Floor Statements

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran).

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, a few days ago--I think you were in the chair, and I was here--we saw the minority leader stand at that podium and pledge to cooperate with Republicans when nominees, he said, were highly qualified and bipartisan. It took less than 72 hours for the minority leader to violate that pledge.

Senate Democrats seem to be back to their old, tired habits of obstructing and opposing. Look at the confirmation process that we finished yesterday for the Central Intelligence Agency Director, John Ratcliffe.

Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, gave Director Ratcliffe a ringing endorsement. Director Ratcliffe ``is qualified for the job. He's a serious guy, and he's got the background. I've got confidence he'll do a good job.''

Yet Senator Schumer held up the confirmation process for 2 solid days.

Despite the delay, the Senate overwhelmingly confirmed this highly qualified Director--Director Ratcliffe--by a vote of 74 to 25. Twenty- one Democrats voted in favor of his confirmation, yet a 2-day delay.

I want every American to know what is happening here in the Senate. The far-left Members of the Democrat caucus are intentionally delaying the confirmation of President Trump's national security team. It is not advice and consent. It is the Democrats' playbook for trying to deny President Trump his Cabinet.

The Senate is preparing to vote this weekend on more highly qualified nominees. One of them is South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.

Governor Noem is the nominee to be Secretary of Homeland Security. She will secure the border.

In the first 3 days of the Trump administration, illegal encounters dropped nearly 35 percent compared to the final 3 days of the Biden administration. Nearly 4,000 illegal immigrants tried to cross in President Biden's final days in office. Under President Trump, the numbers plummeted, and they will continue to plummet. The impact of the Trump policies is real, and this is only the beginning.

Working with Kristi Noem, the Senate is going to secure the border. Governor Noem understands what is needed to tackle the border crisis. As she said in her hearing, she will ensure our Border Patrol agents and our Immigrations and Customs Enforcement group have all the tools, the resources, and the support that they need to carry out their mission efficiently and effectively.

As Governor, she sent South Dakota National Guard troops to Texas to help secure the border--Governor, National Guard troops to help in Texas. Oh, she is going to be aggressive in her mission to stop this flood of illegal immigrants.

I believe she is an excellent and well-qualified choice. After a thorough vetting process, Governor Noem received bipartisan support in the Homeland Security Committee. There are 15 members of the committee. Thirteen voted in favor of her; only two opposed. That is overwhelming and bipartisan.

Senator Gary Peters of Michigan--he is the lead Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee--he voted yes. Will Senator Schumer needlessly slow down a confirmation vote that his lead Democrat supports, just to obstruct President Trump?

When it comes to confirming Governor Noem, there is no time to waste. Few Agencies are more important to this Nation, to our safety, and to our security than the Department of Homeland Security. Any delay denies our country a Homeland Security Secretary at a time when open borders endanger every American in this country today--potential risk to their safety as well as their security.

Here in the Senate, Senate Republicans are working around the clock to confirm qualified nominees like Kristi Noem, like Scott Bessent for Treasury, like Sean Duffy. We will be in the Senate voting as long as it takes. How long it takes in the Senate is up to the Democrats to decide.

Our committees are approving additional nominees on a bipartisan basis and at a rapid clip. We need to confirm them on the Senate floor without delay, and that is what Republicans intend to do.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

First, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Durbin and I be allowed to speak for up to 15 minutes each prior to the scheduled rollcall vote.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent also that the mandatory quorum call in relation to the Ratcliffe nomination be waived.

Mr. President, today this Senate will confirm John Ratcliffe to be the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. This is a win for our national security. Frankly, this should have been done 2 day ago, but Democrats unnecessarily delayed this important vote.

John Ratcliffe is undeniably qualified for the job. He is going to lead the

CIA without bias and with the safety of the American people being his top priority.

Once the Senate confirms John Ratcliffe, we will move to consider the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense. America needs a strong, intimidating, and lethal military. Our men and women in uniform, they want to serve in that kind of a military. They didn't join to be joining a safe space or a faculty lounge. They volunteered to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces, the greatest fighting force in human history.

Our Nation is counting on President Trump and our military to defend America and to restore peace through strength. The problem is our servicemembers are trapped in a broken system with misguided values.

Today, we face the most serious significant recruiting and morale crisis since the creation of the all-volunteer military. The military, in 2023, missed its recruiting goals by almost 40,000 people. The Pentagon says that they met their goals in 2024. You know how they did that? They conveniently lowered the goals from the 2023 number. Easy to make the mark when you lower the bar.

According to the Department of Defense, more than half of all young Americans say they have never ever thought of serving in our Nation's military.

In addition to the recruiting problem and the morale problem, we also, at the Pentagon today, have an accountability problem. The Department of Defense last month failed its seventh audit in a row. We need to change course at the Pentagon. We need to get the Pentagon back on track, and President Trump has selected Pete Hegseth to do just that.

As Pete said at his hearing last week:

We don't need more bureaucracy at the top. We need more

warfighters empowered at the bottom.

As a decorated combat veteran, Pete brings a fresh set of eyes to the Pentagon. He is confident. He is knowledgeable, and he is courageous. He knows the cost of war, and he knows the price of weakness. He clearly loves our Nation. He loves this country. He is a champion for our servicemembers and their families, and he wants to continue serving the country.

That is why I believe Pete Hegseth is the right choice to lead our military.

At the Senate Armed Services Committee, Pete answered hard questions with clarity and with resolve. Pete was clear about our mission and his mission. It is, as he said, to make the Pentagon ``laser-focused on lethality, meritocracy, warfighting, accountability and readiness.''

Ultimately, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted in favor of Pete's nomination. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for the Democrats. No, no, they decided to then run their desperate playbook of distract and delay so that they could try to search and destroy.

Senate Republicans are not going to be stopped by Democrats' political games. We are moving forward.

Perhaps no other Cabinet position is more important to the safety and security of our Nation than the Secretary of Defense. The American people deserve to have a Secretary of Defense in place and on the job.

Now, Mr. President, on a related matter, on confirmation here, our work in confirmation continues and it will continue later today. Senate Republicans are readying votes on more of President Trump's nominees, and it is a strong roster.

Kristi Noem is the nominee to be Secretary of Homeland Security. She will secure our borders.

Scott Bessent is the nominee to be Secretary of the Treasury. He will strengthen our economy and stop the Democrats' $4 trillion tax increase.

Sean Duffy is the nominee to be Secretary of Transportation. He will build our Nation's crumbling infrastructure. The Commerce Committee was unanimous in support of his nomination.

In fact, all of these well-qualified nominees received bipartisan support in committees. The Senate has an obligation to confirm them quickly. To deny a President his Cabinet is wrong, especially when we are talking about the national security team. Any delay denies our Nation a Homeland Security Secretary when open borders endanger every community in America. It denies the country a Treasury Secretary at a time when painfully high prices are hurting families and hurting small businesses. It denies the country a Secretary of Transportation when our ports and our airlines need urgent attention.

The President deserves to have his team in place, and Senate Republicans will overcome the roadblocks, and we will confirm them. The choice for Democrats is simple: the easy way or the hard way.

Mr. President, we are going to get them confirmed.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

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

Mr. President, yesterday, I had a chance to meet with President Trump at the White House. I shared with him that his nominees are receiving strong support here in the U.S. Senate, and I assured President Trump that Republicans in the Senate are committed to working around the clock to confirm his nominees.

To put this into perspective, yesterday, President Trump invited several of us to travel with him later this week. He is going to be going to North Carolina, as well as Los Angeles, to see the impact of the disasters and the devastation in both places. Well, we thanked him for the invitation and told him that we have pressing responsibilities right here on the floor of the U.S. Senate, because we are prepared to work late into the night and long weekends if Democrats choose to deliberately delay the votes on his Cabinet, as it appears they are doing right now. So that is exactly what we are planning to do-- continue to work to get these individuals, who are strong and tough, confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Last night, what we saw here in this body was Democrats decided to stall the confirmation of John Ratcliffe. Mr. Ratcliffe is President Trump's nominee to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The nomination is supported completely--bipartisan. Actually, his specific nomination was voted 14 in favor to only 3 against in the committee, the Intelligence Committee of the U.S. Senate. But last night, here in this body, Democrats chose last-minute obstruction. They are just going to slow it down anyway, even though he has been supported out of the Intelligence Committee, bipartisan, 14 to 3. What they are doing is shameful. Our world is far too dangerous to delay confirming the head of the CIA.

So I hope my Democrat colleagues don't have plans for the weekend because I guarantee you the Senate is going to be here in Washington voting to confirm President Trump's nominees. So get ready for some long nights, long hours, day after day after day. We are going to be here Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, if we have to. We are ready to work around the clock, and we mean it.

That is what Americans voted for. According to a recent FOX poll, 78 percent of Americans say Democrats should work with President Trump.

The American people elected President Trump to change Washington, to get the country back on track. They voted for common sense, and President Trump is a commonsense President.

President Trump has proposed an agenda that is popular. It is optimistic, and it is unifying. And he has chosen a strong team to work with him.

President Trump has built, I would say, a Cabinet that is not business as usual. His nominees are motivated. They are qualified, and they are committed to Americans' safety and prosperity.

They are going to work aggressively--aggressively--to address the challenges of high prices, of open borders, of crime, and of what we have seen in the last administration, which was an America-last energy policy. Oh, they are ready to go after the burdensome regulations that face people all across the country.

You know, hours after President Trump was sworn in, Senators voted unanimously to confirm Marco Rubio to be Secretary of State.

This week, we have more nominees to consider. And, as the Senate exercises our constitutional duty, we should remember a few facts: First, let's compare this to President Obama, who had seven Cabinet nominees confirmed on his very first day in office.

Second, the current Democrat leader at that podium moved quickly to confirm President Biden's nominees, and he said that swift confirmation votes, he said, are ``traditional for a new President.''

Third, Democrats are actually supporting many of President Trump's nominees in the committees. That proves that--well, it proves what we already know: that these nominees, in addition to being bold, have bipartisan support.

All but two Democrats voted with every Republican to support Kristi Noem after her hearings in the Homeland Security Committee. She has been nominated by President Trump to be the Secretary of Homeland Security. Her vote was 13 to 2.

Several Democrats also voted to support Scott Bessent, who is President Trump's nominee to be Secretary of the Treasury.

Let me remind my colleagues what Democrats have said about President Trump's nominees.

Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin introduced Sean Duffy for his hearing when he was nominated by the President to be the Secretary of Transportation. What Senator Baldwin said was a glowing comment. She said Sean Duffy ``is the right guy to help deliver for Wisconsin families, businesses, and workers.''

Our colleague John Hickenlooper of Colorado introduced Chris Wright at the hearing to be Secretary of Energy. Senator Hickenlooper said this: Mr. Wright is ``a scientist who has invested his life around energy.''

Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona said Lee Zeldin is ``a qualified candidate to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.''

Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico said Doug Burgum, current Governor of North Dakota, is ``a talented nominee'' to lead the Department of the Interior.

I think we should pay attention to those comments. Democrats know that President Trump's nominees are ready to get on the job and are qualified to do the work.

Yes, the Senate should give advice and consent. That is an obligation we have. But disgruntled Democrats should not use the Senate's constitutional power as an excuse to delay and deny.

Americans want results. That is what they voted for in November. They did not vote for resistance. They want to get this country back on track.

I yield the floor.

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty).

Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty) would have voted ``yea.''

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

Mr. President, I come to the floor today having been in a number of hearings involving President Trump's nominees overseeing American energy dominance. I tell you, President Trump's energy nominees show that this administration that is coming in, the Trump- Vance administration, is serious about unleashing affordable, available, reliable American energy.

Doug Burgum is President Trump's nominee to be Secretary of the Department of the Interior. He is still testifying right now in the Energy Committee. He is the son of North Dakota, and his roots run deep in the West.

Chris Wright, who had his hearing yesterday, is President Trump's nominee to be the Secretary of Energy. His data-driven leadership and creativity laid the foundation for the fracking boom that we experienced in this Nation that has fueled American energy independence.

And Lee Zeldin, whom I had the privilege of introducing earlier this morning at the EPW Committee, well, he is a nominee to be the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. He is a lawyer; he is a veteran; and he is a former star Member of the House of Representatives. He is going to cut redtape. He is going to balance environmental stewardship with sensible energy production.

All three of these nominees are excellent choices to carry out President Trump's ``all of the above'' energy strategy. They all have my vote.

Like most Americans, President Trump and his nominees understand that energy policy is the foundation of our Nation's future and our success. It is linked directly to the prices that we pay, to the technology that we create, and to the world in which we live.

Unleashing American energy means lower prices, means more innovation at home, and it means more safety and security for our citizens.

Well, we have seen it before. Affordable, reliable energy was the rocket fuel for American security and prosperity, and we saw it during the first Trump administration. But over the last 4 years, Democrats restricted and regulated and tried to reduce American energy production, instead of unlocking its full potential. Their America-last energy strategy policies led to painfully high prices and a more vulnerable nation. I think energy was on the ballot this year, and energy won.

Fortunately, President Trump is placing a premium on energy production. He is already laying the groundwork to take the handcuffs off of American energy production. On day one, I expect the President is going to sign a blizzard of Executive orders to bring back American energy dominance. First day priorities include ending the Democrats' electric vehicle mandate, more drilling on Federal lands, and resuming exports of U.S. liquefied natural gas.

This is certainly good news for my home State of Wyoming. Wyoming is America's energy breadbasket. Oil and gas is our bread and butter. We have world-class reserves of coal. We have world-class wind. We have benefited from American energy dominance, and our Wyoming tough energy workers made it all possible. Wyoming energy workers now stand ready to unleash American energy once again.

I hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle preach doom and gloom about energy independence. The Democrat leader here on the floor said yesterday Chris Wright, who is the President's nominee for the Secretary of Energy--he called this nominee an energy extremist. Why? Because Chris Wright believes ``oil and gas make the world go round.'' Well, it does.

This is the depth of the Democrats' climate delusion. Oil and gas drive our economy, produce great jobs, and produce our prosperity. And because of American oil and gas, we do it cleaner; we do it safer; and we do it more reliably than anyplace else on planet Earth.

The facts could not be clearer. Since 2005, America has been responsible for

66 percent of emission reduction among developed countries. We do it better than anyone else in the world. We have reduced more emissions than the next six countries combined.

There is a reason why, and it is not because Joe Biden bribed Americans to buy solar panels or buy electric cars. No, it is American energy production, American energy dominance. It is because we unleashed affordable, available, reliable American energy. For the record, we can thank Chris Wright and the fracking boom for unleashing a lot of that energy.

In 2019, America became energy independent for the first time in 50 years. Why? How did it happen? President Trump did it. With Doug Burgum, Chris Wright, and Lee Zeldin on America's team, we are going to do it again.

(The remarks of Mr. BARRASSO pertaining to the submission of S. 140 are printed in today's Record under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I want to turn to a separate matter, and I think all of us are heartbroken by what we see happening in Los Angeles with the devastating fires. There has been a horrific loss of life, of homes, and businesses due to these California fires, and the loss is just staggering.

As we speak, firefighters, first responders--including the Wyoming National Guard--are working around the clock to keep residents safe. I am grateful for their heroic efforts.

As they do their job, we here in the Senate need to do ours, and there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. One of my biggest questions is: How do we prevent that next wildfire from happening? Well, when it comes to the environment, liberal politicians want to control what car we drive, what kind of stove we cook on, how long we can take in the shower. Yet

they neglect our forests. They put up roadblocks to forest management tools that work. They have done that legislatively. They have done it with regulations as well.

What is especially crazy is that these restrictions are made in the name of protecting the environment, an environment that they are hurting. Nothing could be worse for the environment than massive wildfires. And as a result, our public lands have turned into tinderboxes, and it is because of policies that we have seen come out of this body, this administration, Democrat administrations prior to that.

And Wyoming is no stranger to wildfires. This past fire season was especially devastating in Northern Wyoming. I was on the frontlines thanking the firefighters in Wyoming this summer. We had the House Draw fire in Johnson County, the Elk fire that spanned Johnson and Sheridan Counties.

To put this into perspective, in Southern California, we saw about 40,000 acres burn in just over a week--40,000 acres. In Wyoming, it was over 275,000 acres. Now, you might not have heard about this since Wyoming has one of the smallest populations. It actually is the smallest population State in the country. Our population is clearly just a fraction of Los Angeles, but these were big fires. Yet we can learn lessons from each other on how to prevent the next fire.

In the Senate, I have been working to promote effective forest management practices at every level. So today I have introduced a bill called the Wildfire Prevention Act. My bill allows Agencies to treat more acres and remove more redtape to better protect our forests and our fellow Americans. It sets clear standards and clear expectations for forest management that we currently lack in this country. It provides the tools for the Agencies for the prevention and preparation for the next time, and it requires a lot more openness about the limits and the challenges that we face on these important issues.

This is about protection, not punishment. It is about protecting the people, protecting our clean air. And as long as America lacks proper forest management, then we are going to continue to see terrible costly tragedies like what we are seeing today in California and we saw this past summer in Wyoming. With better forest management, we can lessen the damage of forest fires.

The Federal Government can and will help Californians rebuild. California needs to rebuild with resilience. They need to rebuild with a commitment of preventing a similar fire in the future.

We have seen massive mismanagement. Anybody watching the interviews with the Governor of California, the fire chief in California, the mayor of L.A. will say there has been massive mismanagement, gross incompetence by the elected leadership in California. This needs to change to protect the people who live there from the terrible mistakes in judgments of these elected officials.

It is not a crisis that we can solve ourselves or that will solve itself. My bill will make us better prepared to fight fires in the future.

It should be attached to any disaster relief that goes to California.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I want to turn to a separate matter, and I think all of us are heartbroken by what we see happening in Los Angeles with the devastating fires. There has been a horrific loss of life, of homes, and businesses due to these California fires, and the loss is just staggering.

As we speak, firefighters, first responders--including the Wyoming National Guard--are working around the clock to keep residents safe. I am grateful for their heroic efforts.

As they do their job, we here in the Senate need to do ours, and there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. One of my biggest questions is: How do we prevent that next wildfire from happening? Well, when it comes to the environment, liberal politicians want to control what car we drive, what kind of stove we cook on, how long we can take in the shower. Yet

they neglect our forests. They put up roadblocks to forest management tools that work. They have done that legislatively. They have done it with regulations as well.

What is especially crazy is that these restrictions are made in the name of protecting the environment, an environment that they are hurting. Nothing could be worse for the environment than massive wildfires. And as a result, our public lands have turned into tinderboxes, and it is because of policies that we have seen come out of this body, this administration, Democrat administrations prior to that.

And Wyoming is no stranger to wildfires. This past fire season was especially devastating in Northern Wyoming. I was on the frontlines thanking the firefighters in Wyoming this summer. We had the House Draw fire in Johnson County, the Elk fire that spanned Johnson and Sheridan Counties.

To put this into perspective, in Southern California, we saw about 40,000 acres burn in just over a week--40,000 acres. In Wyoming, it was over 275,000 acres. Now, you might not have heard about this since Wyoming has one of the smallest populations. It actually is the smallest population State in the country. Our population is clearly just a fraction of Los Angeles, but these were big fires. Yet we can learn lessons from each other on how to prevent the next fire.

In the Senate, I have been working to promote effective forest management practices at every level. So today I have introduced a bill called the Wildfire Prevention Act. My bill allows Agencies to treat more acres and remove more redtape to better protect our forests and our fellow Americans. It sets clear standards and clear expectations for forest management that we currently lack in this country. It provides the tools for the Agencies for the prevention and preparation for the next time, and it requires a lot more openness about the limits and the challenges that we face on these important issues.

This is about protection, not punishment. It is about protecting the people, protecting our clean air. And as long as America lacks proper forest management, then we are going to continue to see terrible costly tragedies like what we are seeing today in California and we saw this past summer in Wyoming. With better forest management, we can lessen the damage of forest fires.

The Federal Government can and will help Californians rebuild. California needs to rebuild with resilience. They need to rebuild with a commitment of preventing a similar fire in the future.

We have seen massive mismanagement. Anybody watching the interviews with the Governor of California, the fire chief in California, the mayor of L.A. will say there has been massive mismanagement, gross incompetence by the elected leadership in California. This needs to change to protect the people who live there from the terrible mistakes in judgments of these elected officials.

It is not a crisis that we can solve ourselves or that will solve itself. My bill will make us better prepared to fight fires in the future.

It should be attached to any disaster relief that goes to California.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

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

Mr. President, yesterday I watched closely the nomination hearing for Pete Hegseth. He is President Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Defense.

For the safety and security of our Nation, Pete deserves a swift, swift confirmation. I am going to vote for him to be the next Secretary of Defense, and I believe that vote is going to happen soon.

He was very clear in the hearing yesterday, the incoming administration is going to refocus the Pentagon on American strength and on hard power--not a woke agenda, which is what we have seen for the last 4 years.

To me, this is very welcome news, and I believe it is welcome news to Americans all across this country who are worried about the security of our Nation and the strength of our Nation.

We have a significant problem in the military today. It is a problem with morale and a problem with recruitment. Pete Hegseth is the right person to address both of these issues and to make sure that we-- America--have a military that is ready to fight. Pete served in combat at the height of the war on terror. He deployed overseas to Iraq, to Afghanistan, and to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

He is a decorated veteran. He has earned two Bronze Stars. He also earned the Combat Infantryman's badge. When Pete's executive officer evaluated his performance in Iraq, the feedback was glowing. Pete, he said, was ``an incredibly talented, battle-proven leader.''

Incredibly talented, battle-proven leader.

He ``always [completed] every mission to high standards with minimal guidance or supervision.'' That is what you want.

Now, I heard Senator Schumer ask on this floor: Why should Americans entrust Pete to lead our military? Well, Pete Hegseth answered that question yesterday.

Senator Sheehy asked during the hearing: Are you going to have the backs of the warfighters? To which our nominee said, yes, he will have their backs. That is why Americans should trust Pete to lead our military.

It is interesting to hear my Democrat colleagues dismiss Pete's years of military service. They sounded angry about his plan to restore American strength. They seemed frustrated that he clearly loves our country and wants to continue to serve. Democrats tried to turn yesterday's hearing into a kangaroo court. They claimed that Pete isn't qualified.

So let's talk about his military experience. The Department of Defense is filled with people who have decades of experience working in the Pentagon. The Pentagon just failed its seventh--seventh-- consecutive audit. Think about that for a second.

Each year, the American taxpayers send the Pentagon more than $850 billion--billion with ``b''--yet the Pentagon can't pass a single audit. Look, it sounds like we don't need more experience like that. We need a fresh set of eyes, a soldier--as Pete said himself--with dirt on his boots.

Being Secretary of Defense isn't just about managing a bureaucracy; it is about making America's military the best and most lethal fighting force in the world. Pete is going to be a Secretary of Defense who respects the warfighter and who respects the taxpayer. He is a bold choice for the future of our military, a bold choice for the future of our Nation, and the right choice to be Secretary of Defense.

A Senate confirmation is not an easy process, and the Secretary of Defense is not an easy job. Yesterday, Pete gave strong answers to tough questions. He is confident, and he is knowledgeable. He is ready to lead the Department of Defense.

He knows the cost of war. He knows the price of weakness, and the true value and the valor of American soldiers.

As Secretary of Defense, he is going to reestablish deterrence and rebuild our military. He is going to champion American servicemembers and restore American military readiness.

Pete is going to bring the Pentagon back to what its mission should be: lethality, accountability, transparency, merit. The focus is going to be on military readiness, not social experiments and partisan policies.

America needs a strong Secretary of Defense now, immediately. Senate Republicans will get it done.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Justice), and the Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis).

Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis) would have voted ``aye'' and the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty) would have voted ``aye.''

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Justice), and the Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis).

Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis) would have voted ``nay'' and the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty) would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the Senate's confirmation process because today Senate committees are beginning their hearings, starting to hear from the nominees from President-elect Donald Trump--qualified nominees.

We are going to hear from many of the nominees this week, and I just heard the minority leader talk about what is happening today because at this very moment, Pete Hegseth is testifying--testifying in the Armed Services Committee. He is the President's nominee to be the Secretary of Defense.

I have been following these hearings closely. Pete Hegseth is giving strong answers to tough questions. He is confident, he is knowledgeable, and he should be confirmed quickly. We have a significant problem in our military with morale and with recruitment, and Pete Hegseth is the right person to address those issues of military readiness.

The incoming administration is ready to act--ready to act and deliver on the historic mandate that President Trump won in November. His victory in the electoral college and the popular vote gives him a mandate--a mandate to undo the damage of the current administration and to unleash new American prosperity.

President Trump understands the old saying that personnel is policy. That is why he nominated his entire Cabinet before Thanksgiving. And it is a strong team. Doug Burgum, Chris Wright, and Lee Zeldin will take the handcuffs off of American energy. Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth and John Ratcliffe will restore American strength. No more weakness from America on the world stage. Scott Bessent will stop the $4 trillion tax increase. Pam Bondi will stop the weaponization of the Justice Department, and she will actually enforce the law. Kristi Noem will make sure the border is secure.

These nominees are not a return to business as usual. Business as usual gave us painfully high prices. Business as usual gave us wide- open borders. Business as usual gave us the disastrous death of soldiers and the fall of Afghanistan.

These nominees by President Trump are bold choices. They are motivated, they are skilled, and they are committed to the safety and security of every American. Most importantly, they show that President Trump is serious--serious about bringing fresh eyes and a new outlook to Washington, DC. That is exactly what the American people voted for in November.

Senate Republicans are committed to getting President Trump's team in place quickly.

Our committee chairs are working aggressively to give each nominee a fair and speedy consideration. That is how the Senate has operated historically, especially when faced with such a mandate from the American people.

In 2009, the President coming into office, Obama, had seven Cabinet nominees confirmed on his very first day in office. Within 8 days of taking office, he had 14 nominees confirmed. All but five of his nominees in 2009 were confirmed by voice vote. President Trump deserves the same deference.

It is interesting to me to hear the Democrat leader talk about Republicans rushing the process this year. Well, 4 years ago, Senator Schumer pledged to hold hearings right away, he said, for President Biden's nominees. He pledged to hold votes on Inauguration Day. He said: It is ``traditional for a new President.''

Well, I believe Senator Schumer was right to move quickly, but now that the shoe is on the other foot, Democrats should work in good faith with us, with the Republicans, to uphold that tradition for President Trump.

I have my doubts. The Democrat leader reportedly told his caucus to create fireworks at this week's hearings of our nominees. Well, we have seen Democrat obstruction before. Due to Senate Democrat obstruction, President Trump had only five nominees confirmed in January during his first term. We saw obstruction for the sake of obstruction.

Americans now have chosen a new direction. They chose this President, and the President's victory was decisive.

Elections have consequences, and the Presiding Officer and I know that. This week, the U.S. Senate is engaging in our constitutional duty of advice and consent.

Advice and consent means to deliberate, to debate. It means giving advice to the nominees, and we are doing that and have done it. But it is no excuse to distract and delay or to slander and then to try to search and destroy.

The Senate is going to follow the mandate of the American people and confirm President Trump's strong nominees. We will do it swiftly. We are committed to working around the clock, including nights and weekends, if Democrats choose to deliberately delay. With this majority, with our new President-elect, we will deliver a new direction for America.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.