Floor Statements

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 ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Thursday, March 17; further, that following the prayer and 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 morning business be closed; that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Nathan nomination; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Thursday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

For the information of Senators, there will be two rollcall votes at 11:45 and one at 1:45.

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

Mr. President, so the Senate this week will continue fulfilling its constitutional duty to confirm more of the President's judicial and administrative nominees. Yesterday, I filed cloture on 12 additional nominees, setting up a busy rest of the week here on the floor. Absent an agreement to expedite the process--and, unfortunately, we have seen all too few of those coming from our Republican colleagues--Members can expect to begin voting tomorrow morning, and we will work through all 12 nominees until we have a path to getting them confirmed.

Due to the months of obstructive holds by a few--just a handful of Republicans--in addition to judicial nominees, we also must use up floor time to confirm U.S. attorneys, something practically unheard of in the Senate. These Republicans who have delayed our U.S. attorneys are actively making our communities less safe, and it is regrettable they have chosen to obstruct the Senate for their own personal political interests. So my colleagues ought to be prepared for a busy few days here on the floor.

Now, among the nominees we will consider are two great nominees from New York, I am proud to say. One, we will consider Judge Ali Nathan, nominated to serve as judge for the Second Circuit. She is a brilliant jurist with a decade of experience as a district judge, and I was proud to recommend her to sit on one of the most important courts in the Nation.

I am also pleased that the Senate will also vote on Hector Gonzalez to serve as district judge for the Eastern District of New York. Born in Cuba, raised in Queens, and a Fulbright scholar who became one of New York's top attorneys, Mr. Gonzalez is the very embodiment of the American dream; and, like Judge Nathan, I am glad to have recommended him to President Biden.

I am also glad to note, under Senator Durbin's leadership, Judge Nathan and Mr. Gonzalez received bipartisan support in committee, so I look forward to the Senate confirming them in short order.

But first, the Senate will look to make history, once again, later today by confirming Shalanda Young to serve as President Biden's Director of the Office of Management and Budget, a Cabinet-level position. She would be the first Black woman ever confirmed by the Senate to lead the OMB.

It shouldn't have taken this long to confirm someone as obviously qualified as Shalanda Young. She has been leading the OMB for nearly a year. She knows the budget and appropriations processes like the back of her hand. She has proven capable of working with Republicans and Democrats alike, and it was through her guidance that the administration notched some of its biggest victories, including the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law.

Shalanda Young is one of the most effective Cabinet leaders to have the label of ``Acting'' in a very long time, but it is long past time for that word to drop from her job title. I look forward to the Senate officially confirming Ms. Young as OMB Director later today.

Mr. President, now on the omni, later this afternoon, I will join with a number of my Senate colleagues in attending a signing ceremony at the White House for the 2022 omnibus funding bill, one of many significant and bipartisan accomplishments of the Senate in recent weeks.

In a 50-50 Senate, it is no small feat for this Chamber to pass the boldest and most significant funding package that Congress has seen in a long, long time. Under this new package, students, parents, working families, small businesses, and veterans will see costs go down and greater investments go their way. Our troops are going to get a much needed raise. Student loan borrowers will see their maximum Pell grant awards increase by the largest amount in over a decade, impacting 7 million students, not to mention their families.

We are giving parents more help for affording childcare and seniors more help to receive care at home.

For the first time in years, the Violence Against Women Act, one of the most important pieces of legislation in the last 30 years, will finally be renewed, offering lifesaving resources for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.

And, of course, we are keeping our promise to Ukraine by providing nearly $14 billion in humanitarian and military aid. This means food and shelter for the millions trapped in war, relief for the now-3 million refugees fleeing the country, and funding to transfer Javelins, Stingers, and other anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons to the Ukrainian fighting forces.

The Ukrainian people are not alone in their struggle against Vladimir Putin's savage war. I commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who accelerated the passage of this emergency funding, and I again commend President Biden for his handling of the crisis to date. As I said weeks ago, the President deserves immense credit for keeping the allies together against Putin, imposing crippling sanctions on Russia, and responding to a turbulent conflict with clarity and with strength.

Some were pushing the President to do too much too soon, risking an escalation of the crisis and risking that our allies would not join us, but so far, the President's approach has been right on target. Thanks to the President's approach, Putin is now one of the most reviled and isolated leaders that the world has seen in a very long time.

For this reason alone, signing the omnibus into law is a major accomplishment, and I thank the President, Senators Leahy and Durbin, and all our appropriators and Members on both sides of the aisle for getting it done.

Mr. President, now on SCOTUS, what do retired conservative judges, a group of 80 current and retired State attorneys general, the U.S. Black Chambers, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police all share in common? You might ask yourself that question. Well, they are just a few--just a few--of the many, many groups and individuals who have endorsed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court.

When I met with Judge Jackson a few weeks ago, it was immediately clear why so many different groups have sung her praises. On top of her brilliance, on top of her experience, she is unusually gifted at seeing and appreciating both sides of an argument. It is little surprise, then, that in the course of rendering nearly 550 decisions as a Federal district judge, she was rarely reversed by higher courts. In fact, she has been reversed perhaps around a dozen times out of 550 decisions. That is about 2 percent--2 percent--of the time.

This week, Members from both sides of the aisle will continue meeting with the judge. I believe, under Senator Durbin's leadership, every member of the Judiciary Committee has had the chance to meet with her. I am confident that any new conclusions my colleagues make about her will keep pointing in one direction: Judge Jackson is brilliant. She is beloved. She belongs on the Supreme Court. It is worth repeating the three b's over and over again--brilliant, beloved, belongs--because those three words are undoubtedly true as applied to Judge Jackson.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I want to thank my friend and colleague from Mississippi, as well as my friend and colleague from Ohio and from Connecticut.

We have one very important unanimous consent request that I will mention now and ask that unanimous consent request and then do the other ones as well. It will take a few minutes, and I appreciate that.

Madam President, in a few minutes, we will pass a resolution, S. Res. 546, condemning the Russian Federation, condemning Vladimir Putin, and expressing the sense of the Senate condemning the Russian Federation, Putin, and members of Russian security council, Russian Armed Forces, and Russian military commanders for committing atrocities, alleged war crimes against the people of Ukraine.

It has been 19 days--19 long, bloody days since the war erupted on the European continent. Today, all of us in this Chamber join together as Democrats and Republicans to say that Vladimir Putin cannot escape accountability for the atrocities committed against the Ukrainian people. The legislation passing today, championed by Senator Graham, sends an unmistakable message that the United States stands with Ukraine, stands against Putin, and stands with all efforts to hold Putin accountable for the atrocities levied upon the Ukrainian people.

Putin is not winning militarily, so now, this evil man is trying to win by massacring civilians, massacring babies, parents, the elderly, pregnant women, shooting at hospitals, sending missiles to hospitals, apartment buildings, et cetera--just as he did in Syria, just as he did in Chechnya--wiping out the civilian population in hopes of winning.

But in his monomaniacal hubris, Putin has severely underestimated the Ukrainian people. Every time an innocent Ukrainian is killed, the resolve of the Ukrainian people grows stronger. And we stand with them.

We have all seen the images, heard the stories, and watched the videos of the reality of this awful war. Hundreds--maybe even thousands--of civilians have been killed, as I said, from the elderly all the way down to babies not even a month old. These atrocities deserve to be investigated for war crimes.

Entire cities with hundreds of thousands of people have been left with no water, no power, no connection to the outside world. Unable to overtake Ukraine in a quick strike, Russian forces seem to be openly targeting sites that have little military significance.

Today, I am proud to ask unanimous consent and ask all of my colleagues to support today's legislation condemning Putin's atrocities and supporting efforts to hold him accountable before the eyes of the entire world.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res 546, submitted earlier today.

I know of no further debate on the resolution.

I ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I have several more wrap-ups.

Would the Senator from Mississippi indulge me?

Madam President, I thank the Senator once again. He is always courteous. Even when we disagree, he is very courteous.

Which--I hasten to add for his sake--is often.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 420, 421, 423, 425, 730, 472, and 784; that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc without intervening action or debate; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that any statements related to the nominations be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's actions, and the Senate resume legislative session.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, tomorrow, March 16, at 11:45 a.m., the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar No. 656, the nomination of Jacqueline Corley, and on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar No. 738, the nomination of Fred Slaughter; further, at 3 p.m., the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Calendar No. 682, the nomination of Ruth Montenegro, and the motion to invoke cloture on Calendar No. 678, the nomination of Victoria Calvert; that if cloture is invoked on any of these nominations, the Senate vote on confirmation at a time to be determined by the majority leader or designee following consultation with the Republican leader; finally, that the remaining cloture motions ripen at a time to be determined by the majority leader or designee following consultation with the Republican leader.

Finally, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 16; that following the prayer and 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 morning business be closed; that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Corley nomination; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Wednesday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and President be immediately notified of the Senate's actions.

For the information of Senators, the first rollcall votes of the day will begin at 11:45 a.m.

Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of Senators Portman, Wicker, and Blumenthal.

I yield the floor.

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

Madam President, last week was an exceedingly productive week for the Senate. We funded the government, passed postal reform, kept our promise to the Ukrainian people, revived VAWA, and unanimously passed anti-lynching legislation. President Biden is going to be busy this week signing a lot of bipartisan bills into law that will impact the lives of millions of Americans, and I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their good work.

Today, we are picking up right where we left off--confirming more of the President's nominees, maintaining our laser focus on lowering costs for American families, and continuing to explore how we can help Ukraine in their war against the evil Mr. Putin.

First, on this last point, earlier today, the Speaker and I announced that President Zelenskyy will deliver a virtual address to Members of the House and Senate this Wednesday, March 16, at 9 a.m. As you know, it is one of the highest honors of any Congress to welcome remarks by foreign heads of state, but it is nearly unheard of in modern times that we hear from a leader fighting for his life, fighting for his country's survival, fighting to preserve the very idea of democracy.

Let me say that again. It is one of the highest honors of any Congress to welcome remarks by a foreign head of state, but it is nearly unheard of--unheard of--in modern times that we hear from a leader fighting for his life, fighting for his country's survival, and fighting to preserve the idea of democracy--something Americans cherish.

As war intensifies in Ukraine, we have all been inspired by the courage of President Zelenskyy and that of the Ukrainian people. President Zelenskyy can rest assured that he will always have friends in Congress ready to listen, to stand in his corner, and we are honored to have him speak to us later this week.

Madam President, now on nominations, as we continue exploring ways to help the people of Ukraine, the Senate will also move forward on nominations.

Later today, we are scheduled to vote to proceed on the nomination of Shalanda Young, President Biden's choice to lead the Office of Management and Budget.

For the last year, Ms. Young has already been doing the work leading OMB as Acting Director, and she has proved to be bipartisan, deeply experienced, and knows the budget and appropriation process like the back of her hand. She was an amazing--amazing--budget director for the Appropriations Committee in the House and has been an amazing Acting Director, and she will do great as Director of OMB.

It is time we make her appointment official here in the Senate, and I hope to see Members from both sides of the aisle rally behind her later this week.

If confirmed, Shalanda Young would make history as the very first Black woman confirmed by the Senate to lead the OMB--another glass ceiling shattered by a remarkable Member of the President's historic Cabinet.

It has been under Ms. Young's leadership that the OMB has notched some of the administration's biggest accomplishments, from securing billions in disaster relief funding and beefing up the Made in America Office to working with Congress on the bipartisan infrastructure law. Clinton, LA, can celebrate this week knowing that one of their own is bringing the administration's agenda to life.

I look forward to seeing this great nominee confirmed later this week.