Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise to address the urgent crisis taking place in Sudan, but, first, I wish to take just a moment to remember former Congressman Jay Dickey, who, as many in Washington and Arkansas now know, passed away last week.

Jay was a native of Pine Bluff and represented Southern Arkansas in the Fourth Congressional District for four terms between 1993 and 2001. Jay was known as a fierce advocate for Arkansas and worked hard to ensure that our State had a strong voice in Washington.

A successful business owner and attorney, Jay was a well-respected member of the Pine Bluff community. He served as Pine Bluff city attorney and had a brief tenure on the Arkansas Supreme Court. Jay was a friend to many and built a warm relationship with almost everyone he met--even those who disagreed with him politically. He also wore his faith on his sleeve as a proud born-again Christian.

I will always appreciate Jay's kindness to me when I first started serving in Congress and truly valued his friendship. He was a loving father, a dedicated public servant, and he will be missed by many.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends as they mourn his loss, but I know they are also incredibly proud, as I have been, of the legacy Jay leaves behind, which will continue to have an impact on us all in the years ahead.

Mr. President, I am grateful for this opportunity also to offer a few remarks on the confirmation of Governor Sonny Perdue as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. President Trump could not have nominated a more qualified individual to lead the USDA.

Today's vote is not only a huge win for agriculture and rural America, but it is a win for the American economy. This vote also represents the first time since the 1990s that a southerner has become Secretary of USDA. For many Arkansans, agriculture is not just a rich part of our State's heritage; it is our livelihood.

Over the last few years, this livelihood has been threatened due to tough economic times in the farm economy. As I travel across the State of Arkansas, I see and hear about those challenges firsthand. In 2013, the farm economy accounted for a record high of $120 billion. Three years later, the farm economy now has accounted for a record low of $67 billion. This is a really hard time for the farm economy, and folks are really hurting in rural America.

Now more than ever, our farmers and ranchers need a champion. I believe Sonny Perdue is that champion. One of the ways we can help our farm economy is by opening new markets for American products. I was pleased that during his confirmation hearing, Governor Perdue expresses his support for working hard to open new markets to American agricultural products.

As a two-term Governor from Georgia with a background in agriculture and as a veterinarian, he understands the importance of the agriculture industry to our economy and the challenges our farmers and ranchers face in rural communities. I can think of no better person to lead the USDA during this challenging time. Governor Perdue's resume is impressive, and he is highly respected in the agriculture community.

Simply put, he has what it takes to get the job done. I congratulate Governor Perdue on his confirmation as Secretary of USDA. I thank my colleagues in the Senate for their support, and I look forward to working closely with him and his staff to address the needs of rural America.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, the Senate is at a crossroads. Senate Democrats at the behest of far-left activist groups are leading the charge to break a 230-year-old precedent of confirming Supreme Court nominees by a simple majority vote. Why?

Well, when you go down the list, there is only one reason. That reason is not based on substance or reality; it is purely partisan. Judge Gorsuch is eminently qualified. That does not seem to be in dispute. His credentials are exceptional. His resume is impressive. His judicial demeanor, professional competence, and integrity all exceed what you expect in a nominee for the highest Court in the land.

Judge Gorsuch checks every box, so much so, that the American Bar Association gave Judge Gorsuch its highest rating. The ABA's assessment, mind you, has been referred to by the minority leader as the ``gold standard'' when it comes to evaluating a nominee's fitness to serve on the Court. Senate Democrats must be concerned about Judge Gorsuch's past then. Again, that is not the case. No one was able to dig up anything remotely resembling a scandal in Judge Gorsuch's past during this process. You can't manufacture a controversy where none exists. Nothing about Judge Gorsuch has come to light during this confirmation process that could conceivably merit blocking a vote on the nominee.

I have heard some Democrats try and argue that Judge Gorsuch is out of the mainstream. That hasn't stuck, either. This is a judge who has been with the majority of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals 99 percent of the time, and 97 percent of his decisions were unanimous. Judge Gorsuch is about as mainstream as you are going to find.

Editorial boards from newspapers across the country, including USA Today, have written in support of his nomination. Does anyone honestly believe that USA Today, which is far from a conservative newspaper, would support confirming Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court if he were out of the mainstream?

Now Senate Democrats are seemingly creating new standards out of thin air to justify this blatantly partisan action. According to the talking points, the nominee is now expected to tell the Senate and the American people exactly how he or she would rule on matters that may come before the Court, especially the instances where the activist base has a very keen interest. As the Judiciary chairman rightly pointed out, the standards set by Justice Ginsburg in her confirmation hearings that it would be inappropriate for a nominee to offer hints or make commitments on matters that may come before the Court have been adhered to ever since.

This leaves Senate Democrats with a filibuster that lacks a reason. The minority leader has suggested that the Senate abandon Judge Gorsuch's nomination if cloture is not agreed to and ask the President to submit a new nominee. This demand rings hollow. Here is the truth: If this nominee cannot get the Senate Democrats' blessings for a vote, then no nominee put forward by the President can.

Again, we are talking about a top rung in his profession. Judge Gorsuch is well qualified, and he was unanimously confirmed to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. As I mentioned earlier, he received the highest possible rating after an exhaustive evaluation from the American Bar Association.

Senate Democrats failed to create outrage and controversy over Judge Gorsuch's nomination because there is simply none to be found, but that didn't stop them. They made this amazing 180-degree turnaround. Senate Democrats who just last year pushed for an immediate vote at the height of a contentious Presidential election now appear to be fine with leaving that seat vacant literally for years. Just last year the minority leader sounded the alarm about the judicial chaos a deadlocked Court could lead to. He appears to be no longer concerned about that. By this logic, a vacancy on the Supreme Court for a few months would be a devastating blow to democracy, but one held vacant for years would be acceptable. This makes absolutely no sense. The only explanation for it is that Senate Democrats expect to be voting on a nominee put forth by a Democratic administration, not one put forth by President Trump.

Judge Gorsuch will be confirmed to the Supreme Court this week. It is unfortunate that we may have to break longstanding precedent to do so, but Senate Democrats actually are to blame for that.

With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I have 7 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders.

Pursuant to Rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

committee on armed services

The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, at 2:30 p.m.

committee on commerce, science, and transportation

The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to hold an Executive Session during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, at 10 a.m., in room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.

committee on environment and public works

The Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 5, 2017, at 10 a.m., in room 406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

committee on health, education, labor, and pensions

The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is authorized to meet, during the session of the Senate, in order to conduct a hearing entitled ``Nomination of Scott Gottlieb, MD, to serve as Commissioner of Food and Drugs'' on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, at 10 a.m., in room 430 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

committee on homeland security and governmental affairs

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, at 9:30 a.m., in order to conduct a hearing entitled ``Improving Border Security and Public Health.''

subcommittee on economic policy

The Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Policy is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 3 p.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Current State of Retirement Security in the United States.''

subcommittee on africa and global health

The Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, at 2 p.m., to hold a hearing entitled ``A Progress Report on Conflict Minerals.''

Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Warren Blaylock, a friend and true public servant who was a lifelong resident of Crawford County, AR. Warren was a World War II veteran and someone I admired greatly for the vital role he played in his community for decades.

Born in 1921, Warren grew up near Alma, AR, and knew the harsh realities that many Americans encountered during the Great Depression. He graduated from Alma High School and went on to join the Army during World War II. During the war, he served as a combat medic with the 67th Evacuation Hospital. His unit landed at Normandy just days after the Allied forces stormed the beaches on D-day and went on to follow the Allies as they marched through Europe. Warren was promoted to first sergeant while serving in Europe, and he received several awards and commendations, including two Bronze Stars, the Superior Unit Award, and the Combat Medical Badge.

I am so thankful for his service alongside so many others in the ``greatest generation'' as they risked their lives in the defense of freedom.

Even after he left the service, Warren spent the rest of his life giving back to his community and advocating for causes he believed in.

After returning home from the war, he attended the University of Arkansas and earned a bachelor's degree in business. In his professional life, he was vice president and general manager of the Derrel Thomas Company in Van Buren, AR. Still, Warren found time to participate in numerous civic organizations within the community. He was an active member of the Alma United Methodist Church for decades and served on the Methodist Health and Rehabilitation Board for 41 years. Additionally, Warren served on various other boards and organizations and was a pillar in the community. Perhaps most notably, he was a member of the Rotary Club--first in Van Buren and then in Fort Smith--for 54 years and maintained perfect attendance. This is just one example of Warren's dedication to serving and giving back to Arkansas.

While Warren never sought recognition for the work he did on behalf of his community, his contributions were noticed and recognized by the city of Alma, as well as on the regional and State levels. He was inducted into the Arkansas Senior Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2015, I had the honor of participating in the ceremony where Warren was inducted into the Arkansas Military Hall of Fame on the basis of his honorable military service and exceptional State and community service. This was yet another reminder of how loved and valued Warren was by so many people whose lives he touched.

As active as he was, Warren always enjoyed spending time on his ranch tending to his livestock. In fact, he was also a talented auctioneer who would lend his skills to various charitable auctions and events.

A devoted follower of Christ, a wonderful father and family man, a respected humanitarian, and a rock within his community, Warren will be greatly missed by many. We wish his family, friends, and loved ones comfort as we all mourn his loss, but we also take great joy in knowing just how profound an impact Warren had on the lives of so many others. He leaves behind an incredible legacy of love, devotion, and service that will last for many years to come.

I very much appreciate Warren's service and even more his friendship, encouragement, and the amazing example he set. I will miss him and the vital role he played in his community and in Arkansas. He leaves a huge void that will be hard to fill, but I hope all those who witnessed his committed service to his fellow man will join me in resolving to live and love more like Warren as a way to honor him and his legacy.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise today to honor Dr. Jim Rollins, an Arkansan who has dedicated his life to public education. Dr. Rollins is the superintendent of the Springdale, AR, public schools, where he has served since 1980.

Dr. Rollins started his career in the classroom as a science teacher in North Little Rock. Since that time, he has consistently sought to provide students with a quality education. The work he has done leading Springdale's public schools speaks for itself.

Dr. Rollins' motto when it comes to education is ``Teach them all.'' This worthy goal has been especially important in Springdale, where enrollment has grown from 5,000 students when Dr. Rollins arrived in 1980 to nearly 23,000 students today. Many of these students are part of immigrant families where English is not their first language. More than 55 percent of the district's students are not proficient in English, and around 75 percent qualify for free and reduced lunches. As you might imagine, this has presented unique challenges to educators in Springdale.

In order to meet these challenges and ensure that the school system is doing everything it can to provide these students with a great education, Dr. Rollins has introduced innovative programs that cater to immigrant families, including the unique Marshallese population in Springdale.

As superintendent, Dr. Rollins has fostered an atmosphere where families feel welcome and understood so that parents, students, teachers, and administrators are working together to create a supportive environment that leads to growth in the classroom. In the spirit of engaging the entire family in the education of every child, Dr. Rollins has helped lead an effort in Springdale's schools to promote English as a second language instruction for students and parents.

This year, Dr. Rollins is once again being recognized for his outstanding efforts in the achievements Springdale public schools have enjoyed under his leadership. Dr. Rollins is being recognized as one of Education Week's 2017 Leaders to Learn From, which highlights forward- thinking district leaders who are working to enact and inspire change in our Nation's public schools. Dr. Rollins is certainly very deserving of this honor. You only need to look at the work he has done over several decades to understand that he has dedicated his professional life to improving public education outcomes for every child in the Springdale education district. The teachers and parents in his district have also had wonderful things to say about Dr. Rollins and his leadership in their community. I am so pleased that his trailblazing work in Springdale public schools is being noticed by national education organizations.

Dr. Rollins has made Arkansas very proud, and we are so grateful for his leadership and commitment to educating children no matter where they come from or their station in life. I am honored to know Dr. Rollins, appreciate his friendship, and look forward to his continued stewardship of the public school system in Springdale and the positive influence he has on education throughout Arkansas.

Congratulations, Dr. Rollins, on a job well done.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, when President Trump began his campaign for the White House, he made national security and, in particular, homeland security a cornerstone of his platform. His calls to secure the border to keep terrorists off U.S. soil and to protect our communities struck a chord with a large majority of Americans who for years felt that Washington ignored their very real concerns about our porous borders and broken immigration system.

As expected, the President moved quickly to deliver on his promises to fix this broken system. This week, the Trump administration rolled out a revised version of this Executive order aimed at restoring confidence in the procedures we have used to vet refugees fleeing from nations that are known to harbor radical and violent extremists.

The revised version appears to have benefited from the engagement of the President's Cabinet, especially the key input of Homeland Security Secretary Kelly. This valuable input underscores how important it is for the President to have his team in place to govern effectively.

Senate Democrats have slowed the confirmation process at every turn. I encourage them to abandon the political games so we can quickly fill the remaining vacancies that require Senate confirmation.

It is vital that every affected agency is engaged in these types of decisions. That isn't possible if the Senate is failing to do its duty to confirm the President's nominees. Congress has many problems to tackle, but protecting our Nation is at the top of that list. That requires we work together to govern.

It also requires we take a step back from the heated rhetoric and have honest conversations. Taking the fundamental steps to protect our homeland does not diminish the fact that we are a welcoming nation that strives to help the vulnerable.

It is no secret that ISIS and other volatile extremists want to exploit our Nation's generosity and welcoming spirit to sneak terrorists onto American soil. This plan has worked well in Europe. ISIS believes it can work here as well. We can, and must, take reasonable measures to prevent that.

It is reasonable, responsible, in fact, to put a pause on accepting refugees from these nations in order to fix the flaws in the process and instill confidence in the system. The revised order removes Iraq from the list of countries. That is a move in the right direction. It shows that the Iraqis have taken the right steps in agreeing to increase their cooperation with us, and effecting positive outcomes in our relations with these nations is what this pause is all about.

Four of the countries on this list don't even have a U.S. Embassy. So you can understand how difficult it is to get a complete picture of the refugees seeking asylum from those countries when we don't even have a means by which to communicate.

Once the President's Executive order goes into effect, every country will be evaluated within 20 days. If a country comes up short of where it needs to be, it will have 50 days to fix the failures and communications with us.

The reasonable measures we are taking to reduce this threat in no way run counter to the ideals our Nation is built upon. We can be proud of the resources the United States has provided to support those fleeing persecution in war-torn Syria. I have visited the refugee camps we support in Jordan and Turkey. Our commitment to their well-being is strong. The rhetoric doesn't match the realities when it comes to this issue.

The administration's efforts to secure our borders has been met with similar hyperbole. Again, there is nothing unreasonable about ensuring that we know who is coming into our Nation. We are a nation of immigrants and must remain welcoming to those who want to achieve the American dream. We should be proud of our record to naturalize those who immigrate here legally. We naturalize more new citizens per year than the rest of the world combined. Enforcing the law, ensuring the safety and security of our Nation, will not change our commitment to being a welcoming society to those who seek a better life.

But you can't create policies to secure our homeland while wearing rose-colored glasses. There are terrorists seeking to exploit our good graces so they can attack us here at home. This is not a scare tactic; this is reality, and we have to root our policies in reality.

As chairman of the Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, I strongly support President Trump's efforts to get Washington to uphold our most important responsibility: protecting the American people. I stand ready to work with him, Secretary Kelly, and my colleagues to accomplish this goal.

I yield the floor.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that H.R. 590, the Advanced Nuclear Technology Development Act of 2017, be discharged from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 44 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Madam President, I further ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 45 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I further ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 47 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions 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 the immediate consideration of S. Res. 58, submitted earlier today.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Chair lay before the Senate H. Con. Res. 18, which was received from the House.

I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution 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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 12 noon, Monday, February 13; 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; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Mnuchin nomination as under the previous order.