Floor Statements

Mr. President, I now ask that we move to a period of morning business, with Senators allowed to speak until 2 p.m. for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, what we have just gone through is an effort to bring the highway bill to be closer to the end.

The amendment I have offered does not have in it the Commerce Committee-reported matter. There has been an effort made by members of the Commerce Committee on a bipartisan basis to have another proposal, and that is what is now in this bill. I would hope that will be accepted--I am told it will--when we get back, which will allow us to start legislating, the Monday we get back, on this bill. We have to move to completion.

As I said earlier today, I don't like a lot of the amendments my Republican colleagues have offered, but they have a right to offer amendments. We are going to have to work through these amendments. I hope we can come up with, the day we get back or at least the next day, a list of finite amendments, Republican amendments and Democratic amendments, and work our way through those. We can't have hundreds of amendments, and I hope we can work that down to a reasonable number. Both sides are going to offer amendments. I am sure it won't be a lot of fun, but that is why we are elected--to make tough decisions.

There are some measures we have to vote on that relate to the bill. I know that may sound a little unusual, but there may be some amendments that are germane or relevant to the matter we are considering. We are going to work through those.

I hope we don't have to file cloture on the bill--that would be nice--because this legislation is important because the surface transportation law that is now in effect expires at the end of March. So we have a lot of work to do in a short period of time.

So Senators understand, we have a lot more to do. We not only have to finish this bill, but it is imperative that we bring to the floor the postal reform legislation. It is extremely important. We also have a lot of nominations we are going to have to deal with, and these are the things we have in the short term. The highway bill and the postal bill are really big, important pieces of legislation.

I would be happy to yield to my friend, the chairwoman of the committee.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, we have about 90 nominations on the Executive Calendar. That is a lot of names--people who have set their lives aside, after having been asked by the President of the United States to do good things for our country. The vast majority are not controversial. There is nothing so about their character, their education, their background. They have, with rare exception, been reported from the committees unanimously. They are being held up out of spite. Nominations on the Executive Calendar have been pending an average of 3 months waiting for the Senate to act. But the Senate can act on these, as we have done in years past, just like that.

Top Department Secretaries pending before the Senate--two to be specific--are very important for their leadership roles at our Federal agencies. For example, Rebecca Blank will fill the No. 2 position at the Department of Commerce. She has a Ph.D. in economics from MIT, one of the finest educational institutes in the world. She served as Acting Commerce Secretary when Secretary Locke left to become Ambassador to China. The Commerce Committee approved her, of course, by voice vote. That means unanimously. Her confirmation is urgently needed because the Commerce Department hasn't had a confirmed deputy since July of 2010 because of the obstructionism of the Republicans here in the Senate.

Maurice Jones has been nominated to be Deputy Secretary at Housing and Urban Affairs. He worked for then-Governor Mark Warner and at the Treasury Department in the Clinton administration. His nomination was voted out of the Banking Committee last December by voice vote.

Wendy Spencer, President's nominee to lead the Corporation for National and Community Service, has bipartisan support from a number of Republican Senators, including Marco Rubio.

There are also Corporation for National and Community Servicemembers on the calendar that have been waiting for a vote since July of last year. We also have law enforcement positions awaiting confirmation, including Deputy Attorney General for Tax at the Department of Justice and the agency's inspector general. Other important officials at the State Department, Treasury Department, and Homeland Security are ready for the Senate to act on their nominations.

Regrettably, Senate Republicans continue to either block, stall, or obstruct these and other well-qualified nominees. Since this past fall, a Republican Senator has blocked two nominations at the Federal Communications Commission, and today they will block nominees to the Federal Trade Commission.

This week, Senator Bingaman asked consent to confirm the various Department of Energy nominees and the Republicans objected. This obstruction is not about the nominees themselves. They are qualified and noncontroversial. Many came out of committee, as I have indicated, by a voice vote or unanimously.

Senate Republicans are blocking nominees for political reasons--and very weak political reasons. Not everything we do here in the Senate should be a fight. Virtually every one of these nominees could be approved today if the Senate Republicans would cooperate.

As I indicated when I started this conversation, these people, with these jobs, have put their lives aside to wait on their confirmation. I have made no secret of the fact that I think the President did the minimal with his recess appointments--the minimal. I think he has waited far too long. If something doesn't break here, I am going to recommend to the President he recess-appoint all these people--every one of them.

That is not unique. The power of the recess appointment is in our Constitution. Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican, felt he was being treated improperly by the Senate. He had 160 nominations that were being held for political reasons, and he did it in a minute--recess- appointed 160 different people. So it is not as if there isn't some way to respond to this.

We are going to have a week here that we will be in recess. And I repeat, if we don't have some significant action during the next work period, I am going to ask the President to appoint them all. I can ask, if I want to. He doesn't have to respond affirmatively. We will do the judges. We will have the fight on the judges ourselves because they are recommendations we make to the President. But these are the President's nominations and he should have the right to have these people working in his administration.

Mr. President, I am going to ask unanimous consent on a large number of nominations. I have been told that on every one of these, the Republicans will object. I was asked whether it was necessary that I have a Republican come here and do it in person. That is not necessary. I take the word of my friend, the Republican leader, that that in fact is the case. So on every one of these I am going to object on behalf of the Republicans. How do you like that?

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations: Calendar Nos. 86, 258, 259, 261, 262, 263, 264, 338, 339, 340, 344, 345, 346, 403, 422, 450, 456, 493, 494, 495, 496, 499, 500, 501, 502, 504, 505, 506, 507, 511, 512, 513, 514, 515, 516, 517, 518, 519, 520, 521, 522, 523, 524, 525, 526, 527, 541, 542, 543, 544, 546, 547, 548, 549, 550, 551, 553, 554, 555, 556, 557, 558, 559, 560, 561, 562, 563, 564, 565, 566, 567, 571 and 572.

I am told those nominations that are before the Senate now dealing with the Air Force, Army, Foreign Service, the Marine Corps, and the Navy will be agreed to. I hope that in fact is the case. It is not part of this request.

On the numbers I have read off, I ask unanimous consent that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations; that any related statements be printed in the Record, that President Obama be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then resume legislative session.

On behalf of the Republicans, I object.

I ask unanimous consent that we now proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations: Calendar Nos. 573 to 606--those are the ones I referred to, the military only--and all nominations placed on the Secretary's desk in the Air Force,

Army Foreign Service, Marine Corps, and Navy; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations; that any related statements be printed in the Record; that President Obama be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Following leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business for 1 hour. The majority will control the first half, the Republicans the second half. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the surface transportation bill.

Mr. President, we are doing our utmost to work through the matters we still have to do in the Senate. We have pending now a cloture motion on the surface transportation bill. That time will ripen tomorrow morning an hour after we come in. Following that, there is a vote on a person from New York who desires to be a Federal judge.

We will notify all Members when the conference report is scheduled in the House, and we will do it over here as quickly as we can. We are going to see if things can be expedited, but it appears that we will be in at least for tomorrow. I hope we don't have to be in longer than that, but it all depends on when the House completes the work on the conference report. That is not scheduled yet.

Mr. President, there is a bill at the desk due for a second reading. It is S. 2111.

I object to any further proceedings with respect to this bill at this time.

I ask the Chair to announce the business of the day.

Under the previous order, the Senate will be in a period of morning business for 1 hour, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with the majority controlling the first half and the Republicans controlling the final half.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, after consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate proceed to the cloture vote with respect to the Reid amendment No. 1633; that if cloture is invoked on the Reid amendment, the second-degree amendment be withdrawn, the Reid amendment be agreed to and the bill, as amended, be considered original text for the purposes of further amendment; that if cloture is not invoked, the motion to recommit and the Reid amendment No. 1633 be withdrawn; that immediately following the cloture vote and the actions listed above, depending on the result of the cloture vote, the Senate then proceed to executive session and the cloture motion on the Furman nomination be vitiated; that there be 2 minutes equally divided between the chair and ranking members of the Judiciary Committee prior to a vote on the confirmation of the Furman nomination; that if the nomination is confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order; that any related statements be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; that following the vote on confirmation of the Furman nomination, the Senate then resume legislative session and the majority leader be recognized.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that we go to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the service of the 26th Public Printer of the United States. Bill Boarman led the Government Printing Office, GPO, with distinction over the past year. He has been a tremendous asset to the organization, and we will miss his service.

President Obama nominated Bill to serve as the Public Printer in April 2010, and his nomination was reported favorably by the Senate Rules Committee in July of that year. Because the Senate was unable to confirm Bill in the 111th Congress, President Obama used a recess appointment to install Bill as the Public Printer in December 2010.

Once in office Bill found that the GPO faced serious financial problems. Bill immediately took steps to put GPO on solid financial footing by cutting spending overhead and other nonessential costs. He successfully implemented a buyout to adjust the size of GPO's workforce. Perhaps most important, Bill set up a special task force to collect millions in outstanding payments owed to the GPO by other Federal agencies. These actions saved the GPO and the taxpayers millions of dollars.

Bill did more than just cut costs. To help Congress reduce its use of printed documents, Bill ordered the first-ever survey of all Senate and House offices that allowed them to opt out of receiving printed copies of the Congressional Record and other publications. He put the GPO on Facebook, oversaw the release of the GPO's first mobile Web app, and drafted a strategic investment plan to modernize the GPO's technology. He also presided over the observance of the GPO's 150th anniversary and made history himself by appointing as his deputy a seasoned GPO official who is the first woman ever to hold that position.

Unfortunately, the Senate did not confirm Bill before the 112th Congress adjourned, and Bill's recess appointment expired. He leaves the agency in sound condition and in the good hands of Acting Public Printer Davita Vance-Cooks. During his brief tenure, Bill compiled a remarkable record of accomplishments. I know I speak for the Senate family when we thank Bill for his service as our Nation's Public Printer.

Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk due for its first reading.

Mr. President, I now ask for a second reading and, in order to place the bill on the calendar, object to my own request.

Mr. President, I apologize to the staff and for everyone having to wait, but we have things we have been working on and we have made a lot of headway, a lot of progress. We are still not all the way there, but it appears to me that the House will probably vote on the conference report sometime tomorrow morning. That being the case, we will see what we can do to expedite things here.

I will have the authority now to have the vote on the judge and the cloture vote so we can do that at any time tomorrow. I will talk to the Republican leader to make sure it is a convenient time for everyone. We will come in at 10 tomorrow morning.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate adjourn until 10 a.m. on Friday, February 17, 2012; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that following any leader remarks, the Senate be in a period of morning business until 11 a.m., with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with the Republicans controlling the first half and the majority controlling the final half; that following morning business, the Senate resume consideration of S. 1813, the surface transportation bill; and finally, I ask that the second-degree amendment filing deadline be at 10:30 a.m.

Mr. President, there could be up to four votes. If things don't work out, we will have to have some of the votes later in the week, so we hope that can come to be. We will notify Senators the minute we have some way of moving forward with everything. The four votes would be, of course, the cloture vote on the highway bill, the Furman nomination, and we might have to do cloture on the conference report and final passage of that. So we will notify everyone what agreements we have been able to work on and get in touch with the Republican leader and hopefully move fairly quickly tomorrow morning.

Senators should expect a series of rollcall votes tomorrow on the motion to invoke cloture on the Reid amendment No. 1633 and on the Furman nomination. We also hope to consider the payroll conference report.