Floor Statements

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 29.

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 18, S. 331.

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 20, S.J. Res. 28.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, for the 119th Congress, I ask that the Republican cochair of the Senate NATO Observer Group be Senator Tillis, and, at his recommendation, the following Republican Senators participate in the group: Senators Rounds, Barrasso, Ernst, Moran, Scott of South Carolina, and Curtis.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate recess until 8:20 p.m. today and proceed as a body to the Hall of the House of Representatives for the joint session of Congress provided under the provisions of H. Con. Res. 11; that upon the dissolution of the joint session, the Senate stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 5; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 20, S.J. Res. 28; further, that if cloture is invoked on the Blanche nomination, all time be expired at 3:45 p.m. and the Senate vote on confirmation; that following confirmation of the Blanche nomination, the Senate proceed to legislative session and resume consideration of S.J. Res. 28 and that all time be expired and the Senate vote on passage of the joint resolution; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Wednesday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, Senators should expect one vote at 11 a.m. on cloture on the Blanche nomination and two votes at 3:45 p.m.: confirmation of the Blanche nomination and passage of S.J. Res. 28, Senator Ricketts' digital consumer payments CRA.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand in recess under the previous order.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, the Senate will vote later today to confirm Linda McMahon to be Secretary of Education. Mrs. McMahon is an accomplished businesswoman and public servant. She is known for her role in building World Wrestling Entertainment, better known as WWE, from a small operation to a large and thriving enterprise. And she has used her success to give back and make a positive impact.

Mrs. McMahon led efforts to promote reading and civic engagement through WWE. She spent 16 years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in her home State of Connecticut. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education. In his first term, President Trump tapped Linda McMahon to lead the Small Business Administration, where she was known for listening to small businesses to make the SBA a more effective Agency.

She will bring valuable experience, an incredible work ethic, and a passion for education to her new role leading the Department of Education. And she has a big task ahead of her. Let's acknowledge that. In January, the Nation's report card revealed that American students are still struggling to make up ground lost during the pandemic. Reading scores among fourth and eighth graders declined again, after falling in 2022 and 2019. One-third of eighth graders are reading below a basic level--the highest proportion ever recorded. Math scores showed modest improvement, but they still remain below prepandemic levels. And there is a widening gap in student performance. This should concern all of us.

As the son of two public school educators and father of two daughters who went to public schools, I know this problem is not going to be fixed by Washington bureaucrats. It is going to be fixed by good teachers, administrators, school boards, and parents--the people who are closest to the students and most invested in their success.

The Federal Government provides less than 10 percent of funding for schools in this country. The other 90 percent of funding--money that keeps the lights on, pays teachers, and buys new textbooks--well, that comes from State and local governments and from private sources. But while the Federal Government provides a small percentage of education funding, it is responsible for an outsize amount of bureaucracy and mandates in education. More often than not, it is these policies that are holding back school districts from innovating and ultimately improving the education that they provide.

I am glad that Mrs. McMahon recognizes that education is not one- size-fits-all. States have different needs. School districts and individual schools have different needs. And every student has his or her own needs and aspirations. So I am glad that Mrs. McMahon plans to work in a way that empowers those closest to the student, because they are in the best position to do what is right for that student.

When I met with Mrs. McMahon, we had a long conversation about South Dakota's unique education needs, including our Tribal schools, and I look forward to working with Linda McMahon to limit bureaucracy, empower State and local governments, and let good teachers do what they are best at and what they love to do, and that is to help students succeed.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 27.

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Presiding Officer of the Senate be authorized to appoint a committee on the part of the Senate to join with a like committee on the part of the House of Representatives to escort the President of the United States into the House Chamber for the joint session to be held at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 4; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate be in a period of morning business for debate only until 11 a.m.; finally, that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings, and that if the motion is agreed to on the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 11, S.J. Res. 3, all time during recess count equally between the proponents and opponents.

Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, Senators should expect a vote to proceed to Senator Cruz's CRA at 11 a.m. tomorrow.