Floor Statements

Madam President, like my colleagues, I, too, want to honor and express my gratitude to my friend and colleague, Senator Dean Heller.

Most people don't know that he has spent 30 years serving the great State of Nevada. I have heard everyone talk about how Dean loves Nevada. There is no doubt that if you just have an initial conversation with Dean Heller, you will learn about Nevada and his love for Nevada and why it is a wonderful place to live.

He has advocated for the people of Carson City as a member of our Nevada State Assembly. He served as Nevada's secretary of state, where he made Nevada the first State in the Nation to adopt paper records for electronic voting machines.

In Congress, Dean has fought tirelessly on behalf of our Nation's veterans, as we have heard, first as a Representative for Nevada's Second Congressional District and then as a United States Senator. I have watched Dean and have had the honor to work with him now across the aisle.

When I first came to the Senate as a junior Senator, he warmly welcomed me. We had a conversation about how we could work together-- although we don't see eye to eye on everything, but how we could work together for the best interests of the State of Nevada. He made a commitment then, and he followed through on that commitment.

So together we have worked to do so many things on behalf of the great people of the State of Nevada. We worked on critical infrastructure. He has worked to support our local law enforcement and fund programs, as you have heard, for veterans and seniors and low- income families.

We also found common ground, just as Nevadans expected us to do, and introduced bipartisan legislation to protect our public lands in eastern Nevada while also prioritizing long-term economic growth in our rural communities. I have also worked with him and watched Dean as he worked on domestic violence prevention and human trafficking prevention in the State of Nevada.

We have had the opportunity, not just here in Washington but in our home State, to work side by side to stop any attempts to revive Yucca Mountain. We introduced bipartisan legislation requiring the Secretary of Energy to obtain the written consent of the Governor and impacted local Tribal communities before building a nuclear waste repository.

As you have heard, Dean and I also shared an unfortunate, horrific incident on October 1--the deadly shooting in Las Vegas. He and I were on the ground, along with our entire delegation, to do everything we could in our community, and Dean was everywhere. He was talking to so many people, thanking the first responders, stopping by the hospitals, talking with the families. It truly was his commitment to his home State to do everything he could to help that community heal, and he continues to do so today.

The one thing I do know as a Nevadan born and raised, just like Dean, is that when it comes to our beloved State, it is about putting that State first, the people there, and uniting and coming together to make sure that we are working together. No matter the climate, no matter the partisanship that we see here in Washington, it is about what we can do every single day to work together, and I thank him for that commitment. I thank him for his willingness to bring this junior Senator in and have conversations about how we can work together to the benefit of our community.

I want to thank Senator Heller for everything he has done over the years on behalf of the State of Nevada, for his decades of service, and for his friendship. I wish you and Lynne and your beautiful children and grandchildren the best in this chapter of your life. I know you are not done. We are all excited to see what is next.

So I thank you, my friend, and I look forward to working with you in the future as well. Thank you for your commitment.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I come forward today to recognize the service of Lori Sutliff who, after 10 years as a member of the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, will be ending her service at the end of this year.

Ms. Sutliff began her career in broadcasting in 1983. Working under the broadcast name ``Lori Gilbert,'' she has specialized in providing broadcast news to rural areas, serving most recently as the news director for Elko Broadcasting Company's KELK-AM and KLKO-FM in the rural community of Elko, NV. She also hosts a community news program, Elko Live, which provides listeners throughout northeastern Nevada with news about local, regional, and national issues.

In 2008, Ms. Gilbert was appointed to the CPB board of directors by President George W. Bush. President Barack Obama reappointed her, and she was confirmed by the Senate in 2013. She served as board chair from September 2016 to October 2018 and vice chair from September 2014 to September 2016.

She helped lead the Corporation through multiple challenges, such as the FCC's Broadcast Spectrum Auction and repack process. Lori has also been instrumental in helping develop new ways for public media stations to collaborate, and, over the last 5 years, CPB has launched 13 new regional journalism collaborations, creating 90 newsroom positions.

In addition to this work, Gilbert is member of the board of directors of the Associated Press Television and Radio Association of California and Nevada. She serves the rural Nevada community as a founding member of the Elko Cancer Network and the Great Basin College Health Sciences Advisory Board. She has also served on the boards of the Elko County Family Resource Center, the Boys and Girls Club of Elko, and the Elko County Juvenile Advisory Board.

Through all of this incredible work and service, she has gained an intimate understanding of the issues of rural America and how vital it is for rural residents to have a trusted source of information about their community. Ms. Gilbert speaks in journalism schools across the Nation and has consistently demonstrated her commitment to providing meaningful public media offerings to all Americans, regardless of where they live or their economic means.

Today I celebrate the many contributions of Lori Gilbert in all of her service. We are fortunate to have had her leadership, knowledge, and voice during her service to both Nevada and the Nation as a whole.

Mr. President, I rise to speak out in opposition to the nomination of Kathy Kraninger to serve as the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The CFPB is a consumer's watchdog on Wall Street and the big banks. It was created in the aftermath of the financial crisis to protect Americans from predatory and abusive practices and ensure that financial institutions play by the rules.

Since 2010, the CFPB has investigated and held accountable abusive student loan companies, predatory payday lenders, and fraudulent multinational corporations--just to name a few. It has also protected our Nation's veterans and Active-Duty servicemembers from targeted scams and illegal debt collection practices.

The CFPB has secured over $12 billion in relief for Americans. Just this past April, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued Wells Fargo for creating millions of fake accounts, destroying credit scores, and forcing millions of customers to pay phony penalties and fees.

The people at the CFPB work every single day to make the financial system safe and fair for hard-working families. We can't go back to the way things were before the CFPB was created. We can't go back to a time when there was no strong consumer advocates at the Federal level.

I remember this time all too well. I was Nevada's attorney general when the markets crashed in 2008. The subprime mortgage crisis hit Nevada harder than any State in the country. We had the highest foreclosure rate in the Nation for 62 months straight.

I worked to hold the big banks accountable for the damage they did to our State and to help people stay in their homes. Meanwhile, the Federal regulators were asleep at the wheel. They were letting the big banks write their own rules and defraud consumers until the markets came crashing down.

The CFPB was designed to close the leadership gap at the Federal level, to stand up to predators like Wells Fargo, and protect the rights of American people. To ensure the CFPB continues its mission of looking out for consumers' best interests, we need strong leadership at the Agency. We need someone with the right experience, the right qualifications, and the right mindset. We need someone willing to stand up not only to bad actors in the financial industry but also to President Trump.

The administration has already stripped critical enforcement powers away from the CFPB. It has repealed rules that govern predatory payday lenders and shut down an office that focuses on protecting students from abusive student loans. We can't afford to go any further down this path.

President Trump's nominee for CFPB Director, Kathy Kraninger, is unqualified to lead this Agency. In her testimony before the Senate Banking Committee, on which I sit, she failed to demonstrate an understanding of the CFPB's core functions or even a willingness to uphold its central mission.

Like many of President Trump's nominees, Kraninger seems handpicked to undermine the Agency's mission. She testified to this, and it appeared at the hearing that her main goal was to be a faithful disciple to Mick Mulvaney--the architect behind this administration's plan to destroy the CFPB from the inside out, and she will continue crippling its power that is essential to protecting American consumers.

The next Director of the CFPB will be called upon to make a choice, to stand aside and allow powerful special interests to call the shots in our country's financial system or to fight for families who want a fair and affordable loan to buy a car, a home, or college education for their children or a bank account and credit card without costly fees or who are simply trying to make ends meet.

Kathy Kraninger can't be relied upon to make the right choice, and she does not have my vote. I encourage my colleagues to vote against this nomination.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session for a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I rise to honor a dear friend. Her name was Emily Fay Reese, who passed away on November 3 at the young age of 44 after 8 years of battling colon cancer.

Emily was a source of strength and a beacon of light in the Reno community. She radiated love and kindness to every person she met, and her loss will be felt by every single person whose life she touched.

She loved and adored her three children, Madeline, KJ, and Thomas, who are living legacies and testaments to the amazing person that Emily was.

``Live life, love life, and impact others,'' these are the words Emily lived by and wanted to share with the rest of the world. During her life, she embodied this simple message--giving life and love, doing all she could to make a difference in the lives of others. She did this first as a public school teacher, and after her cancer diagnosis she became a person on a mission to educate us all about the importance of accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare for everyone.

Before her passing, Emily wished for her friends and family to honor her by voting. She recognized how consequential elections were to building a better future for her children and her country. Emily was proud that she was able to vote early and cast her ballot to make sure her voice was heard in Nevada. Even in the final days of her life, she continued to fight for all of us.

Her advocacy was one way for her to impact others, and she fought to protect the healthcare of Nevadans by using her diagnosis to openly talk about what it was like to live with a terminal diagnosis and the difference that the Affordable Care Act had made in extending and improving the quality of her life. She reminded us that the ACA meant that she could spend her time with her children instead of worrying about bills and bankruptcy.

The last time I saw Emily was here, on Capitol Hill, just a few months ago. She was advocating on behalf of our fellow Nevadans who rely on Medicaid to get the care they need. She was here to oppose massive funding cuts to the program that she said was saving her life. She was here to speak out against a lawsuit that would take away protections from Americans with preexisting conditions and to fight for people like her who didn't have a voice. She was a ``Battle Born'' woman, and with grace, dignity, and courage, she bore her fight against cancer and for healthcare for every American.

Emily was a fighter; she was a mother; and she was a friend. I will be forever grateful for the time she spent in giving voice to the voiceless and for her commitment to bettering the lives of those who, like her, need their healthcare protected.

Today and every day, I honor Emily's memory and continue to fight to protect healthcare for every Nevadan so that those who are struggling with illness can focus on their fights to get better, can spend time with their families, and live out their lives with dignity.

Emily's legacy lives on through every life she has touched, including mine. Emily's legacy will continue to live on through each of us and through her beautiful family. I know she will continue to bless us with her profound light, which will guide us and give us strength through the good times and the bad. Knowing Emily was a blessing, and I thank her for her friendship.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, today I wish to recognize a leader who has devoted more than three decades to Nevada's kids, its schools, and its educators: Dr. Dotty Merrill. For more than 35 years, Dr. Merrill has been an educator, an advocate, and a leader in fighting for the best possible opportunities for our students and teachers. She continues to be a leader as the executive director of the Nevada Association of School Boards, a role she has held since October of 2006.

Dr. Merrill graduated with a bachelor of arts from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, a master of arts in English from the University of Nevada, Reno, and finally with a doctorate in educational leadership, also from the University of Nevada, Reno. Nevada is truly blessed that Dr. Merrill has taken her education, experience, and passion and devoted it to our State's education system. Her work in the Washoe County School District was instrumental in developing a set of education standards that aligned with Federal standards and strengthened the 21st century education our kids need for a brighter future. She has continued the fight for our kids on behalf of the Washoe County School District at the Nevada Legislature where she has been a key voice for local educators as the Silver State has debated how best to improve our school system, train our teachers, and ensure that every child in Nevada has the tools, resources, and support they need to succeed in the classroom.

I would like to thank Dr. Merrill for all she has done for our kids, our schools, and our teachers in the Silver State, especially in her commitment to improving classroom instruction, developing initiatives that ensure accountability, and fostering collaborative relationships among stakeholders that achieve the best results for our kids.

I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. Dotty Merrill's lifelong commitment to education and service to the Washoe County School District, the city of Reno, and the State of Nevada. Thank you to Dr. Merrill for all that you have done and for your life's work fighting for a quality education for Nevada's children and standing up for the necessary support and resources for the Silver State's teachers.

Mr. President, I come forward today to recognize the mayor of the city of Sparks, Geno Martini, who, after years of dedicated service, announced his retirement this year.

Mayor Martini was born on January 19, 1946, in Reno. Three days later, he returned to his family's home in Sparks and has never left the city since. Every day during his childhood, he would walk to school down an old dirt road and even played Little League baseball where Sparks City Hall now stands. He was student body president and graduated from Sparks High School and the University of Nevada, going on to work in the banking industry for three decades.

Both Mayor Martini and Sparks have come a long way since his childhood days. That old dusty road he walked down is now Prater Way, one of the main routes connecting Sparks' established neighborhoods with new shopping, entertainment, and business opportunities on the east side of the city. Downtown Sparks is benefitting from private investment and revitalization that is also helping address the region's housing shortage. The success of these projects and the benefits they bring to the city of Sparks are due in no small part to the hard work and leadership of Mayor Martini.

In 1998, Martini left the banking industry to serve on the Sparks City Council until 2005. He was then elected mayor serving full terms in 2006, 2010, and 2014, making him the longest serving mayor of Sparks in the city's history. He has gone above and beyond his mayoral duties and served on the Truckee Meadows Water Authority Board of Directors, the Nevada League of Cities and Municipalities, the Board of Directors Regional Planning Governing Board, the Western Regional Water Commission, and the City of Sparks Legislative Team.

Mayor Martini's commitment to the city of Sparks extended to all of its residents. He performed community service in underserved communities and passed out Thanksgiving turkeys to those in need. At the same time, he helped bring opportunity to northern Nevada by paving the way for new businesses and development around the Sparks Marina, Legends Mall, and Victorian Avenue. Mayor Martini has guided the city of Sparks through both tumultuous economic times and the area's highest growth periods. During his tenure, Sparks has seen an additional 1 million square feet of retail space open for business.

It is no wonder that Mayor Martini has been repeatedly recognized for his leadership, receiving the 2017 Citizen of the Year Award from the Reno Gazette Journal, the 2016 Public Official of the Year from the Nevada League of Cities and Municipalities, the Citizen of the Year Award and Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sparks Chamber, and was inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame, as well as numerous other accolades that recognize his commitment to serving the people of Sparks.

In 2012, Mayor Martini was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Despite these challenging circumstances, he has never wavered in his commitment to public service and the people of Sparks. He won reelection in 2014 and steadfastly served out his entire term, cementing his legacy as a genuine public servant committed to pragmatic governance and hard work.

Today, I celebrate the many contributions of Mayor Martini to the city of Sparks and to the northern Nevada community. His service is as an example to all of us who wish to know, serve, and better our communities.

Thank you, Mr. President.

I rise today to share the story of one of my friends, Jesse Kleinedler. Jesse and her husband own and operate one of Reno's most successful small businesses--the Under the Rose Brewing Company. They are also the proud parents of a beautiful baby boy. Jesse, her family, and their business are doing great. But when I met Jesse last year, she told me her path to this point in life had not been easy.

In 2012, Jesse left her job at a large firm--and the health insurance it provided--to pursue her dream of starting a brewery with her husband Scott. About 1 year later, she learned that she was pregnant. During a routine checkup 9 weeks before her due date, Jesse's midwife advised her to see an OB/GYN. Jesse didn't feel sick, so she hesitated, but the midwife urged her to go see a specialist anyway.

Midway through her visit, the OB/GYN became concerned that Jesse's life was in danger. He diagnosed her with preeclampsia and rushed her to the hospital. Jesse's son was born a few hours later via emergency C-section. The doctors who delivered her baby agreed that had Jesse waited even 24 hours to see an OB/GYN, both she and her son would have died.

In no uncertain terms, Jesse told me that she and her son owe their lives to the Affordable Care Act. Without the affordable coverage having been purchased on the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, Jesse would not have been able to have seen a specialist, and she and her husband, certainly, would not have been able to have afforded the $1 million in medical costs Jesse's son incurred over the course of a months-long stay in the NICU.

Jesse's son is now a happy, thriving toddler, but he has a medical issue that interferes with his growth. Jesse and Scott, her husband, fear that President Trump's efforts to roll back protections for people with preexisting conditions will make it impossible for them to afford their son's health insurance.

Donald Trump has not yet been able to get the support in Congress he needs in order to repeal protections for people with preexisting conditions, but he has taken steps to circumvent the wheel of Congress and hack away at these protections bit by bit.

In August, he signed an Executive order to expand access to what are called junk plans. These are health insurance plans that don't cover essential services like prescription drugs, emergency room visits, or maternity care. These plans are designed for short-term use only and don't include protections for people with preexisting conditions. That means, if you sign up for one of these plans and are a cancer survivor or are a pregnant woman or are a war veteran, you could be charged a higher rate. It also means you could be forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket for the care you receive in an emergency.

Junk plans come in all shapes and sizes, but none of them comply with consumer protections established by the Affordable Care Act. The Kaiser Family Foundation looked at junk plans in 45 States and found that 43 percent did not include coverage for mental health services, that 71 percent did not cover outpatient prescription drugs, and that not a single one covered maternity care.

Junk plans appear to be cheaper than comprehensive health insurance plans--that is, until you read the fine print. Junk plans have low monthly premiums and astronomical out-of-pocket costs. President Trump's Executive order allows insurance companies to trick consumers into signing up for these plans. Consumers think they are getting a good deal, only to find out, as soon as they get sick, that their medical bills are not covered.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network says junk plans pose ``a serious threat to cancer patients' ability to access quality, affordable health coverage.'' It also says the present administration's rule will likely leave older and sicker Americans in the individual insurance marketplace, with few, if any, affordable health coverage choices and that patients who are living with serious conditions will be left paying more for the coverage they need if they can afford coverage at all.

President Trump's Executive order to expand access to junk plans is not just an attack on our healthcare system, it is an attempt to send us back to the days when families like Jesse's could not afford the healthcare they needed. Jesse told me she owes her life to the health insurance she purchased through the ACA. Where would Jesse and her family be without it? What if she had not been able to afford a comprehensive plan? What if she had purchased a junk plan instead?

There are 1.2 million Nevadans who live with preexisting conditions. That is nearly one in two. That number includes nearly 159,000 children and nearly 270,000 people who are nearing retirement. The junk plans rule directly threatens their healthcare.

Heather Korbulic, who is the executive director of the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, summed up the risk junk plans pose.

She said: ``[Junk plans] are designed to basically take your preexisting condition and charge you more or tell you that you can't be on those plans at all.''

She continued: ``If they find that you've not disclosed a preexisting medical condition . . . then you're left high and dry with no insurance.''

I don't want to go back to a world where Nevadans with preexisting conditions can't get the care they need or where insurance companies aren't required to cover basic services like maternity care.

I was a proud cosponsor of Senator Tammy Baldwin's resolution to overturn President Trump's Executive order. In failing to pass this resolution, the U.S. Senate has done a profound disservice to families and communities all across the country. I will continue fighting to restore protections against junk plans, and I encourage all of my colleagues to do the same.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I rise today as the Senate has been called upon to fulfill our constitutional duty to give advice and consent on President Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh.

In the past, Presidents worked with a bipartisan Senate to appoint someone who understood the importance of precedence and transparency, who respected the independent integrity of the highest Court in the land. Unfortunately, that did not happen during the nomination process. Instead, the process was flawed to fast track a nominee without a full vetting for political gain.

Brett Kavanaugh was handpicked by the Federalist Society, a rightwing lobbying organization dedicated to overturning Roe v. Wade. Why? Because, as he has made clear on several occasions, President Trump wants to stack the Court with Justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade.

Now, I am new to the Senate, and as long as I have been here, I have been told that this is not regular order. As we went through this confirmation hearing, unfortunately, I found it, along with my colleagues, to be fast tracked.

I take very seriously my role of advice and consent when it comes to a nominee, and I think we all as Senators have an equal vote. We should all have access to all of the information and a full vetting of any nominee who wants to sit on the highest Court for a lifetime appointment.

Think about it--a lifetime appointment. There are only nine members. This is something that we should all look for--the right person--and everyone should have a full vetting, but this hearing was fast-tracked. Not only was it fast-tracked, but we did not have access to all of the documents necessary to determine whether Brett Kavanaugh had the correct judicial philosophy and the judicial temperament and impartiality that is necessary for somebody to sit on the highest Court of the land.

Not only were we limited in the number of documents, but what little documents we did get, unfortunately, on some of them were marked ``committee confidential'' in an effort to prevent Members from using documents to question the witness. By unilaterally declaring them committee confidential, many of my colleagues in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing were unable to adequately question Judge Kavanaugh. I am told that this process of marking ``committee confidential'' is without precedent.

Republicans claim that Chairman Leahy also accepted documents on a ``committee confidential'' basis during the Kagan nomination. Those documents were processed by the National Archives, not private, partisan lawyers, and Republicans did not object.

By the time of her hearing, 99 percent of Elena Kagan's White House records were publicly available and could be used freely by any Member. In contrast, the committee has only seen 7 percent of Brett Kavanaugh's White House records and only 4 percent were made available to the public. No Senate or committee rule grants the chairman unilateral authority to designate documents ``committee confidential'' and prohibit their public release. Neither the rules of the Senate nor the rules of the committee authorize the unilateral designation.

There was no committee action and Ranking Member Feinstein sent a letter stating she did not agree with a

blanket designation, and she asked the chairman to work with her to identify the subset of documents that should remain confidential, and he refused.

But the chairman released thousands of documents himself. Specifically, he released thousands of documents that had previously been marked ``committee confidential,'' after consulting with Mr. Burck. If these were committee confidential documents, then, the chairman's actions would be a violation of Senate rules. The Senate rules provide a penalty for disclosing ``the secret or confidential business or proceedings of the Senate'' but it requires a vote or a committee action to conduct confidential business or proceedings.

Democrats cannot be held to a different standard. Chairman Grassley has asserted that Mr. Burck has sole authority to decide what documents may be used to question Judge Kavanaugh and sole authority to decide which documents may be released to the public. However, he has failed to cite any rule or statute that gives Mr. Burck any authority.

We should not move forward with hearings when we only had a fraction of the nominee's record, and the most significant document we had remains hidden from public view.

The chairman claimed that he provided ample opportunity for Democrats to clear committee-confidential documents for use at the hearing, but he refused the request of several Members to make documents on a number of topics public.

I also want to make it clear that as I watched that hearing, there were allegations that Members of the Senate didn't even show up to take a look at these confidential documents, so why were we complaining. I will tell you what, I showed up. I was there for 3 days looking at all of these documents because I thought it was necessary, even if we were going to be limited in what we could see and what we could talk about. I have a voice equal like everyone else, and I should have access to those documents and figure out if I had the opportunity to talk to Judge Kavanaugh or talk with my colleagues about it, then I should have access to those documents, but even when we had access, the chairman demanded that Democrats send him their documents for preclearance by his staff, President Bush's lawyers, and the White House.

My understanding is, never before have minority members of the committee been required to identify and preclear the topics and documents they want to discuss with a Supreme Court nominee with the chairman or outside private lawyers in the White House; never has a majority asserted unilateral authority to preclear what issues the minority party can even ask a nominee.

The idea that Democrats have to ask Republicans to preclear their questions in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing is outrageous. If the chairman, Bill Burck, and the Trump White House were truly interested in a transparent process, Mr. Burck and the White House could make the White House Counsel records public now, as President Obama and former President Clinton did for the Kagan nomination, but we still don't have access to all of the documents.

We still have a process that is broken. We still have a process that, unfortunately, did not provide all of the Senators the opportunity to have a full vetting of Brett Kavanaugh. I took my time. I reviewed Judge Kavanaugh's record. I looked at his cases, his written statements; I listened to his comments in the hearing; I went and viewed the committee-confidential documents. I wanted an opportunity to meet with him. Unfortunately, that never happened, so I couldn't question him myself.

Based on all of the information and based on taking my time--like I did with our previous nominee because it is that important that we get the right person on the bench--in his statements and in his writings and opinions, it was clear to me that Brett Kavanaugh has shown he does not respect precedent. He does not respect a woman's right to choose. He does not respect workers' rights.

If confirmed, I believe Judge Kavanaugh's extreme activist judicial philosophy will pose a threat to women, our environment, our constitutional separation of powers, and our fundamental civil rights, but it is not just Brett Kavanaugh's judicial philosophy that troubles me.

Last week, Judge Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee to defend himself against sexual assault allegations. He was asking for our vote for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court-- one of the deepest and most profound honors this Nation can bestow upon a citizen. This nominee was interviewing for a job in front of the American people, and he was belligerent, evasive, and aggressive. This nominee, who currently sits as an appellate court judge on the DC Circuit Court, disregarded all demeanor and respect for impartiality and independence by accusing the Democrats of engaging in ``a calculated and orchestrated political hit fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election, fear that has been unfairly stoked about my judicial record, revenge on behalf of the Clintons, and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups.''

He then took it even further by stating: ``And as we all know in the United States political system of the early 2000s, what goes around, comes around.''

``What goes around comes around,'' are those the words of an impartial judge? Of course not. During the question-and-answer period with the Senators, he was belligerent, impatient, and aggressive toward anyone who pressed him to get to the truth.

His demonstrated lack of temperament and impartiality is another reason I cannot support him. It is also why over 2,400 law professors, from respected law schools across this country, penned a letter to the Senators to state that the Senate should not confirm Judge Kavanaugh-- some of these very law professors who also appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court; some of these very law professors who also practiced and teach at Yale and Harvard. They wrote:

Judicial temperament is one of the most important qualities

of a judge. A judge requires a personality that is even-

handed, unbiased, impartial, courteous, yet firm, and

dedicated to a process, not a result.

They further stated:

At the Senate hearings on September 27, Judge Brett

Kavanaugh displayed a lack of judicial temperament that would

be disqualifying for any court, and certainly for elevation

to the highest Court of this land.

Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, a Republican appointed by President Ford, stated similar concerns:

When I watched Judge Kavanaugh's testimony, I didn't see a

fair and impartial Justice. I saw a man who is blinded by

rage and ideology. As a sitting judge, Brett Kavanaugh knows

better.

His accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee for 4 hours. She was poised, serious, and credible recounting what was clearly one of the most scarring, traumatic experiences of her life, and she did it on live television for all the world to hear. She did it in the face of death threats. She did it at the risk of damaging her credibility and career. She had nothing to gain. She has done a profound service to everyone whose life has been touched by sexual assault or abuse.

Dr. Ford, I believe you, and I thank you for your courage in coming forward. I believe in a fair and independent process for people who have been accused of serious crimes like sexual assault, and the process should include a neutral investigation that is thorough and nonpartisan because it will hold a perpetrator accountable or exonerate the falsely accused. But that fair and independent process did not occur this time. I am glad some of my colleagues stood up to make sure the FBI had a chance to reopen its background investigation. I will tell you what, after reading the recent FBI report, it is clear Republican leadership limited its scope, and I say that as somebody who not only has been a prosecutor for 10 years, 8 years the attorney general of the State of Nevada, who has conducted criminal investigations and oversaw peace officers who did the same thing.

What they did not do, they did not interview Dr. Ford, nor obtain from her the important medical records that would corroborate her testimony. In fact, her attorneys wrote to the FBI offering up not only additional witnesses

but making the statement that if they were to interview Dr. Ford, she would have also provided corroborating evidence, including her medical records and access to the phone from which she messaged the Washington Post about Judge Kavanaugh's assault prior to his nomination to the Supreme Court. I am here to tell you, corroborating evidence isn't just in the form of witness statements; it is in the form of documentation that is key, and that was never recovered by the FBI.

I will tell you, the potential witnesses that potentially the FBI could have talked to, we know--we know because they came forward out of a civic duty and they went public, and the FBI still did not talk to them. We know Dr. Blasey Ford's husband, Russell Ford, said Christine shared the details of the sexual assault during a couple's therapy session in 2012. She said that in high school, she had been trapped in a room and physically restrained by one boy who was molesting her while another boy watched, and Dr. Ford's husband said: ``I remember her saying that the attacker's name was Brett Kavanaugh'' in 2012--2012.

Along with her husband, Adela Gildo-Mazzo, a friend of Dr. Blasey Ford, came forward and said:

In June of 2013, Christine said that she had been almost

raped by someone who was now a Federal judge. She told me she

had been trapped in a room with two drunken guys, and that

she then escaped, ran away, and hid.

A third witness, somebody who could have corroborated Dr. Ford's statement, Lynne Brookes, Brett Kavanaugh's college friend, who said: ``There is no doubt in my mind that while at Yale, he was a big partier, often drank to excess, and there had to be a number of nights where he does not remember.''

So I know--and unfortunately too often we have seen in this particular case an FBI supplemental report that was not thorough. In addition, after I reviewed the summary of the report and realized we were missing information, the additional corroborations would have also gone to Debbie Ramirez's allegations, but the FBI did not interview important witnesses to corroborate Debbie Ramirez's allegations.

We now know--because they have been again willing to come forward after seeing what has been happening through these hearings--Kenneth Appold, a suitemate of Brett Kavanaugh at Yale, who is now a professor at Princeton, stated: ``I can corroborate Debbie's account.'' He said: ``I believe her because it matches the same story I heard 35 years ago, although the two of us have never talked.'' Professor Appold was never interviewed.

Likewise, James Roche was also a roommate of Brett Kavanaugh, and he said: ``Although Brett was normally reserved, he was a notably heavy drinker, even by the standards of the time, and that he became aggressive and belligerent when he was very drunk.''

Likewise, Chad Luddington, a college classmate came forward: ``I can unequivocally say that in denying the possibility that he ever blacked out from drinking and in downplaying the degree and frequency of his drinking, Brett has not told the truth.''

They were not interviewed by the FBI. So now, because we have only limited information, all Senators are left with a lack of a full understanding of the facts surrounding the allegations against Brett Kavanaugh.

The questions swirling around Brett Kavanaugh get at the very heart of our responsibility as Members of the U.S. Senate. We are not here to be a rubberstamp on the President's nominees. We are a check and balance on his power. We are here to work with him to make decisions that are right for the American people. That means we listen to our constituents. That includes women and men who have buried their experiences of trauma for far too long.

I have received letters from my constituents from all over Nevada sharing their stories of survival. I heard from men and women in our military who were struggling not just with the effects of PTSD but with the experience of being sexually abused.

I recently met with women who led the campaign to codify a woman's right to choose in the Nevada State Constitution, and they all asked me to oppose Brett Kavanaugh's nomination, and I stand with them. I stand with survivors. I stand for the right of every American woman to make her own healthcare decisions. I believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. I believe in the integrity and independence of our judicial system.

I condemn Brett Kavanaugh's confrontational and partisan behavior, and I condemn the handling of this nomination by Senate Republican leaders.

We must work together, in a bipartisan way, and restore our constitutional role of advice and consent. This is about something bigger than any one nominee. It is about the integrity of our Nation's institutions. It is about the core functions of our democracy. We can't allow partisan politics to eat away at the checks and balances enshrined in our Constitution. We have to return to common decency and regular order. Anything less is below the dignity of the American people and the great Constitution we swore an oath to faithfully support.

I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in voting against this temperamentally unfit nominee.

Thank you.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, today I recognize a pillar of the community in Reno, NV: Evelyn Mount. For over 41 years, Evelyn has graciously provided Reno residents and families in times of need with the comfort of a holiday meal. This year marks the end of an era in community leadership in Reno, as Evelyn intends to step away from the role of organizing and coordinating her annual food drive.

Growing up in the small city of Tallulah, LA, Evelyn's family instilled in her the importance of the values of sacrifice and service. Those values have been at the core of how Evelyn has lived her life, putting the needs of others ahead of her own. It wasn't until 1976 that Evelyn and her husband Leon brought this selflessness to Reno, NV. Soon after her arrival, she began work as a telephone operator at the airport. Committed to assisting those in need, Evelyn started collecting food donations in her spare time. Her devotion to the Reno community did not go unnoticed, as employees from other departments quickly contributed to her food collection. To her credit, Evelyn was able to collect more than 200 bags of food to distribute amongst members of the northern Nevada community. Her success prompted the expansion of her operations, which now includes an outreach center and several volunteers.

Nevadans who know Evelyn have come to understand her sense of duty to community and affiliate the autumn season as ``Evelyn Mount food drive season.'' The sense of community, care, and inclusion that Evelyn has given Reno residents is perhaps her most important legacy. She has inspired countless volunteers to donate their time and money, while providing hope to families who are down on their luck. Because of her, a compassionate community of selfless volunteers has grown in northern Nevada, including some who were once on the receiving end of food donations. Recognizing Evelyn's profound commitment to our community, the city of Reno renamed a community center near Evelyn's home, titling it the Evelyn Mount Northeast Community Center. This center reminds us all of the difference just one person can make in the lives of many.

I ask my colleagues to join me in further recognizing Mrs. Evelyn Mount's legacy for a life of humanitarianism and service to her community, for her sense of responsibility to others, and for her fight against hunger in Reno, NV. Evelyn Mount is the epitome of a community leader, and I admire her unparalleled ability to inspire others to donate their time and energy to a cause greater than themselves.

Mr. President, 1 year has passed since 58 lives were cut short at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival. Those wounded and killed that night had come together to have fun, to relax, and to celebrate their love of country music with their friends and families in my hometown of Las Vegas. Instead of a celebration, terror rained down on them that night.

As Nevadans woke up to the news of what happened, many like me were shocked and heartbroken. We asked, how could this happen?

I will never forget going to the family reunification center, where families were looking for their loved ones or were waiting for calls from the coroner, and I will never forget the parents I spoke to moments before their learning that their daughter, Melissa, didn't make it.

In the weeks following the 1 October massacre, Las Vegans demonstrated that we are a tight-knit family who rallies together in times of need. We heard stories of incredible bravery at the scene of the attack--a husband who died to protect his wife on the night they were celebrating their 23rd wedding anniversary; a former marine who turned a truck into a makeshift ambulance and drove more than two dozen people to the hospital; a couple who provided CPR to victims as bullets rained down; a mother who went into mamma bear mode and used her body as a shield to protect her children; hundreds of concert-goers who risked their lives while carrying fellow concert-goers to safety.

All of our firefighters and police officers in Southern Nevada, including the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the Clark County School District Police, the Las Vegas Fire Department, and the Clark County Fire Department, deserve our utmost thanks for their bravery on the night of the attack. They, along with American Medical Response, MedicWest Ambulance, Community Ambulance, the University Medical Center, Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, the Valley Health System, Dignity Health, and all of the first responders in Southern Nevada, went above and beyond the call of duty.

On October 1, many of these brave men and women ran toward the bullets, putting their lives in grave danger because they knew it was the only way to save people in need. Nurses and doctors worked all through the night, not just on October 1 but for months afterward to care for the wounded.

Before dawn had even broken on October 2, people in Las Vegas, Reno, and throughout the State had formed lines at blood banks. Many of the lines were so long they stretched out the door and around the block. The staff at United Blood Services worked tirelessly to process the donations and get the blood supply to our area hospitals.

In the weeks that followed, Las Vegans held candlelight vigils. They donated food, coffee, water, and blankets to help the survivors and the victims' families. They constructed beautiful memorials that still stand as a testament to those taken and to provide healing to every person impacted by events of that night.

The Red Cross and the Department of Veterans Affairs stepped in to bring mobile units to our hospitals.

The FBI and the Nevada Victims of Crime Program helped grieving families secure funds to cover funeral and travel costs.

Our military community stepped in to provide critical support as well. Airmen from Nellis Air Force Base were present at the concert on the night of the shooting and helped evacuate attendees. Nellis medical professionals treated victims and helped saved lives while the military spouse community collected basic necessities for the survivors and the victims' families.

Providers at the Las Vegas-based Behavioral Bilingual Services were instrumental in addressing immigration and language barriers for so many immigrant survivors.

The Clark County staff at the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center has been there for survivors every step of the way, advocating on their behalf and helping them find new jobs, getting them compensation for lost wages, and getting them the mental health care they need.

Airlines like Allegiant and Southwest and medical providers like Valley Health Systems, Medic West, and American Medical Response helped defray costs for the victims and their families.

St. Rose Dominican Hospitals said that they would not bill or require payment from any of the victims they treated, and United Health waived cost-sharing for victims so that they could get treatment for months after the tragedy with no out-of-pocket costs.

The generosity didn't end there. People from all over the world donated more than $31 million to pay for basic necessities, medical bills, and funeral costs for the victims and their families.

One year has passed since the events of October 1, 2017. I know for many in our community of Las Vegas, and for the hundreds of survivors, it feels as though they have been forgotten, but please know--please know--the survivors and those who were taken will never be forgotten.

We will always hold the names and stories of everyone affected by this tragedy in our hearts and in our minds. In Las Vegas, we are still healing. We

are still grieving for the family members who are no longer with us-- for sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, and children we will never see again. We are still grieving for the survivors, whose lives will never be the same.

I don't believe perfect healing is possible, but I do believe we can learn to adjust to the searing pain of tragedy. We do it through remembrance.

Through remembrance, the people we love are never truly gone, as long as we are around to say their names or share a memory of them. Through remembrance, the people and families who are still healing from their wounds are shown the love and comfort of our community.

Today, in remembrance of that awful night 1 year ago, let's give thanks for the bravery and dedication of our first responders. Let's continue to do everything we can to support those who are still struggling to recover from the emotional and physical wounds they sustained on October 1.

Fifty-eight innocent lives ended on October 1, but thousands more were changed forever. We must keep the survivors in our minds and in our hearts as they heal from their injuries, both visible and invisible, and get back on their feet.

The Davis family lost their daughter Neysa on the night of the shooting. Neysa's dream was that her three sons would graduate from college. They decided that the best way to heal their family and their community was to start an organization dedicated to fulfilling Neysa's dream. I thank the Davis family for their resilience and their generosity.

We must follow the Davis family's example and continue to come together as a community. We must come together, not just in Las Vegas but all throughout Nevada to bring healing, peace, and hope to everyone who was affected.

Tonight, at 6:30 p.m., the city of Las Vegas will host a ceremony at the Las Vegas Community Healing Garden to dedicate a new remembrance wall. I encourage everyone back home to try to attend this event or simply take a moment to pause and reflect in honor of the victims and their families.

In a few moments, I will read the names of everyone who was killed so that their names will be reserved in the Congressional Record.

May God bless the city of Las Vegas, the State of Nevada, and everyone affected by this strategy.

Today, we remember Austin Cooper Meyer, 24 years of age from Sparks, NV; Brennan Lee Stewart, 30, North Las Vegas, NV; Cameron Lee Robinson, 28, Las Vegas, NV; Charleston Hartfield, Henderson, NV, 34 years of age; Eric Steven Silva, 21 years old, Las Vegas, NV; Laura Anne Shipp, 50, Las Vegas, NV; Neysa Christine Tonks, 46, Las Vegas, NV; Quinton Joe Robbins, 20, Henderson, NV; Adrian Allan Murfitt, 35, Anchorage, AK; Dorene Anderson, 49, Anchorage, AK; Brett Erin Schwanbeck, 61, Bullhead City, AZ; Andrea Lee Anna Castilla, 28, Santa Ana, CA; Angela Christine Gomez, 20, Riverside, CA; Austin William Davis, 29, Riverside, CA; Bailey Dee Schweitzer, 20, Bakersfield, CA; Brian Scott Fraser, 39, La Palma, CA; Candice Ryan Bowers, 40, Garden Grove, CA; Carrie Rae Barnette, 34, Riverside, CA; Christiana Mae Duarte, 22, Redondo Beach, CA; Christopher Hazencomb, 44, Camarillo, CA; Christopher Louis Roybal, 28, Corona, CA; Dana Leann Gardner, 52, Grand Terrace, CA; Denise Marie Cohen, 58, Carpinteria, CA; Derrick Dean Taylor, 56, Bonita, CA; Hannah Ahlers, 34, Beaumont, CA; Jack Reginald Beaton, 54, Bakersfield, CA; Jennifer Marie Parks, 35, Lancaster, CA; Jennifer Topaz Irvine, 42, San Diego, CA; John Joseph Phippen, 56, Santa Clarita, CA; Jordyn Nicole Rivera, 21, La Verne, CA; Kelsey Breanne Meadows, 28, Taft, CA; Keri Lynn Galvan, 31, Thousand Oaks, CA; Kurt Allen Von Tillow, 55, Cameron Park, CA; Lisa Marie Patterson, 46, Lomita, CA; Melissa Ramirez, 26, Littlerock, CA; Michelle Vo, 32, Marina del Rey, CA; Patricia Mestas, 67, Riverside, CA; Rachael Kathleen Parker, 33, Long Beach, CA; Rocio Guillen, 40, Corona, CA; Sandra Lee Casey, 35, Torrance, CA; Stacee Ann Etcheber, 50, Novato, CA; Susan Marie Smith, 53, Simi Valley, CA; Teresa Kimura, 38, Placentia, CA; Thomas Allen Day, Jr., 54, Corona, CA; Victor Lloyd Link, 55, Aliso Viejo, CA; Calla-Marie Medig, 28, Edmonton Alberta, Canada; Jessica Lynn Klymchuk, 34, Valleyview, Alberta, Canada; Jordan Alan McIldoon, 23, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada; Tara Ann Roe, 34, Okotuks, Alberta, Canada; Carly Anne Kreibaum, 33, Sutherland, IA; Rhonda LeRocque, 42, Tewksbury, MA; Stephen Richard Berger, 44, Excelsior, MN; Lisa Romero-Muniz, 48, Gallup, NM; William Winfield Wolfe, Jr., 42, Newburg, PA; James Sonny Melton, 29, Big Sandy, TN; Heather Lorraine Alvarado, 35, Cedar City, UT; Carolyn Lee Parsons, 31, Seattle, WA; and Denise Brenna Burditus, 50, Martinsburg, WV.

To the hundreds injured that night, those still recovering from the scars, visible and invisible, we stand with you. We have not forgotten.

Thank you.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, for 25 years the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, ``the Center,'' of Southern Nevada has served as a vital resource for the LGBTQ community and their allies in and around Las Vegas. The Center offers essential services such as comprehensive sex education and college and career readiness, all while fighting to end discrimination against and further the well-being of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community.

In 1993, the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada purchased a building and opened its doors, becoming the first safe public space in Las Vegas for LGBTQ people. That year, the Nevada Legislature repealed sodomy laws and the Center hosted its first LGBTQ rights celebration.

Since then, the Center has continued to grow with the city and has hosted many more events, including to celebrate the Supreme Court decision instituting marriage equality nationwide. The Center also celebrated the opening of a new building in 2013 named after Las Vegas philanthropist Robert Forbuss. The Center has increased its services, outreach, and membership throughout the years and has formed valuable community partnerships with government entities, private companies, and other nonprofits in order to maintain its no-cost community programming.

For two and a half decades, the Center has been unwavering in its commitment to the people of southern Nevada. The Center will continue to be on the leading edge of advocacy for the human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking the Gay and Lesbian Center of Southern Nevada for its dedication to ensuring all Nevadans are treated equally and for its service to the community over the past 25 years.

Mr. President, today I recognize Mrs. Lisa Maloff, of Zephyr, NV, on the grand opening of the Lisa Maloff University Center at Lake Tahoe Community College. On August 16, 2018, members of the Lake Tahoe community will come together for a ribbon- cutting ceremony. The facility will help Californians and Nevadans alike achieve their goal of obtaining a 4-year college degree.

Upon moving to Lake Tahoe in 1958, Lisa hoped to complete a teaching credential and give back to her community through public service. Unfortunately, the closest 4-year institution was the University of Nevada, Reno. The geographic isolation of the Tahoe Basin's mountainous terrain, sometimes unpredictable weather, and travel time forced Lisa to defer her dream of teaching and stymied her educational goals. Some of these challenges persist today, especially for the area's working students with families. Now, with the opening of the Lisa Maloff University Center, through partnership with nearby universities, the dreams of a 4-year college degree will become a reality to scores of students in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

This center is one of many philanthropic contributions by Mrs. Lisa Maloff and her husband, Robert Maloff, and adds to the lore that has earned her the moniker of Angel of Tahoe. Mrs. Maloff has been a strong supporter and advocate for a variety of Lake Tahoe causes, including Barton Memorial Hospital, the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, George Whittell High School, and Tahoe Youth & Family Services. Her passion for improving services, programs, and the quality of life in the Lake Tahoe community is commendable and serves as a great example to all Nevadans.

Today, I celebrate the many contributions of Mrs. Lisa Maloff to the Lake Tahoe Basin community and her work to enhance the opportunities for all young Nevadans to succeed and thrive. It is with pride that I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mrs. Lisa Maloff for her generous philanthropy, her commitment to education, and her efforts to change outcomes for people in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

I thank Senator Wyden.

Mr. President, 53 years ago on July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed landmark legislation to establish Medicare and Medicaid--two essential programs that provide healthcare to over 120 million Americans and over 1 million Nevadans.

When President Johnson signed this historic bill, he said:

No longer will older Americans be denied the healing

miracle of modern medicine. No longer will illness crush and

destroy the savings that they have so carefully put away over

a lifetime so that they might enjoy dignity in their later

years. No longer will young families see their own incomes,

and their own hopes, eaten away simply because they are

carrying out their deep moral obligations to their parents,

and to their uncles, and their aunts. And no longer will this

Nation refuse the hand of justice to those who have given a

lifetime of service and wisdom and labor to the progress of

this progressive country.

On that day, LBJ declared an end to an era in which healthcare was denied to the most vulnerable members of our communities.

So I rise to celebrate the incredible progress we have made since President Johnson created Medicare and Medicaid. We lifted hundreds of millions of Americans out of abject poverty and provided hundreds of millions more with dignity, security, and peace of mind. Then, in 2010, we passed the Affordable Care Act, which was built on the foundation that President Johnson laid, and gave 20 million additional Americans, including hundreds of thousands of Nevadans, access to affordable healthcare coverage.

Yet today is not just for celebration, because our work is not yet done. Prescription drug prices, premiums, and copays are still too high. Too many Americans can't afford the medicine they need in order to live. Too many Americans can't find a doctor whose office is less than a day's drive away. Too many Americans are still struggling to get healthcare that meets their basic needs.

Instead of trying to expand access to healthcare, some of my Republican colleagues here in Congress are working every single day to attack the Affordable Care Act and strip healthcare coverage away from tens of millions of Americans. Some Republican leaders are now threatening to cut Medicare and Medicaid in order to pay for President Trump's massive tax cut to corporations and special interest groups. The Republican tax bill exploded our deficit by $1.5 trillion, and now Republicans are demanding cuts to critical healthcare programs to pay for their lavish corporate CEO giveaway. So it is not enough to celebrate our progress.

When President Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments Act, he landed an historic blow in the fight against poverty, injustice, and inequality. Today, we have to rededicate ourselves to that fight.

We have to protect, strengthen, and improve the Affordable Care Act. We have to lower the cost of prescription drugs and invest in the health of every community. We have to create an affordable public health insurance option that would be available to everyone in the United States regardless of one's income level. We also have to fight back against cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, because the fight to protect our healthcare is a fight to protect our dignity, our security, and our basic rights.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise to speak out in opposition to the nomination of Ryan Bounds to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

I will be voting against his confirmation, and I ask all of my colleagues to do the same. My reason for this is not just the fact that in expressing his disdain for multicultural values in a series of college writings, he compared efforts to build tolerance and promote diversity to Nazi book burning; it is not just the fact that he advocated against policies designed to make

LGBTQ students feel welcome and crack down on campus rapists; it is not just the fact that when a bipartisan judicial selection committee asked him to disclose past controversies, he deliberately misled the committee and said there was nothing to worry about.

Now that his controversial writings have come to light, he refuses to retract or show remorse for his statements. Instead, he brushes them off as overbroad and overheated.

Ryan Bounds' writings show he does not believe in a tolerant and diverse America, where women and people of color are treated with equal respect. In my eyes, that alone disqualifies him from sitting on the Federal bench, but Bounds has not received the blue-slip approval of either Senator from his home State of Oregon. No judge in modern history has ever been confirmed without a blue slip from either home State Senator.

So a vote to confirm him is a direct attack on the Senate's constitutional responsibility to advise and consent. The blue-slip process is a critical function of the legislative branch. It gives every Senator a chance to have a say in the Federal judges who serve in their home State.

The nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will have a lifetime tenure. If confirmed, Ryan Bounds will have influence over our legal system for the rest of his life. Don't the American people and their elected officials deserve a say in whether he should be allowed to fill that seat?

This debate is not just about one unqualified judge and his racist ideas. It is about the duty of the legislative branch to serve as a check and balance on the President. Over the course of the Trump administration so far, we have seen an unprecedented attempt to undermine the blue-slip process and pack the courts with judges favored by corporations and special interests.

I urge my colleagues to take a stand against President Trump's attacks on our legal system. Protect the integrity of the blue-slip process and vote against Ryan Bounds' nomination. The power and independence of the legislature is at stake.

I yield the floor.