Floor Statements

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 484, S. 3959.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 7218, which was received from the House and is at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill.

I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 8932, which was received from the House and is at the desk.

I further ask consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and

Transportation be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 894 and the resolution be referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 902, which is at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, 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 ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following resolutions: S. Res. 903, S. Res. 904, S. Res. 905, S. Res. 906, S. Res. 907.

Madam President, this resolution concerns a lawsuit filed in Federal court in the District of Columbia against the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Chairman Sanders, Ranking Member Cassidy, and 18 other members of the committee. That suit was brought by an individual, Dr. Ralph de la Torre, who had been subpoenaed to testify at a hearing before the Committee but chose to disregard his legal duty and failed to appear at the committee's hearing. After Dr. de la Torre failed to appear, the Committee reported to the Senate, and the Senate agreed to, a resolution directing the President of the Senate to certify the fact of his default to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for consideration of prosecution for contempt of Congress.

Dr. de la Torre then filed suit to try to prevent any sanction from being imposed on him for his default of a duly authorized Senate committee subpoena, claiming that the subpoena served no valid legislative purpose and that requiring him to appear at the hearing violated his Fifth Amendment rights, despite the fact that the committee made clear that he could assert a Fifth Amendment privilege in response to questions at the hearing, if applicable.

Dr. de la Torre's suit against the committee and its members seeking to prevent any consequences for his default on the subpoena threatens to interfere with the independence of the Senate in conducting its legislative and oversight duties and improperly seeks to use a civil suit to forestall a criminal matter. This resolution would authorize the Senate legal counsel to represent the committee and the members named as defendants in this suit in order to seek its dismissal.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Madam President, finally, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned, under the provisions of S. Res. 902, until 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 21; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceeding be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that following the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Wise nomination; further, that at 11 a.m., the Senate vote on the cloture motions with respect to the Wise and Weilheimer nominations in the order listed; further, that following the cloture vote on the Weilheimer nomination, the Senate resume consideration of the Desai nomination and that the Senate vote on the nomination of Desai at 1:45 p.m.; 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.

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

Mr. President, today, the Senate moves forward on confirming more of President Biden's judicial nominees.

Yesterday, the Senate confirmed Judge Embry Kidd to serve a lifetime appointment as a circuit judge to the Eleventh Circuit. Judge Kidd will be an excellent addition to the bench. He is exceptionally qualified. He has extensive experience as a judge, a prosecutor, and an attorney in private practice.

I thank my colleagues for supporting his nomination and for moving him through the Chamber.

Last night, I also filed cloture on another nine nominees to serve as district judges across the country, including Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. If you include these nominations with those I filed last week, I will now have filed cloture on a total of 12 district court judges since the end of last week.

We will keep working to confirm these nominations as quickly as we can, starting this morning with the cloture vote on the nomination of Mustafa Kasubhai to be a district judge for the District of Oregon.

For the information of Senators, we expect to vote on as many as three judges today. Members should be prepared for another late night on Wednesday to vote on the nominations I filed last night.

Voting on the President's judicial nominees is a core function of the Senate. It is one of our basic responsibilities, and we are going to carry out that responsibility as long as this majority continues.

I am very proud of the judges we have confirmed over the past 4 years under this administration. They have all been highly qualified individuals, and together they represent a wide range of experiences and areas of expertise.

For a long time, this Chamber primarily focused on confirming nominees with backgrounds as prosecutors or from big law firms. Of course, many of these individuals have gone on to serve as excellent judges, but this majority and this administration have cast a wider net. For 4 years, we have expanded the sort of backgrounds and resumes that make for a qualified nominee to the Federal bench. We have more judges from backgrounds in consumer protection and civil rights and voting rights. We have confirmed more women and people of color too. All of these individuals are highly qualified by their own merits, but their broad range of backgrounds and experiences is an additional asset to the bench.

But we are not done. There are more judges to consider and confirm. We are going to spend the rest of the week and the rest of this year focused on confirming them, and I thank all of my colleagues for their continued good work. Let us continue.

Mr. President, I move that the Sergeant at Arms request the presence of absent Senators, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

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

Madam President, I have six requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

committee on commerce, science, and transportation

The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing.

committee on energy and natural resources

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at 9:30 am., to conduct a business meeting.

committee on the judiciary

The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

committee on the judiciary

The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at 2 p.m., to conduct a hearing.

select committee on intelligence

The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a closed briefing.

subcommittee on emerging threats and capabilities

The Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities of the Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet in open and closed session during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at 3:15 p.m.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 441, H.R. 6249.

I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 546, H.R. 5490.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill.

I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 807 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

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