Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m., Thursday, March 7th; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Murphy nomination under the previous order.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order following the remarks of our Democratic colleagues.

Madam President, following Ms. Rushing, the Senate will consider Chad Readler of Ohio to serve on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Readler is a two-time graduate of the University of Michigan, earning his J.D. with honors in 1997. Following law school, he held a clerkship on the Sixth Circuit and has built a longstanding reputation in private practice as a consummate legal professional.

Mr. Readler is also active in pro bono work, including for the United Way of Central Ohio, and his nomination earned a ``well qualified'' rating from the American Bar Association.

So I look forward to advancing yet another of President Trump's impressive judicial nominees later this week.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, yesterday the Senate voted to advance the nomination of Allison Jones Rushing to serve on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

As I noted yesterday, Ms. Rushing comes with significant appellate experience and has filed 47 briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court. It is clear to me, as it was to a majority of our colleagues on the Judiciary Committee, that she would make a fine addition to the Federal bench. So I will support her confirmation later today, and I recommend that each of our colleagues do the same.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that all postcloture time on the Readler nomination expire at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6; further, that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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

Madam President, this year, the University of Pikeville in my home State will mark its 130th year of service to students in the mountains of central Appalachia. For more than half of that time, a member of the Baird family has served the school, its community, and most importantly, its students. After three decades of service, Bill Baird recently retired from the UPIKE board of trustees. In recognition of his legacy of leadership, mentorship, and accomplishment, UPIKE President Burton J. Webb awarded my friend with the inaugural Baird Family Service Award. So, I would like to take a moment today to pay tribute to Bill Baird and his family for their steadfast contributions to eastern Kentucky.

Bill's family is deeply rooted in this region with history going back nearly a century. His father, William J. Baird II, grew up on a farm in the Bluegrass State before attending Berea College. In 1947, William hung a shingle, founding Baird & Baird law firm. Outside of his professional success, William dedicated much of his life to philanthropy and leadership, serving on the board of trustees of Pikeville Community College for nearly three decades. In gratitude for his service to the Pikeville community and the central Appalachian region, William received an honorary doctor of humanities degree in 1977 from Pikeville College, UPIKE's name until 2011. Bill's mother, Florane, attended the Pikeville Collegiate Institute, a high school that later became part of the modern UPIKE. Through her care and compassion for the community, Florane also received an honorary doctorate from Pikeville College. Bill lovingly remembered them both as service-oriented people, and their influence, paired with a deep faith, inspired his work for the Pikeville community and the school.

Working in the mines while studying at Pikeville College, Bill graduated in 1966. He later earned admission to the bar and served our country in the U.S. Army. Reentering private life, Bill worked at the family law firm and was eventually joined by his brothers, Charles and John, and members of the family's next generation.

Even as he worked full time at Baird & Baird, Bill seemed to find extra hours in the day for his community. With leadership roles at UPIKE, in his church, and at Westcare of Kentucky--a substance abuse treatment facility--Bill constantly gave of himself to others. He coached the local high school's softball team for nearly two decades and the UPIKE team from 1994-2004, even receiving admission into the university's athletic hall of fame. After he retired from the practice, Bill hardly slowed down. He did so much pro bono work that he quipped, ``Some people say I'm the only retired person they know who comes in to the office every day.''

When asked about his impact on the school, the chairman of UPIKE's board said Bill gave ``of his time, talent, and treasure to the university at a level few have ever given, and he has done so with an unmatched sense of love and care.'' A great deal of Bill's support focused on first-time college students from the local community to foster the potential of Pikeville families. In addition to creating the award named in the Baird family's honor, the board of trustees also unanimously voted to establish the Bill Baird Family Scholarship to improve student retention and to help provide for students who may struggle to afford their education.

Bill's not the only impressive member of his household. Kaye, his wife, spent much of her career contributing to the community, helping lead organizations like the chamber of commerce, the school board, and the Christian Appalachian Project. Excelling as an educator, she touched the lives of numerous eastern Kentucky children and earned her place in the inaugural class of UPIKE's Distinguished Educators Hall of Fame.

Bill and Kaye have done so much for their community, with compassion, philanthropy, and leadership. I am so proud to pay tribute to the Baird family. They have earned our thanks and have made a lasting impact on this region. I am glad the Baird family name has rightfully earned a place of honor at UPIKE, and I ask each of my Senate colleagues to join me in congratulating Bill and Kaye for a lifetime of dedicated service to Kentucky.

The UPIKE Magazine published a profile on Bill's contributions to the school. I ask unanimous consent that the article be printed in the Record.

Madam President, I understand there is a bill at the desk that is due for a second reading.

In order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to further proceeding.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 93, 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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 6; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Readler nomination under the previous order.

Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of Senator Portman and Senator Brown.

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

Mr. President, I know the entire Senate joins me today in offering deep sympathies to the communities affected by yesterday's spate of tornadoes in east Alabama and Georgia. As first responders continue to search for survivors in the rubble, we know that at least 23 innocent lives were lost to this disaster all in Lee County, AL. Our condolences are especially with their loved ones, and our gratitude is with the emergency personnel and local officials who spearheaded evacuation and rescue efforts.

The people of Alabama are all too familiar with the pain caused by devastating storms like yesterday's. The entire region has been hit hard in recent years, seemingly by one disaster after another. They continue to brace against the threat of tornadoes and the flooding that so often impacts communities in my State of Kentucky.

At every step of the way--from response and recovery to resilient achievement--Alabama has benefitted from the devoted leadership of Senator Richard Shelby. On the specific issue of disaster recovery, his hard work and steady hand have helped to lead the charge. When supplemental funding for natural disaster relief receives floor time here in the Senate, it will be thanks to the hard work of our colleagues like Senator Perdue, Senator Isakson, and others, and, certainly, Chairman Shelby.

Of course, this is far from the only area in which Richard Shelby has delivered results for his State and for our Nation. For years, he has made a personal mission out of restoring and improving our Nation's infrastructure. He has brought wise and decisive leadership as our chief appropriator, and the State of Alabama bears countless signs of Senator Shelby's dedicated service--from supporting the missile defense and space exploration programs in Huntsville to helping to establish the National Water Center in Tuscaloosa, where researchers forecast floods and work to mitigate water-related hazards.

It is fitting today to praise Senator Shelby's continued service. It also happened that, over the weekend, the senior Senator from Alabama became the longest serving senator in the history of his State. I couldn't be happier to recognize my friend Richard Shelby on this occasion, and I know each of our colleagues will join me in congratulating him on the years of faithful service to Alabamians that have made this recognition possible.

Mr. President, on an entirely different matter, this week the Senate is considering the nominations of three more well-qualified jurists to vacancies on our Nation's Federal courts.

First is Allison Jones Rushing, of North Carolina, to serve on the Fourth Circuit. Ms. Rushing is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Duke University School of Law with high honors. In the years since, she has built a distinguished record in private practice and has held prestigious appellate clerkships on two Federal circuit courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.

I will have more to say on the state of our nominations process soon, but I hope each of our colleagues will begin the week by joining me in voting to advance Ms. Rushing's nomination later today.