Floor Statements

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, I am, in a moment, going to ask unanimous consent that we proceed to confirm a nominee.

Stephanie Sullivan has been nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to the African Union. She was nominated June 15, 2022, for a position now vacant since January of this year.

Let me briefly say why this is important.

The African Union is the entity most likely to successfully negotiate peace in Sudan, a country now roiled by domestic violence, by a war between one faction of its military and another, and thousands of Americans are at risk.

I think it is crucially important to fill all of our vacant ambassadorial positions, but this one is particularly critical because of the role the AU can and should play in resolving this conflict. But we lack an ambassador in this vital continent-wide organization.

I will go on at some greater length about the qualifications and the background of this talented career Foreign Service officer who has been an ambassador twice before in Africa. But I will also say that statements that she has made in her role as an ambassador reflect the policy of the administration at the time, not her personal preferences or values. She is a talented representative of the United States, as a diplomat, whose actions and statements reflect the administrations she has served.

With that, I ask unanimous consent, as if in executive session, that the Senate consider Calendar No. 68, Stephanie Sanders Sullivan, to be Representative of the United States to the African Union, and that the Senate vote on the nomination without any intervening action or debate; that, if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Madam President, would the Senator yield?

Go ahead.

At, apparently, another time, I look forward to having the opportunity to hearing some substantiation of the wild charges just made by my colleague from Ohio.

I did as much research as I could before appearing in what I had understood, mistakenly, to be the foundation of his objection. Now I look forward to figuring out how this nominee to serve again as an ambassador is an advocate of far-left gender therapies of some kind.

Let me make two simple points, if I can, in response to the comments I just heard on the floor. As someone who chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds our development efforts around the world, and particularly in Africa, and as someone who was just in five different countries across the continent, to characterize China's engagement with Africa as one that promotes development in a positive way that is respectful and uplifting, and our engagement as simply ``hectoring,'' badly misses decades of the United States' being the No. 1 supporter of public health across the continent.

We are just now celebrating the 20th anniversary of President Bush's signature initiative, PEPFAR, which has saved 25 million lives. The Chinese do not invest in public health anything like the scale and scope the United States does. The Chinese, it is true, don't ask questions about the suppression of minorities, about the mistreatment of journalists, about the closing of political space, about domestic repression, and the United States does. So, if that is to be characterized as hectoring, then I would be glad to stand up for hectoring.

We do challenge autocrats across the continent of Africa, and we do stand up for democracy. We also invest significantly in human development at a time when China invests principally in airports and soccer stadiums and highways.

So I would be happy to have a debate at any time that my colleague from Ohio chooses to stay long enough to have the discussion about the foundations of our engagement in the developing world.

I also, frankly, take exception to his characterization of a talented, long-serving member of the Foreign Service who represented us as a confirmed ambassador in both Ghana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Let me make the core point that I intended to make earlier, but in order to accommodate my colleague's need to be interviewed on television, I cut my comments short.

In Sudan today, a newly emerged war is raging between two militaries. Thousands of people are at risk. In particular, Americans are at risk. It is the African Union--a continent-wide organization headquartered in Addis, in Ethiopia's capital--that could and should be the entity that leads to peace in Sudan. To not have a confirmed ambassador is to weaken our ability to engage with the AU and to engage with the leaders of these two military factions in Sudan.

For too much of the 2 years of the Biden administration, we have struggled to get confirmations here on the floor of the Senate of talented nominees. We have worked closely together to make sure that we have overcome some of the holds and some of the blocks to nominees in the past. I am disappointed and frustrated by the spurious argument by my colleague as to why he is standing in the way of this particularly capable, seasoned, and experienced member of our Foreign Service.

I had imagined, based on previous statements made by my colleague, that he might be objecting to something she said on the occasion of George Floyd's murder, and I came to the floor today with significant, detailed content from the previous administration, making it clear that she wasn't acting simply on her own, that she wasn't acting on some leftist agenda, but that she was acting in response to the direction from both the Africa Bureau and the Deputy Secretary of State.

I had thought he might also be referencing a posting that was made on the occasion of a pride event, of an LGBTQ pride event--something that happens in Embassies all over the world and that reflects a shared commitment by the American people to human rights that is understandably part of diversity and inclusion.

My hunch is that I will have to wait for another time for my colleague to prioritize debate on the floor of the Senate over making his way to a cable television hit, but I respect my colleague. He is someone who has written

a very compelling book, who has been elected by the people of Ohio, and whom I expect to have the opportunity to get to know. We have only served together now for several months, and today was literally the first time we had exchanged words.

So I hope there will be more reason and more substance to his opposition to this nominee than what I heard on the floor tonight, and I look forward to engaging with him in that discussion and that debate.

With that, I conclude my remarks on this particular topic, and once handed the closing remarks, will speak briefly and then close the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, which I think is now, that it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 20; 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; and that following the conclusion of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 28, S. 870.

For the information of the Senate, there will be two rollcall votes at 11:15 a.m. and one vote at 1:45 p.m.

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

Madam President, today I would like to talk about S. 316, a bill to repeal the authorizations for use of military force against Iraq. It is well past time to repeal the 1991 and 2002 AUMFs. Congress must reaffirm its constitutional authority over war powers, and this vote goes a long way toward asserting the way in which our leaders choose to wage war and use force. Iraq is now a key partner for the United States in the Middle East. I hope the vote today will not only affirm our cooperative and strategic relationship with the country, but also begin a new chapter in U.S.-Iraq bilateral relations. While I was unable to vote in person in its favor, I support the passage of this bill without amendment.

Mr. President, I rise today to speak on a topic I have been dreading for months, the departure from my office of my senior adviser and close friend, Jeff Sanchez.

After 4 years of dedicated, tireless, outstanding service to me, the people of Delaware, my family, and our country, Jeff is moving on to an exciting new adventure.

He didn't want a big farewell party, but he is going to have to endure, before he goes, the Congressional Record of the U.S. Senate reflecting the contributions of this remarkable public servant.

Jeff is from California, a graduate from Chapman University. He spent a decade on the Hill working for Steny Hoyer, Senator Patty Murray, and Congresswoman Linda Sanchez.

In my office, he has risen quickly, four promotions in 4 years. He became a central part of my senior team, giving me valued, strategic advice on a whole range of issues, from policy and politics to operations and communications. My team in DC and Delaware quickly came to rely on Jeff.

While I have a lot of very positive and humorous input from them, given the press of time, I will read just a few.

One staffer said:

[Jeff] was the air traffic officer for the office but also

[at times] the pilot guiding all staff to a smooth departure

with our member and a safe, comfortable landing.

Another staffer said:

Jeff is a Swiss Army knife. There is nothing this guy can't

do. Tireless worker. Great writer. Strategic thinker. Gets

the policy and the politics.

And my favorite:

When Jeff walks in[to] a room, everything just starts

working better.

His first role in my office was moving me. I mean, physically moving me. I quickly became respectful of his skills. We have driven the streets of DC and Delaware, from Georgetown to Capitol Hill. And while he mostly stayed under the limit and obeyed traffic laws, when it came to getting me to Union Station and getting me home, he was more Mario Andretti than Uber. Sometimes my blood pressure was elevated, but we always arrived safely and on time.

From the snows of Davos to the hills of San Francisco and from the streets of Madrid, we traveled to remarkable places together. One of the most striking things about Jeff is the more time you spend with him, the more time you want to spend with him. As we got to know each other better and spent time talking, during our drives, about our families and our hopes for the future, we became closer, and I am so grateful. Jeff has allowed me to offer what I hope has been meaningful advice on life's challenges and opportunities.

I have lots of things to poke fun at Jeff. He has a mischievous wit, his own share of quirky habits, and charming preferences. Like a hobbit, he eats a first and second lunch, always from Cups. During late nights when I was tied up here on the floor, he would turn down the lights and deejay for our colleagues--something called Club Jeff. And while he is a foodie, his highest culinary loyalty is Cheesecake Factory.

Jeff's parents, Maria and Carlos, are wonderful people from Quito, Ecuador. He is proud of them, and I hope you know, we are proud of you. To Maria, Carlos, Shane, Ronald, his beloved nanny Eloysita, and grandmother Rosa, it is important for you to hear that you raised an amazing and incredible young man, whose integrity and work ethic exceeds anything I have seen among others, and you are the base for his success here in the Senate and in life.

I have been blessed to know Jeff, both professionally and personally, and we have come through some of the most challenging and difficult moments in our country's recent history together: President Trump's two impeachments, Joe Biden's Presidential campaign, my own reelection to the Senate, January 6, the whole Biden Presidency, and two of the most legislatively frenetic years in history and a global pandemic.

During the pandemic, a core group of six of us came into my offices day in and day out and worked hard. We spent a huge amount of time together--hard days and long nights, working through that crisis. Through the pandemic, Jeff was always there.

He has made me a better Senator and a better colleague. He is responsible for and shares in my biggest successes, and his contributions to me, to the country, and to our State are too numerous to mention.

I will close with James 2:18:

Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show

you my faith by my works.

In a town that has its fair share of self-promoters, Jeff has devoted himself to others and does so with humility, discretion, and poise. In an institution where there is often a scramble to occupy the spotlight, Jeff chose to labor behind the scenes and give credit to others. In a culture where some feel entitled to professional awards, Jeff has earned everything he has achieved many times over.

It was no surprise that once Jeff decided to look for new opportunities, he has had many compelling options. I am proud of him and the next steps he will take in his life.

When I shared the news that Jeff would be moving on from our team, the three most important women in my life--and I don't mean Morgan, Chelsea, and Trinity of our office, but I

could; I mean my mother, my wife, and my youngest, Margaret--were so sad to see him go because they have come to trust and admire him the way so many of his colleagues do. He is genuinely a member of our family, and we will deeply miss him.

While Jeff is leaving my office next week, he will always be a part of that small group of people I most appreciate, admire, and respect. I look forward to the lifetime of friendship I know we will share.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, in accordance with rule XXVI, paragraph 2 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I ask unanimous consent for myself as chairman of the Select Committee on Ethics and for Senator Lankford as vice chairman of the committee that the rules of procedure of the Select Committee on Ethics, which were adopted February 23, 1978, and revised November 1999, be printed in the Congressional Record for the 118th Congress.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent, for myself as chairman of the Select Committee on Ethics and for Senator Lankford, vice chairman of the committee, that the Annual Report of the Select Committee on Ethics for calendar year 2022 be printed in the Record. The committee issued this report on January 31, 2023, as required by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the achievement of the Stennis Center for Public Service's service-oriented students, following the publication of their journal, the ``Public Service Review.''

For all who are looking for encouragement about the future of our country, I want to bring to your attention the most recently published issues of ``Public Service Review,'' produced by the Stennis Center for Public Service. ``Public Service Review'' features inspiring and informative stories from young leaders who share in their own words their experiences, insights, hopes, and dreams as they engage in public service through internships, jobs, and activities in their communities and throughout the world.

The publication, available on the Stennis Center's website at www.stennis.gov, provides a glimpse into the future for all who care deeply about the future of American democracy. As they explore the challenges and rewards of public service, the commitment of these young leaders to help keep our Nation strong and free is truly inspirational. The 33 authors featured in the 2022 issues are Adam Duffy of Ohio State University, Alex Siegal of Columbia University, Alexandra Dorotinsky of University of New Haven, Amanda Guilardi of American University, Anna Zmistowski of University of Maine School of Law, Catherine Lawson of Texas A&M University, Jaydn Smith of Hastings College, Owen Rosenberg of American University, Alexandra Schindewolf of Rutgers University, Ava Goble of University of Hawai'i, Ben Savercool of California State University, Chico, Caroline Rykard of University of Georgia, Diana Grechukhina of Salisbury University, Disha Jhaveri of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Drew Ficociello of George Washington University, MAJ Matt Romanowski of Princeton University and U.S. Army, Ethan Sanders of Oklahoma State University, Jagaar Halverson of Grand Canyon University, Jennifer Rivera Galindo of Florida International University, Kathleen Griffith of University of South Carolina, McKayla Steineke of Northeastern University, Mia Robertson of Mississippi State University, Alanna Cronk of Georgetown University, Mini Ganesh of Harvard College, Natalie Gilbert of Georgetown University, Anum Syed of West Chester University, Avinash Maniam of Rutgers University, Mignely Nunez of Indian University Bloomington, Natalie Salazar of Carnegie Mellon University, Niklas Kleinworth of University of

Idaho, Sydney Smith of Claremont McKenna College, Victoria Izaguirre of Texas A&M University, and Zach Blair-Andrews of University of South Florida.

``Public Service Review'' provides these young leaders an opportunity to write about their experiences and inspirations in their own words, sharing stories of challenge and hope as they engage in public service in a variety of formats and focus on a range of causes that draw their passion. Not only do their stories inspire those of us engaged in public service here in Congress and elsewhere, but their experiences provide insights and guidance for younger students as they look for ways to become involved in public service.

On behalf of my colleagues, who I serve with on the Stennis Center Board of Trustees, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, Tom Daffron, U.S. Representative Terri Sewell, and former U.S. Representative Martha Roby, I commend the Stennis Center for this excellent publication and urge you to read it and share it with others who will benefit from reading these inspiring stories.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize an excerpt of this article by George Black, honoring the legacies of Senator Patrick Leahy and Tim Rieser, that was originally published in the New Republic on December 19, 2022.

I ask unanimous consent that the following excerpt honoring Senator Patrick Leahy and Tim Rieser be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I would like to thank my colleague and senior Senator.

As a member of the Delaware bar myself for 30 years and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I could not be prouder of the moment we are about to participate in here in the U.S. Senate confirming the next member of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

It was 30 years ago that I was a clerk on that same court for Judge Jane Roth of Wilmington, DE, a distinguished jurist, a remarkable mind, and a great leader in the Delaware bench and bar.

And I am thrilled that, as we left Thursday evening, we had, by a bipartisan vote of 57-to-39, the cloture vote that set up the confirmation vote that is about to happen here; and of those votes, nine were from our Republican colleagues.

Frankly, she should be confirmed here unanimously, as she was by the Delaware State Senate, but we are in a more divided, more partisan time, and I am thrilled that we had as strong and bipartisan a vote in the committee and here in the Senate as we have.

It reflects the fact that Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves is a highly qualified, well-rounded, skilled nominee to the Third Circuit.

The Third Circuit is one of those Federal circuit courts that provides a critical role. The most important cases in our country go to Federal courts, although Delaware jurists would disagree, and of the courts that hear those cases--overwhelmingly district courts--only a few of those cases are appealed and make it to a circuit court, and a tiny number of cases make it to the U.S. Supreme Court.

So for the States represented on the Third Circuit--Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the U.S. Virgin Islands--this is likely the last stop for almost every major appeal.

And in just a few moments, someone known for her skill, her intellect, her patience, her compassion will be confirmed by this Senate and sent on her

way to serve on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

She is very highly regarded in Delaware as a member of our supreme court. She is someone highly regarded by our bench and bar.

We have, in front of our committee, letters of endorsement from Governor John Carney as well as former Governor Jack Markell.

And as you heard from my colleague, the Delaware State Senate unanimously endorsed her.

She served on the Delaware Court of Chancery, the premier business court in our country, from 2015 to 2019.

And she is a trailblazer: the first Black woman to serve on the Delaware Court of Chancery and on the Delaware Supreme Court and soon on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

Her confirmation today will add diversity to a court that represents three States and the Virgin Islands, which are demonstrably diverse. And in our country, this helps to further advance representation and justice.

I want to thank my chief counsel, Cassie Fields, for playing a central role in shepherding her nomination through the committee and through this floor.

And I want to close by saying that I want to express my deepest personal thanks to this native of Jackson, MS, this graduate of the University of Mississippi and University of Georgia School of Law, who, through the good offices of Chancellor Bill Chandler, found her way to practice in Delaware, to service on the Delaware Court of Chancery; through the help and leadership of our State Senate and our Governor to service on our State supreme court; and in just a few moments, to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

To Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves, to your husband Jeffrey, your sons Jackson and Tyson: Congratulations. Know that our President and our Senate is proud of you, has confidence in you, and looks forward to your years of service on this most important Federal Circuit Court.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I rise to also offer to my thoughts on the career and service, the personality and the values of Senator Rob Portman, one of a number of retiring colleagues whom I will dearly miss.

I was somewhat surprised by the timing of Senator Blunt's farewell address and missed the opportunity to also speak to his departure. They have in common an important shared characteristic: a passion for getting things done, for being a Senator who serves their State and Nation, who works across the aisle and delivers real solutions.

Stop taxing death and disability--that is the first bill that Rob and I got to the President's desk and signed into law. Under the previous administration, it had a very catchy name, and it was a simple solution to a pRoblem most of us had never heard of, which was that if someone who had taken out student loans died and thus was unlikely to repay them and those student loans were discharged as a result of their permanent disability or death, that benefit was taxed, and the tax attached, in the case of one of my constituents, to their parents, to the estate of the deceased child.

When I first talked to Rob about this on the floor, he said: That is a terrible thing; we should stop it. From that simple germ grew a dozen different legislative initiatives.

Before this Congress ends, we will get the reauthorization of the End Wildlife Trafficking Act and the reauthorization of Rob's landmark work in tropical rainforest and coral reef preservation to the President's desk.

We had the chance to travel the world together. We had a remarkable trip, as did Senator Klobuchar, to Ukraine--although I think our trip was just a little bit more comfortable on the train than yours. But it was a memorable opportunity to visit the Ukrainian refugees with their own incredible Embassy staff and to present the Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Center to President Zelenskyy.

I am also, I must say, grateful for your leadership on the Respect for Marriage Act, which is today going to the President's desk.

It was in August, as we traveled to five countries in Africa, together with our spouses and a great bipartisan group you helped pull together, to look at how human development can be the key to wildlife conservation in countries across the continent where too often there is instability that leads to the loss of biodiversity and to an increase in lawlessness and terrorism, and we found a way to craft together a potential legislative solution that I look forward to carrying in the years ahead.

To Jed, to Will, and to Sally, you have a remarkable dad. To Jane, thank you for being such a delightful, engaging, and supportive partner. My wife Annie and I will deeply miss you and Rob as colleagues here in the Senate, as a legislative partner, and as a personal friend.

God bless you on the next chapter of your life, and we look forward to staying in touch.

With that, I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate recess following the vote on the Murphy nomination until 4:30 p.m.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I join my colleague from our home State of Delaware in ensuring that Jim Gardner's four decades of leadership in our community, in our local news, and in laying down a marker for what it means to be a real journalist, a trusted and loyal and important part of community leadership--that his service will be remembered and recognized in the Congressional Record.

Jim Gardner, as my colleague laid out in great detail, born and raised in New York City, turned on to journalism as a student at Columbia University by reporting on the historic Columbia riots in 1968 and then began his remarkable run with WPVI-TV Philadelphia on June 1, 1976.

I have had the honor of being in the newsroom and talking with Jim as he has prepared for a broadcast, of getting a sense of just how good and balanced and thoughtful a journalistic leader he is.

For all of us, it is a real loss that, four decades later, Jim has anchored his last regularly scheduled 11 p.m. broadcast. He is still anchoring the 6 p.m. news.

I will tell you, Jim, my wife Annie and I love watching you. You have given us a sense of continuity, of community, and of character in our local news, unmatched in so many other communities around our country. You are a genuine treasure, a jewel of the Delaware Valley, and we will miss you deeply. You have interviewed Popes and Presidents, local elected officials and international leaders. You have contributed to our understanding of our place in the world and brought us closer together.

I just wanted to say to you personally, congratulations on your retirement. I know that you will get to spend more time with Josh, Jenn, Emily, and Jesse, and your grandson Henry.

Thank you to Amy.

As my colleague and friend Tom Carper said, it is our spouses who often experience the highs and the lows of our public service, and I know your family has supported you through this remarkable work.

It would be impossible to list all the stories that you reported on or contributed to, but know, Jim, that you have left a lasting legacy in the hearts of the millions of people who have watched you over decades and felt that they were brought a little bit closer to their world.

Thank you, and we look forward to recognizing you in the Record of the United States Senate.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.