Floor Statements

I ask the Chair to lay before the Senate a message from the House to accompany S. 1254.

The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate a message from the House as follows:

I move to concur in the House amendment and ask unanimous consent that the motion be agreed to and 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 Senate proceed to S. Res. 477, submitted earlier today.

I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 18, 2014; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that following any leader remarks, the Senate resume consideration of H.R. 4660, postcloture; and that all time during adjournment count postcloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 4660.

Madam President, we hope to begin consideration of the appropriations bill during tomorrow's session. Senators will be notified when votes are scheduled.

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

I now move to proceed to Calendar No. 428, the appropriations bill at the desk.

Mr. President, following my remarks and those of Senator McConnell, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:30 p.m. this afternoon.

At 5:30 p.m. there will be three cloture votes on U.S. district court judges: Mendoza, from Washington, Yandle from Illinois, and Gayles from Florida.

2014 World Cup

Mr. President, on the lower level of the Statue of Liberty, there is a poem. It says a lot. It was written by Emma Lazarus.

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.

Those words encapsulate what is good about America. Those few lines represent the very makeup of this great country.

Over its history our Nation has welcomed the tired and poor of the world and made them strong. We have opened our doors to the best the world has to offer, and the United States has become better for it. Our country is a melting pot. Every aspect of our society reflects that, especially our athletes and soccer in particular.

I can remember when my middle son came home one night--he was just a boy; I assume he was maybe 10 years old--and he said, ``I want to play soccer.''

I said, ``What?''

``I want to play soccer.''

Soccer was not much of a sport in Nevada at that time. I thought, you know, if you are going to be an athlete, you have to play football, basketball, baseball, run track, high jump, long jump.

``I want to play soccer,'' he said.

OK. And play soccer he did. That began for me a great education, and it was so good for my son Leif, my middle boy. They had a great team. My wife and I started going to the games and learning about soccer. It was so much fun. When we moved back here, he was a freshman in high school and suffered a very badly broken leg playing soccer, so his career ended there.

My next boy was a baseball player.

My youngest boy was a gifted athlete. I boasted about him for many years. He was a soccer player, and he also played basketball. He played soccer on two national championship teams for the University of Virginia. By the time he went there, I had watched hundreds of soccer games. For him to play at this premier school with great athletes, playing soccer across the country, was really an experience and, again, an education.

For example, one of my son's teammates was the famous Claudio Reyna. Claudio was so good. It was a team of many great athletes. My son was a gifted athlete and everybody on the team was good, but Claudio Reyna was better than anyone.

Claudio's dad emigrated from Argentina. His mom was from a Portuguese family. They lived in New Jersey, where he was recruited to play for the University of Virginia. My son came from a different background. His grandfather was born in Russia, emigrated to the United States. His grandmother on my wife's side had Lithuanian blood. My grandmother emigrated from England.

So he and Claudio were on that team, and it would be hard to find two young men with more different backgrounds than they. They were teammates.

Their other teammates had backgrounds that were similarly unusual, different--a young man from Spain, one from Jamaica. An All-American named Damien Silvera was from Jamaica. These young men, 11 players--and some who didn't play all the time--came from different cities and different cultures, but they were one. They were a team. They were in rhythm, always united in purpose.

They were coached by the great Bruce Arena, a famous coach who coached the Olympic team--in fact, coached one of the first championships here, playing for the Washington professional team here. He is now coaching for L.A. They won the championship there many times. He was good with a diverse group of men and women playing in sync. It was really beautiful to watch. I guess that is why they call soccer the beautiful game.

Tonight our men's soccer team will play Ghana in its first game-- since being twice knocked out by Ghana--in the 2014 World Cup.

The World Cup is special, watched by more people than the Olympics. It comes around every 4 years, and Americans from all walks of life and all backgrounds watch together in support of our Nation's soccer team. But our support for Team USA comes from more than just athletics. It is more than just competition. I think we see a bit of ourselves in the team. Our unique connection to the U.S. men's soccer players stems from the team's composition. The roster is a reflection of America itself. It is diverse, yet it is united. It is a reflection of us.

Our head coach Jurgen Klinsmann was a legendary soccer player. I can remember his playing in the World Cup. He was from Germany and played for West Germany. He has lived in the United States for a number of years.

One of the team's defenders is a man by the name of Omar Gonzalez-- Texas-born, Mexican American--who played professionally in Los Angeles for Bruce Arena.

Our striker, Aron Johannsson, is a 23-year-old Alabama-born Icelander who plays in the Netherlands.

DaMarcus Beasley is the team's 32-year-old veteran defender from Indiana, who plays professionally in Mexico.

Jermaine Jones, who plays midfield, is the German-born son of an American soldier and plays professionally in Turkey.

These are just a number of examples. There are so many more. The entire roster is an illustration of America's diversity. We are, after all, a nation of immigrants.

Under Klinsmann's direction, these players will bring their unique talents and experiences from across the world and coalesce under one flag--the American flag. I wish the team all the best tonight against Ghana. I will be watching and cheering on the team.

Another reason I love soccer: You don't have all those advertisements interrupting the game. It is a free-flowing athletic contest. There is the background of announcers talking about what just took place, and sometimes we don't fully understand it, but the game goes for 45 minutes and then another 45 minutes, for a total of 90 minutes, plus whatever penalty time they get--an extra 3 to 5 minutes after the 45 minutes is up--not interrupted by commercials.

So I admit I will be watching and cheering on the game. I hope our colleagues do the same, and I have confidence they will. When we do watch this team out there, watch what our team represents, what America stands for. See what makes this great country of ours so special. The United States really has given refuge to the tired, the poor, the huddled masses of the world, and they have become strong Americans, and we as a nation are better for it.

Reservation of Leader Time

Mr. President, I would ask the Chair to announce the business of the day.

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 following the cloture vote on Calendar No. 778, Gayles, the Senate proceed to consideration of Calendar No. 78, Wells, and the Senate proceed to vote on the confirmation of the nomination; further, that if 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 to the nomination; that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

We hope this will be a voice vote, but we still expect to have three rollcall votes starting in 15 minutes.

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

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

Mr. President, there are two bills at the desk due for a first reading.

Mr. President, I ask for a second reading on both of these measures but would object to both requests.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 17, 2014; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, 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; and that at 11 a.m. the Senate proceed to executive session as provided under the previous order.

Mr. President, there will be four rollcall votes at 11 a.m. tomorrow.

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

Mr. President, I now move to proceed to Calendar No. 428.

Mr. President, I yield to my friend the distinguished Senator from Connecticut.

Mr. President, following my remarks and those of the Republican leader, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 11:30 a.m. During that time the Republicans will control the first 30 minutes and the majority will control the second 30 minutes.

At 11:30 a.m. there will be up to four rollcall votes on the confirmation of several nominations, although we are confident and somewhat hopeful that only one rollcall vote will be necessary.

We will move forward to confirm Crystal Nix-Hines to be U.S. Permanent Representative for UNESCO; Michael J. McCord to be Under Secretary of Defense, Comptroller; R. Jane Chu, Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts for a term of 4 years; and then we will move forward on Todd A. Batta to be Assistant Secretary of Agriculture.

At 1:45 p.m. this afternoon there will be three rollcall votes on the confirmation of three Federal Reserve nominations: Lael Brainard to be a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Jerome H. Powell to be a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; and Stanley Fischer to be Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Reservation of Leader Time

Would the Chair announce the business of the day.