Floor Statements

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, December 19, be waived.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

As in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent the veto message on S.J. Res. 32, it be considered as having been read, printed in the Record, and spread in full upon the Journal.

Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that, notwithstanding rule XXII, the veto message with respect to S.J. Res. 32 be considered at a time to be determined by the majority leader in concurrence with the Republican leader prior to January 31, 2024; that there be up to 2 hours for debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; that the Senate then vote on passage of the joint resolution, the objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding.

Mr. President, for the information of Senators, there will be no further votes tonight. It is our expectation that we will finish all remaining business tomorrow.

I yield the floor.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, you, the Senator from Colorado, have voiced increased optimism in getting a supplemental done, and I agree with the Senator from Colorado. This won't be easy, but we will keep working because this is so important to our country and to the world.

I read a statement that Senator McConnell and I issued a few hours ago, a joint statement regarding supplemental national security legislation:

Bipartisan border security negotiations are essential to

the Senate's efforts to address critical national security

priorities. Our colleagues are making encouraging progress on

this front.

Challenging issues remain, but we are committed to

addressing needs at the southern border and to helping allies

and partners confront serious threats in Israel, Ukraine and

the Indo-Pacific. The Senate will not let these national

security challenges go unanswered.

As negotiators work through remaining issues, it is our

hope that their efforts will allow the Senate to take swift

action on the national security supplemental early in the new

year.

In the time remaining this year, Senate and administration

negotiators will continue to work in good faith toward

finalizing their agreement.

Now I will move to pass the extension of the reauthorizing of the FAA. It is critical we extend this funding as so many Americans travel for the holidays. It is going to give us more time for a long-term funding measure in the new year, so passing FAA funding tonight is good news.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 6503, which was received from the House.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 445, John David Russell, of Oklahoma, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of

Oklahoma; that the cloture motion be withdrawn and the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the cloture motions filed during yesterday and today's sessions ripen at 5:30 p.m., Monday, January 8, 2024, and that the nominations remain in status quo notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXXI, paragraph 6, of the Standing Rules of the Senate.

Mr. President, before we adjourn, let me inform Senators that we have no more votes until we return in January. We are going to be in session tomorrow to do housekeeping business, but there are no more votes scheduled until January.

I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 12 noon on Wednesday, December 20; that following the prayer and the pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate be in a period of morning business for debate only, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate stand in recess subject to the call of the Chair.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Madam President, over the past week, Democrats and Republicans have made important progress toward an agreement on the national security supplemental. While the job is not finished, I am confident we are headed in the right direction.

I want to thank all the Members and staff from Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans, and the White House who worked through the weekend to get us closer to an agreement. I can imagine that they are tired after working nonstop, coming into the office early in the morning and working furiously into the evenings. With the holidays around the corner, they are sacrificing time with family, with their kids, and have to put travel plans on hold to get this done.

I salute my colleagues and staff for their excellent work, and I am encouraged by the progress we made over the weekend--significant progress--and I urge them to keep going.

Now, we all know this is extremely difficult work--among the most difficult things we have done in recent

memory. Everyone knows that something should be done to fix our broken immigration system, but we can't do so by compromising our values. Finding the middle ground is exceptionally hard, and both sides must accept that they will have to make concessions. And it is going to take some more time to get it done. But we must succeed. Democrats remain committed to working with our Republican counterparts to reach an agreement.

As these negotiations continue off the floor, we must also finish the job on confirming military promotions and other nominees. In past years, these four-star generals would have been swiftly appointed to their posts. But this year, one Senator--the Senator from Alabama--has broken decades of bipartisan tradition by placing blanket holds on these highly qualified and dedicated nominees.

While I am glad the Senator has relinquished his holds, I am disappointed it has taken this long, and we will still need to confirm the last few of these nominees before the end of the week.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 445.

Madam President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 117.