Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I rise today to speak about bipartisan legislation designed to strengthen our Nation's nuclear energy capacity. It is called the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act. I am a strong supporter of American nuclear energy. It is a vital component of our ``all of the above'' American energy plan. My home State of Wyoming plays a key role in American nuclear energy supply. In Wyoming, we produce more uranium than any other State.

Nuclear energy is clean, safe, reliable, and affordable. It also provides a major boost to the economy. American nuclear plants provide thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in benefits to local communities. U.S. nuclear powerplants have run safely for decades, and many of them will serve our country for years and decades to come. But after decades of reliable power from our traditional nuclear powerplants, these nuclear powerplants are experiencing innovation with opportunities that are now taking shape in the nuclear industry. Increased private investment is occurring in nuclear energy, and it has led to improvements in safety, security, and in cost.

This is no longer a traditional nuclear industry. There are nuclear startups which are being backed by American entrepreneurs. Research and work are being done by Bill Gates, of all people. These folks envision fundamentally transforming nuclear energy technology. I believe the advances are exciting. The biggest challenges these innovators face, however, are the costs and delays from regulatory redtape. Many of these delays come from trying to navigate a regulatory system that was developed around one specific technology, which is water-cooled reactors. The traditional water-cooled reactors have powered our Navy and our electricity grid and have done it successfully for decades, but today's entrepreneurs are pursuing very different designs. They are using high-temperature gases, molten salts, and other high-tech materials to advance the safety, efficiency, and reliability of nuclear energy.

The nuclear regulatory system needs to be updated to enable this innovation. That is why I join with my colleagues in introducing the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization

Act. Cosponsors include Senators Whitehouse, Inhofe, Booker, Fischer, Capito, and Manchin. We come together having introduced S. 512. Our bipartisan bill seeks to modernize the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by providing a flexible regulatory framework for licensing advanced nuclear reactors. The NRC needs a modern regulatory framework that is predictable and efficient. Reactor operators for both traditional and advanced reactors need timely decisionmaking from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. At the same time, the Commission needs to maintain its ability to assess a variety of technologies and meet its mission of administering safety and security to the American people. Additionally, our legislation will update the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's fee recovery rules.

This measure is going to bring increased transparency and accountability to the NRC, while also improving the Commission's efficiency and timeliness.

This bill will also help to preserve the uranium producers who are essential to powering the technology. The Energy Information Administration reports that uranium production in 2016 was at its lowest level since way back in 2005. It is crucial that we restore our American uranium sector and preserve these important jobs.

Our bipartisan legislation is going to enable the development of innovative reactors with bold, new technologies. As a nation, we can either lead this technology revolution or we can defer to our competitors. China and Russia are already developing advanced technologies regardless of what we do here in the United States. America needs to be a leader of nuclear development. We need to create an environment where entrepreneurs can flourish. This is the way to create jobs here at home and revitalize our nuclear energy sector at the same time.

One way to enable innovation for advanced reactors is to provide a regulatory framework that is predictable and cost-effective and that maintains the NRC's safety and security mission. The bill we haved introduced, the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act, does all of this.

This broadly bipartisan bill will strengthen American energy independence and foster innovation and job creation. I thank Senators Whitehouse, Inhofe, Booker, Crapo, Fischer, Capito, and Manchin for cosponsoring this legislation, and I urge its support.

I yield the floor.

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 the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, since Inauguration Day, the Senate has been slow making its way through confirming Cabinet Secretaries. Democrats, it seems, have used just about every trick in the book to try to slow down the process. There are Democrats in the Senate who are delaying things even when other Democrats in the Senate support the person who has actually been nominated by the President.

(Mr. YOUNG assumed the Chair.)

Remember when President Obama took office, Republicans were far more willing to let the President have the team he wanted. He had won the election and was entitled to his Cabinet.

We are now 39 days into President Trump's term, and the Senate has confirmed now 17 of his nominees--17 over 39 days. President Obama got 20 of his people confirmed in the first 9 days. It does seem the more the Democrats delay, the more the American people will see the Democrats are just being childish and spiteful.

One of the most recent people whom the Democrats have been delaying is Congressman Ryan Zinke. He has been nominated to be Secretary of the Department of the Interior. We have all heard about his qualifications for the job. His time serving the people of Montana in the State senate and in the House of Representatives is something that people hold up as to why he is qualified for this job. He is a Navy SEAL. He is an adopted member of the Fort Peck Tribes. He is a westerner. As a westerner, Ryan Zinke understands the importance of the position he has been now nominated to fill.

Don't take my word for it. Listen to Senator Tester, Democrat from Montana, who came to the confirmation hearing for Congressman Zinke and he said so. He said: ``I believe it is very important for someone who knows the West to serve as Interior Secretary.''

He was full of praise for this nominee. Senator Tester took the time to come to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and tell all of us on the committee about his support for Congressman Zinke to be Secretary of the Interior. He actually said: ``I am honored to introduce Congressman Zinke to this committee.'' He went on to say: ``I trust that this Navy SEAL will shoot straight as they always do.''

The Department of Interior manages an incredible amount of acreage and water resources. It is responsible for protecting thousands of species of animals and plants. The person who heads up this Department has a very big and important job to do. We need someone in this job who can work with the people who are most invested in the good stewardship of our natural resources, and that is the people who actually live on the land. I believe that Congressman Zinke will do exactly that. He will work with States and with communities to find solutions that work for everyone, because America's natural resources actually belong to all of us.

He understands that Washington does not always get the answers right, and he certainly knows that when Washington comes up with a one-size- fits-all approach, it can do real damage. During Congressman Zinke's confirmation hearing, I asked him about some of the policies that we have seen over the past few years that have been restricting American energy production. He said he thinks the correct policy on energy development is ``all of the above.''

Well, I agree. Do Democrats really object to using all of our options for creating the energy that we need to power our economy and our country?

We should be trying to make American energy as clean as we can, as fast as we can, and do it in ways that don't raise costs for American families. I think Congressman Zinke understands this. I think he will do all that he can to make sure that we achieve what we need, which is the right balance.

Democrats on the committee actually think so as well. His nomination was reported out of the committee on a strong bipartisan vote of 16 to 6. That is a significant bipartisan show of support for the nominee. But the obstructionists on the other side should listen to their colleagues and give up the delaying tactics and senseless obstruction that is ongoing.

Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the nomination of Attorney General Scott Pruitt to be the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Scott Pruitt is the right person to run the Agency, and we need to confirm him.

Over the past 8 years, the political leaders of the EPA have taken actions that have undermined the American people's faith in the Agency. They have pushed broad and sweeping regulations that have hurt our economy and have failed to protect our environment. These regulations include the so-called Clean Power Plan. This is a rule that will kill job growth in States like Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, and my home State of Wyoming. These also include regulations defining the term ``waters of the United States.'' This was a classic example of Washington overreach. The Agency brought irrigation ditches, plowed farm fields, and even parking lot puddles under Federal control. With both of these rules, dozens of State governments have had to take Washington to court. Why? Well, to try to stop the crippling effects of these Washington-based regulations.

The Agency's outrageous actions have extended beyond these rules and have had real consequences for many American families. According to the chamber of commerce, since 2008 this regulatory rampage by the EPA has destroyed 19,000 coal-mining jobs nationwide. In Kentucky, nearly 4 out of every 10 coal-mining jobs have disappeared over the past 8 years. Ohio and Pennsylvania have each lost more than 1,000 fossil fuel electric power jobs during the same period. In West Virginia, 5,200 coal-mining jobs have vanished just since 2011.

The total cost of all of this new redtape from the Environmental Protection Agency is more than $300 billion. The leadership at the EPA has failed. It has failed because a lot of their regulations are bad ideas.

That is not the only way the political leaders at the Agency have failed; they have actually hurt people and damaged the environment directly. In 2015, more than 3 million gallons of toxic wastewater spilled into the river at the Gold King Mine in Colorado. The government Agency charged with protecting our environment actually caused this spill and poisoned a river. This was a direct result of negligence on the part of the Environmental Protection Agency. This plume of toxic liquid flowed downstream to New Mexico and polluted the Navajo Nation's main source of drinking water and irrigation water.

In the final days of the Obama administration, the EPA then denied $1.2 billion in damage claims from the farmers, the Native American tribes, and small businesses impacted by the EPA's own negligence.

In Flint, MI, old pipes and improperly treated water caused lead poisoning in children. When the leadership at the EPA learned of the issue, they failed to respond in a timely manner. The regional EPA administrator actually resigned following the incident.

For the last 8 years, the political leaders of this Agency have been reckless, irresponsible, and arrogant. Change is badly needed at the Environmental Protection Agency and Scott Pruitt will be that change. Mr. Pruitt has served as attorney general in the State of Oklahoma since 2011--6 years. He has worked to protect the environment in his State, while also working for the benefit of all the people of Oklahoma.

He has taken on polluters. He has worked across party lines to do it. When poultry farmers in Arkansas, a neighboring State to Oklahoma, were increasing phosphorous levels in the Illinois River that runs between the States, he worked with Arkansas' Democratic attorney general on a solution. They found a way to reduce pollution and establish permanent standards.

Former Arkansas Attorney General McDaniel, a Democrat, called Pruitt a ``staunch defender of sound science and good policy as appropriate tools to protect the environment in his State.''

Scott Pruitt also helped negotiate a water rights settlement between tribes in Oklahoma. The deal will help preserve scenic rivers and lakes so they can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Scott Pruitt also stood up to industry when they caused pollution. That is why the entire Oklahoma congressional delegation has endorsed his nomination. He has been an advocate for the environment in Oklahoma, and he will be an advocate for the environment in Washington.

When the EPA overstepped its mission, Attorney General Pruitt led the charge to rein in Big Government Washington overreach. Time after time, Scott Pruitt worked with other States to challenge the Agency when it exceeded its authority. Under his leadership, this Agency will respect the rule of law.

Attorneys general from 24 States have endorsed Scott Pruitt as someone who can protect the environment while also protecting State decisionmaking. He has also won the support of small businesses and farmers around the country. Groups like the National Federation of Independent Business, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Home Builders, the American Farm Bureau Federation, and many others have voiced their support for Mr. Pruitt.

As chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, I take the nomination process very seriously. Our committee thoroughly vetted Mr. Pruitt. We held a confirmation hearing that lasted more than 6 hours. That is by far the longest confirmation hearing for an EPA Administrator on record.

During this hearing, Attorney General Pruitt was asked more than 200 questions by Members of the committee. We had four rounds of questions--an unprecedented number. Our Democratic colleagues on the committee noted during the hearing how fair the process was. They said how much they appreciated the opportunity to ask so many questions. After the hearing, committee members submitted another 1,078 written questions to Mr. Pruitt to answer for the record. Again, this is the most ever for a nominee to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. His answers were thoughtful, and they were thorough. That is why I was very disappointed to see the Democrats on the committee decide to boycott the meeting to vote on the Pruitt nomination.

The minority complained that he didn't answer enough questions. Democrats have even complained that he has not been vetted thoroughly enough. That is ridiculous. Scott Pruitt is the most thoroughly vetted nominee we have ever had to lead this Agency. Democrats are using delaying tactics to slow down the confirmation of many of this administration's most important nominees. These boycotts and delay tactics do nothing to protect our environment or the health of Americans. Democrats are engaged in nothing more than political theater. They are wasting time while the Environmental Protection Agency needs a new Administrator.

Attorney General Pruitt has protected the environment in his home State. He is endorsed by his peers, and he has been thoroughly vetted for the job. He will make an excellent EPA Administrator. It is time for the Senate to confirm him.

Mr. President, at this time I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the following items in support of Mr. Pruitt's nomination: First are two op-eds I authored, one is from FOX News that is entitled ``For Eight Years, the EPA Has Made Life Hard for Too Many Americans. That's About to Change.''

The second is from USA TODAY, entitled: ``The Strong Leader the EPA Needs.''

I also ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record some other items: a letter from Dustin McDaniel, Democrat and Arkansas former attorney general. In the letter, he writes that he ``saw firsthand how Attorney General Pruitt was able to bridge political divides and manage multiple agency agendas to reach an outcome that was heralded by most credible observers as positive and historic.''

Another item for the Record is a letter from 24 State attorneys general who wrote in support of Mr. Pruitt's qualifications.

Also for the Record is a letter I received from J.D. Strong. He is the director of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. In the letter, Mr. Strong directly refutes a New York Times article titled ``Scott Pruitt, Trump's EPA Pick, Backed Industry Donors over Regulators.''

Mr. Strong writes:

As a fifth generation Oklahoman and someone who has devoted

my career to natural resource protection, I take great pride

in the progress that has been made in improving Oklahoma's

land, air, water, and wildlife resources.

He goes on to say--

For the past six years, General Pruitt has been

instrumental in many of our successes and never asked me to

compromise regulatory efforts to benefit industry.

Also, I would like to include in the Record an op-ed by Ed Fite, the former agency administrator of the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission. He writes:

Scott Pruitt is one who is committed to finding a balance

that protects and preserves our environment while at the same

time affords an opportunity for a robust economy to exist.

Achievement of one doesn't have to be exclusive of the other.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, over the past weeks, we have seen Democrats continue to use one delaying tactic after another on the floor of the Senate. They have tried to slow down the confirmation of many of the administration's most important nominees. We have seen it time and again. We have seen it in agencies all across the government, including right now the Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA. Democrats are just wasting time, and they are doing it intentionally. They are not protecting our environment, not one bit. They are not safeguarding the health of the American people, not at all.

Government agencies like the EPA and one after another need their leadership in place and they need it in place now. What they don't need, what the American people don't need, is more political theater from the Senate Democrats.

We have heard a lot about Scott Pruitt's nomination to be Administrator of the EPA. Much of what we heard from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle has simply not been true.

I want to set the record straight. As head of the EPA, Scott Pruitt will protect the environment. During his 6 years as attorney general for the State of Oklahoma, Mr. Pruitt has stood up to polluters, he has worked across State lines, and he has worked across party lines. He has done it to lower phosphorous levels in the Illinois River. He actually negotiated a water rights settlement with Oklahoma tribes. Why? Well, to preserve scenic lakes and rivers. He used commonsense policies. He used them to protect the environment in Oklahoma, and he will follow commonsense policies at the Environmental Protection Agency.

The delays we have seen by Democrats have never actually been about Mr. Pruitt or his record or the answers he has given to questions about his qualifications. He has answered over 1,200 questions. He has answered four rounds of questions in committee, went for 6\1/2\ hours. Members on the other side said these were very fair hearings. These delays are all about obstruction. They are all about denying President Trump his Cabinet. That is what this is all about. It is about pretending that their candidate Hillary Clinton did not lose the election in November. That is what this is all about.

We have seen them use the same tactics on one Cabinet nominee after another. As the Cabinet nominees were named, what we saw was a list of eight nominees come out who Senator Schumer had as his hit list of nominees he was going to oppose, slow down, obstruct, boycott. Democrats delayed. They delayed again. They delayed again. That is what we saw in one after another.

When Scott Pruitt is confirmed today, he will take office later than any incoming EPA Administrator for any new administration going back to the 1980s.

Our friends on the other side of the aisle need to recognize that the terrible precedent they are setting today with all of these relentless and needless delays will continue into the future. It is a precedent, just like the precedent that Harry Reid set when he changed

the rules of the Senate by breaking the rules. The Democrats need to see how their actions will continue to play forward, will affect the confirmation process for all future administrations, including Democratic administrations.

The American people want someone in place to run these important Departments. What we see from the Democrats is political theater on the floor of the Senate.

President Trump deserves to have his team in place. President Trump deserves to have his Cabinet in place. The Cabinet nominees deserve an up-or-down vote from the Senate on the floor of the Senate. That is what we are going to do today with Attorney General Scott Pruitt, who is qualified and who has been nominated to be the Administrator of the

At the end of my remarks, I will yield for a question.

So I say to you, as I come here to the floor, I chaired the Environment and Public Works Committee on Scott Pruitt's nomination. I listened to 6\1/2\ hours of testimony. I listened to and read through responses that he gave to 1,200 questions that were asked of him. He gave thorough answers--perhaps not the answers the Democrats wanted to hear but answers that I felt were responsive.

So I come to the floor to urge all of my colleagues to support Mr. Pruitt's nomination to be the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. He is a nominee who, as attorney general in Oklahoma, protected the environment, worked to strengthen the economy, and stood up for States' rights, which continues to be most crucial.

With that, Mr. President, I yield for a question.

Mr. President, responding to the Senator from Minnesota, I think he may be referring to a part where I say: The delays by Democrats have never actually been about Mr. Pruitt's answers to questions or about his qualifications. These delays, I say, are all about obstruction and denying President Trump his Cabinet. I go on to say: It is about pretending that their candidate, Hillary Clinton, didn't lose the Presidential election.

Well, Mr. President, it is my--

Mr. President, this is a very highly politicized situation. It is not my intention in any way to impugn any of the motives of any of the Members of this body.

I yield back my time.

Regular order.

Regular order.

Mr. President, for the past 8 years, the Environmental Protection Agency, through its regulatory rampage, has hurt a lot of people in my home State of Wyoming and all across the country. The EPA's overreaching regulations have stunted job growth, hurt our economy, and failed to help the Agency meet its mission. The mission is to protect the environment and the health of all Americans. The EPA needs to be reformed and modernized.

Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt is the right person for the job. Mr. Pruitt is committed to protecting the environment, ensuring clean air, water, and land while also supporting a strong and healthy economy. He stood up to industry that polluted his State's air and water.

He has received bipartisan support from Senators in this body, from State leaders, from small business, from farmers, from ranchers, and from many others across this country. Attorneys general from all around the country have recognized his good work. Attorney General Luther Strange of Alabama--now U.S. Senator Strange--and 23 of his peers wrote a letter in support of Mr. Pruitt's nomination.

Here is what they wrote:

The Administrator of the EPA plays a critical role in our

Nation's government. Attorney General Pruitt has proven, over

the course of his career, that he has the right character,

experience, and knowledge to serve as Administrator of the

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, the Committee on Environment and Public Works has adopted rules governing its procedures for the 115th Congress. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 2, of the Standing Rules for the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the committee rules be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I come to the floor to, one, thank my friend and colleague, the Senator from

Georgia, for making his comments about Tom Price, President Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.

I have known Tom for over 20 years. We are both orthopedic surgeons. I know his professional ability. I know his passion for patients and health care. I am delighted and confident that he will be confirmed to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. I think he is the right person for the important task that lies ahead.

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss a bill I just introduced, the John P. Smith Act.

Just a few short weeks ago, I came to the floor to recognize John Smith, a Wyoming resident who was a life-long advocate for transportation safety. For nearly three decades, ``Big John'' Smith led the Department of Transportation for the Eastern Shoshone and

Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation. Wyoming lost one of its great representatives and leaders on December 31, 2016, but John's legacy lives on through the changes he effected on the Wind River Reservation.

John's unwavering commitment to improving transportation infrastructure earned him awards and respect the country over. More importantly, Big John inspired others to invest in transportation and road safety on the Wind River Reservation. It is only fitting that a bill, which seeks give additional tools to tribal governments across the country, would be named after such a committed man.

The John P. Smith Act will streamline requirements for tribal transportation projects to help make intersections, railroad crossings, and other tribal transportation features safer for the people who depend on this infrastructure. Relatively minor changes can dramatically improve public safety around roads. The John P. Smith Act makes sure that simple things, like installation of rumble strips, improvement of roads for pedestrian or cyclist safety, and even basic signage would not be subject to months or years-long delays due to bureaucratic backlog.

When he testified before the Committee of Indian Affairs when I was Chairman, Mr. Smith told the stories outlining the many tragic deaths on dangerous roads in Indian country. He shared that at the time of his testimony, the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming had the highest rate of pedestrian deaths in the United States. The John P. Smith Act would ensure that basic safety measures could be put in place in a timely manner. Big John shared, ``When you have narrow roads, with sharp curves, no medians and no shoulders, you are asking for trouble.'' The projects included in this bill will help to save lives in tribal communities.

John Smith has been described as a ``Champion of Change'' by the White House, a skillful diplomat by his peers, and I was proud to call him my friend. It is with great honor and respect that I am pleased today to introduce the John P. Smith Act to build on John's lifetime of transportation safety achievements.

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss a bill I just introduced, the John P. Smith Act.

Just a few short weeks ago, I came to the floor to recognize John Smith, a Wyoming resident who was a life-long advocate for transportation safety. For nearly three decades, ``Big John'' Smith led the Department of Transportation for the Eastern Shoshone and

Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation. Wyoming lost one of its great representatives and leaders on December 31, 2016, but John's legacy lives on through the changes he effected on the Wind River Reservation.

John's unwavering commitment to improving transportation infrastructure earned him awards and respect the country over. More importantly, Big John inspired others to invest in transportation and road safety on the Wind River Reservation. It is only fitting that a bill, which seeks give additional tools to tribal governments across the country, would be named after such a committed man.

The John P. Smith Act will streamline requirements for tribal transportation projects to help make intersections, railroad crossings, and other tribal transportation features safer for the people who depend on this infrastructure. Relatively minor changes can dramatically improve public safety around roads. The John P. Smith Act makes sure that simple things, like installation of rumble strips, improvement of roads for pedestrian or cyclist safety, and even basic signage would not be subject to months or years-long delays due to bureaucratic backlog.

When he testified before the Committee of Indian Affairs when I was Chairman, Mr. Smith told the stories outlining the many tragic deaths on dangerous roads in Indian country. He shared that at the time of his testimony, the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming had the highest rate of pedestrian deaths in the United States. The John P. Smith Act would ensure that basic safety measures could be put in place in a timely manner. Big John shared, ``When you have narrow roads, with sharp curves, no medians and no shoulders, you are asking for trouble.'' The projects included in this bill will help to save lives in tribal communities.

John Smith has been described as a ``Champion of Change'' by the White House, a skillful diplomat by his peers, and I was proud to call him my friend. It is with great honor and respect that I am pleased today to introduce the John P. Smith Act to build on John's lifetime of transportation safety achievements.

Mr. President, I wish to congratulate the current Presiding Officer for his ascension to the

chair of the Indian Affairs Committee in the U.S. Senate. It is a committee with a great history of bipartisan efforts working together. It is a committee on which I was privileged to serve and still serve and of which I have been the chairman in the past. I am looking forward to the distinguished Senator from North Dakota taking over the mantle of responsibility, and I know he will continue to work hard, as he has since joining the Senate, in the efforts on behalf of so many Americans.

I also come to the floor about what is going on in the Senate with regard to confirming nominations in a Cabinet that I believe is truly an all-star Cabinet--truly an all-star Cabinet. I think it gets better as we keep confirming one nominee after another. Last week I spoke on the floor about what a great job I believe Scott Pruitt is going to do as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Today I wish to talk about two more examples.

First, there is the nomination of our friend and colleague, Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama, to be Attorney General. Those of us who have served with Senator Sessions over the years know he is a man of uncommon decency, of fairness, and of integrity. We know his dedication to the law is absolute.

In 1999, Senator Sessions came to the floor to speak in support of awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Rosa Parks. In that speech, he said: ``Equal treatment under the law is a fundamental pillar upon which our republic rests.'' We saw Senator Sessions' devotion to this idea again and again and again. He introduced legislation to reduce the differences in the kinds of sentences that could be handed out to people convicted of similar drug crimes. He teamed up with Senator Ted Kennedy to pass legislation protecting prisoners from sexual assault behind bars.

The job of Attorney General is to be America's top law enforcement officer and attorney. Jeff Sessions has shown himself to be an outstanding attorney. He worked as a frontline prosecutor. He spent 12 years as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. He was attorney general of the State of Alabama, and he has spent 20 years here as a U.S. Senator.

If confirmed as Attorney General, he will be one of the most qualified people ever to hold this job. These qualifications include an exceptional knowledge of how the Justice Department works and the priorities of the people who work there.

The Attorney General oversees the work of more than 100,000 people. Most of them are law enforcement, working for agencies like the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. I think these men and women are going to find that Jeff Sessions is their greatest champion, and I think they are going to greet his arrival at the Justice Department with a wonderful ovation. National law enforcement groups have already endorsed his nomination, and so have groups representing Federal and local prosecutors. He is going to enforce the laws passed by Congress in a fair and impartial manner. That is exactly what America needs in its Attorney General.

The second person I want to talk about is Congressman Tom Price. Tom has been nominated to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Just as Jeff Sessions has devoted his life to the law, Tom Price has devoted his life to caring for the health of patients and the American people.

Dr. Price practiced medicine for 20 years. He was medical director of the orthopedic clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Grady Memorial Hospital is a public safety-net hospital in Atlanta, and many, many of its patients are low income. Dr. Price saw each and every day the challenges that people faced in America's broken health care system, both the patients and the people who are trying to provide the care. That is why he has taken health care reform so seriously as a Member of Congress. He did as well when he was in the Georgia State legislature. He understands and he understood immediately why so many parts of ObamaCare simply would not work when they were passed and signed into law some 6 years ago. Like a lot of us, he warned the health care law would actually make things worse for millions of Americans--and Tom Price has proven right.

It is time for the Department of Health and Human Services to have leadership that understands that patients should not become a political tool. Congressman Price is actually the first medical doctor to be nominated to head the Department of Health and Human Services since 1989. That kind of knowledge and the background he has is essential for dealing with the challenges the Department faces today.

The wheels are falling off of America's health care system. We need leaders--leaders who are more than just professional bureaucrats, which is what we have had. We need someone who understands health care deeply, and who cares about putting patients first, not politics.

Tom Price has shown he can reach across the aisle to get things done. It is what he did in the State legislature in Georgia, and it is what he has done in the House of Representatives here in Washington. Tom worked with Democrats to make sure that Medicare patients could continue to get access to medical equipment like blood sugar monitors and oxygen tanks. He did the same thing when he introduced a bipartisan measure to stop burdensome new regulations affecting patients who need a new hip or a new knee joint. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, he is going to listen--listen to the best arguments of both sides, and then he is going to do what is right for the health of the American people.

ObamaCare has to go. It has failed miserably. We all know that. Even Democrats in Congress who wrote the law realize how flawed it really is. It is time for us now to focus on what can be done to replace ObamaCare and make American health care work once again.

I have seen media reports that Democrats want to obstruct the nomination of Tom Price as well as that of Jeff Sessions. I expect Democrats will plan to grandstand for political purposes because they have no real objections to either person's qualifications or credentials.

Democrats' complaint is that they lost the Presidential election. Well, the President deserves to have his Cabinet in place. That is why Republicans didn't object to President Obama getting seven of his Cabinet members on his very first day in office in 2009. By this point in time, President Obama had a significant number of his Cabinet--over 20 members--confirmed in 2009, and we look at where we are today, with President Trump's Cabinet and the obstruction of the Democrats. It is unfortunate that Democrats have decided not to follow the example of Republicans when Barack Obama came to the White House.

Political spite isn't a good enough reason for delay. Democrats need to get over it and get on with it. Attorney General of the United States and Secretary of Health and Human Services are big jobs. They are important jobs, and they are necessary jobs. It is time for the Senate to move as soon as possible to confirm both Jeff Sessions and Tom Price to the Cabinet.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 5 p.m., on Tuesday, January 24, the Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nominations en bloc: Executive Calendar Nos. 6 and 7; I further ask unanimous consent that there be 30 minutes of debate on the nominations en bloc, equally divided in the usual form; and that following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc, with no intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and no further motions be in order; and that any statements related to the nominations be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, last week the Committee on Environment

and Public Works held a hearing on the nomination of Oklahoma attorney general Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. The hearing was really about the future of this Agency and how we can get it back to doing the job it was meant to do from the very beginning.

We are blessed in this country with enormous natural resources. Our goal should be to use these resources responsibly in ways that protect our environment and help make our economy strong.

Over the past 8 years, the leaders of the Environmental Protection Agency created broad and legally questionable new regulations that undermined the American people's faith in the Agency. The political leaders of this Agency have been reckless, irresponsible, and arrogant.

A course of correction is long overdue, and it is exactly what we are going to get.

If my colleagues have any doubts that the EPA lost its way, they can just look at two of the biggest environmental scandals we have seen in a long time. In the summer of 2015, there was what became known as the Gold King Mine disaster. The Environmental Protection Agency spilled 3 million gallons of toxic wastewater into a river in Colorado. This was water filled with toxic substances like arsenic and lead. It flowed to New Mexico and Utah, through the land of the Navajo Nation and the Southern Ute Indian tribe. There are 200,000 people who drink water from the river system that the EPA poisoned. Farmers and ranchers couldn't use the water for their crops or their animals.

The other disaster the Environmental Protection Agency helped to cause was what happened in Flint, MI. The EPA failed to do the proper oversight. As a result, thousands of children were exposed to high levels of lead in their drinking water. The Agency knew about the dangers to the public health and for months did nothing to warn the people.

These are just two scandals where the Environmental Protection Agency actually harmed people's health because the EPA was negligent. There are also many ways the Agency has harmed families and the American economy, not by accident but intentionally. It has issued thousands of pages of regulations trying to shut down the entire coal industry in the United States. Since 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency has come out with nearly 200 new regulations.

According to the American Action Forum, the total cost of all of this new redtape is about $340 billion. The Agency has piled enormous new restrictions and costs onto American families and businesses, all to produce miniscule benefits.

One of them was the so-called Clean Power Plan. States sued to block this destructive bureaucratic overreach. The courts had to step in and tell Washington not so fast.

We should be looking for ways to make American energy as clean as we can, as fast as we can, without raising costs for American families. That is not what the Environmental Protection Agency did with its power regulations.

The EPA also put out a new rule that dramatically expanded its own control over what it calls waters of the United States. The Agency declared that it has control over things like irrigation ditches and backyard ponds all across America. Two different courts have blocked this rule from taking effect. Why? Because it goes far beyond the Agency's own authority.

For 8 years now, the leaders of the EPA have not had their priorities straight. They have been pursuing a political agenda instead of focusing on what should be the Agency's core mission. The Environmental Protection Agency was created for a reason. It was created because America needed someone to perform this mission. There is a right way to do the job. We can strike the right balance so we protect our environment while allowing our economy to grow.

My home State of Wyoming is one of the most pristine States in the country, one of the most beautiful places in the world, as well as one of the most energy-rich States in the country. Wyoming has struck the right balance. We have done it successfully and so have many other States. We can address threats to our environment best through the cooperation of States, towns, Indian tribes, and Washington--a cooperation.

The quality of America's air, water, and land are local concerns as much as they are national concerns. The Environmental Protection Agency should not try to dictate regulations from Washington without consulting its partners at all levels.

Much of the work of the EPA was intended to give States a chance to take action first. Federal regulators are meant to be a backstop, acting when States or communities fail to act. Restoring this proper order and restoring the partnership of States with the EPA is essential to making sure people see the Agency as legitimate once again. The Agency needs to learn to listen before it acts.

We can also restore the Environmental Protection Agency by restating its commitment to the rule of law. That is why the American people elect a Congress--because of the rule of law. The Agency must enforce the laws as they are written by Congress. The Agency cannot write the laws, cannot ignore the parts of the laws it doesn't like, although that is exactly what this EPA has been doing.

We all know the EPA used to do very good work. In the past, it protected America's environment while understanding that there need to be reasonable regulations that allow people to use our natural resources. Every American wants clean air, clean water, and commonsense protection for our species. That will not change. We need the EPA to do its job, and we need it to do the job right.

Through 6 hours of questioning before our committee last week, Scott Pruitt showed that he understands the need to return the Environmental Protection Agency back to its proper course. He showed he is committed to working as a partner with Americans all across the country to find the best ways to address the threats to our environment. His record as the attorney general of Oklahoma showed that he is committed to restoring and maintaining the rule of law.

I am confident that Attorney General Pruitt will be able to right the ship at the EPA. I am confident that he can restore the balance between the benefits the Agency can deliver for Americans with the costs that it imposes.

As chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, I am committed to making sure the Senate exercises appropriate oversight to make sure that this happens.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, this is a side-by-side amendment to the Manchin amendment. As a doctor, I understand how ObamaCare has been a disaster for patients and for health care providers. Because of this law, Americans have been left with higher premiums and fewer choices. This budget is an important first step in giving Americans better and more affordable health care.

I am especially aware of the importance of helping folks in rural America, people who have been especially hard hit by the policies of the Obama administration. Since 2010, more than 70 rural hospitals have closed across the United States and Ezekiel Emanuel, who is the architect of Obamacare, wrote a book, and he said that 1,000 hospitals have to close in the United States. That is what he called for, 1,000. We are talking about rural hospitals all around this country.

So for people in small towns all across the Nation, the closures we have already experienced, these 70 closures, have had a devastating impact. My amendment says that Congress is ready to help all Americans but especially those living in rural America who have been hurt by ObamaCare.

Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, and the waiver provisions of applicable budget resolutions, I move to waive all applicable sections of that act and applicable budget resolutions for purposes of amendment No. 173, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, this is a side-by-side amendment to Casey amendment No. 61, which was just defeated.

As many in this body know, my wife Bobbi is a breast cancer survivor. I understand the importance of ensuring

that everyone has access to health care. This is especially true for patients with ongoing medical conditions.

Also, I spent 25 years practicing medicine, working every single day to ensure all patients received high quality care. That is why I am passionate about enacting health care reform to put patients first, unlike the Obama health care law, which put government ahead of patients and health care providers.

As I travel around the State of Wyoming, I hear from many hard- working folks who have lost their insurance coverage that they liked and that worked for them and their families. We are going to help those who have been hurt by ObamaCare. We will also ensure that people with serious medical conditions receive the care they need.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and the waiver provisions of applicable budget resolutions, I move to waive all applicable sections of that act and applicable budget resolutions for the purposes of Barrasso amendment No. 181, and I ask for the yeas and nays.