half hours of -- of that colloquy among senator

lee and his colleagues? >> yes i did i tuned in 2:00 and watched right through the end. i -- couple go in the other room to get a soft drink on something like that i just befunded by the fact they wouldn't allow this. they kept asking can we at least talk and talk behind closed doors -- can -- they didn't have any correspondence between each other only afterwards i thought too in the last couple of hours, the republicans gave just an excellent reasoning of why this should have been at least a trial. you might not come to the same conclusion they would have come to. but to say that -- there wasn't enough evidence to at least to look further and to do a trial just seems foolish to me. very sad. >> thanks for the call and staying with c-span into this evening here's one photo

released by chuck scher and mitch mcconnell minority majority leaders o the scene in the united states senate you probably saw that shot of the -- cameras and view from the senators as they got sworn many for this impeachment trial. in mobilehead, massachusetts this is marg good evening to you. >> i'm a fan of c-span obsessed with c-span you tell the truth and put the truth out there unfiltered, and i -- i usually as i'm working at home, i have c-span on practically 7 by 24 that being said that means i have seen every single one of these hearings with mayorkas in front of the senate and the house. and there is no way to put it but the fact that the gentlemen lied and it is a crime. it's title 18 section 1001.

i couldn't get away with that. i am so sad. i agree 100% with john who called on republican line i have actually voted democrat, and i'm -- just really sad. and in massachusetts the democrats are just -- destroying the state and i just i can't do it anymore. i mean we ceased to become a constitutional republic today. the fact of the matter is, they needed to have a trial. okay, if it comes out and it's acquittal, fine. but my goodness, gracious, donald trump who is impeached over a phone call -- and the evidence that's been laid out, charts, you know, correspondents actual visual evidence i've seen on c-span at the border. i mean, that's real evidence. the border is not secure. i have a nephew who is a border guard, it's not secure. and the man lies and lies and

lies, and -- >> thanks marg. >> there's no punishment. >> you mentioned hearings it was republicans on the home of house land committee that put out this tweet in the wake of the united states senate finding that this -- these impeachment articles didn't rise to the level of impeachment again along party line votes. saying that they held a dozen hearings with three dozen witnesses the committee spending nearly a year investigating secretary mayorkas, they published six reports totaling nearly 400 pages and then, of course, the house voting to impeach the senate trial lasting just over -- three hours as you saw if you watched it here on c-span2 the senate voting to conclude that the articles didn't rise to the level of impeachment under the united states constitution. that's what happened today on thes floor of the senate we're taking your phone calls. this is helen in compton, california.

helen, good evening. caller: good evening c-span. i thank you very much for c-span. ima viewer who is a political junkie. i watched all of the senate today, and i applaud them for doing what they did. they had all of the evidence that came from the house. there was no high crimes and misdemeanors. the caller before said something about -- trump being impeached over a phone call. we all know the phone call was about digging dirt on biden. and not aiding ukraine. so come on let's be real. but on today, they did right. why take up the time and the senate when you could be doing something else other than listening to something that had already been stating. the republicans better get it together because november is coming around. and those of us that are democrats, republicans

independents are tired of the republicans not doing anything in d.c. but causing they can't even get it together in the house. we're watching -- work together that's what we sent democrats and republicans to d.c. to do. not be there and be partisan. and that's all eve to say on this. >> helen in compton, california. proceedings in the senate right about 2 p.m. eastern time. senate majority leader chuck schumer laying out an impeachment process that included about two hours of debate and eventually vote on republican motion and vote on dismissal it was eric schmidt republican senator of missouri who objected to process calling for full trial at that point senator chuck schumer made a point of order to say that the articles of impeachment be ruled under -- ruled unconstitutional that they

didn't rise to the level of impeachment under article 2 section 4. of the united states constitution, that section of article 2 reading that the president, vice president and all civil officers at the united states shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason by bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors. republican senators making about nine different motions to try to debate that to try to delay the trial eventually those two votes occurred on two articles of impeachment on those points of order. by senator chuck schumer majority leader, and the impeachment trial ended. it took about three hours total. this is david in frenchlink, indiana, republican line david good evening. caller: good evening thanks for taking my call. i'm not going to take very long to describe what i saw today.

the dismissal of the two impeachment charges without one minute of listening to evidence. senator lee made the appropriate speech. this was all to say biden's chances to win the election that's all it was totally political. blew by the constitution we live in a banana republic. thank you. >> that's david sherry in pennsylvania line for democrats. sherry go ahead. >> hi thank you for listening to me. mayorkas is working with what he has to work with. republicans had a bill and the democrats went whroong that bill. and then trump said he didn't

want it he was going to use it for his republicans that the republicans shouldn't push it. but you know what, mayorkas said what he said because that's what he has to work with. republicans do not wants to win the border crisis they want to use it as a campaign. and that's for trump. now, the republicans know trump is going to be convicted and they're doing everything they can to push it on biden for everything that's going wrong in this country. biden is out there doing his best for everyone. republicans and democrats. and it's a shame that it was a circus today with the republicans. especially at the end when that man ranted two hours after it was adjourned and just kept on going. thank you for listening to me.