Floor Statements

Mr. President, I understand that 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 proceedings.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Indian Affairs Committee be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 702.

I know of no further debate on the measure.

I ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 687 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I further ask 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.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions, which were submitted earlier today: S. Res. 704, S. Res. 705, and S. Res. 706.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all postcloture time on the Vaden nomination expire at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, November 27, and that if the Vaden nomination is confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Tuesday, November 27; 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, and morning business be closed; finally, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Vaden nomination under the previous order.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding adoption of the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 140 with further amendment No. 4054, as modified, that amendment No. 4054, as modified, be further modified with the changes at the desk.

So for the information of the Senate, the modification that occurred was necessary to fix a technical error that omitted a number of important charts and tables from the bill.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Con. Res. 51.

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, the Senate's final order of business this week will be to confirm Michelle Bowman, the President's choice to serve on the Federal Reserve Board.

As I highlighted in recent days, we have before us a nominee whose skills and background are tailor-made for the responsibilities of the office. Ms. Bowman has extensive experience in community banking, and the seat to be filled is intended for an expert in that very field.

My colleagues hardly need me to illustrate any further the role that small community banks play in the lives of family farms, small businesses, and communities all across our country. It is time to take an important step for them and confirm this well-qualified nominee.

Yesterday, we passed legislation to reauthorize the Coast Guard by an overwhelming bipartisan majority. The Senate took action to reaffirm the critical security, interdiction, and rescue missions that keep America safe and to streamline duplicative regulations at the same time.

The provision to clarify the regulation of vessel incidental discharge delivered a much needed victory for the communities and small maritime businesses, including so many in my State of Kentucky, that rely on America's inland waterways for their livelihood. The reauthorization delivered some well-earned certainty to the brave men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard, whose commitment to service should make all of us proud.

Of course, the Coast Guard legislation was just the very latest installment in a long list of bipartisan successes passed by this Senate in this Congress on behalf of the American people.

The big battles may be what captivate the press, and Republicans are certainly proud of our signature accomplishments, like historic tax reform and confirming Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh, but at the same time, it is frequently overlooked how many of this Congress's achievements have been thoroughly bipartisan.

Republicans and Democrats together passed landmark legislation that marshaled more resources to the frontlines of communities fighting against opioids, more specialized training and resources for first responders, greater access to grant support for State and local authorities, and more support for treatment, recovery, and workforce reentry programs to heal the wounds of this devastating epidemic.

Together we reformed some of the excesses of Dodd-Frank and lightened the load on local lenders.

Together we ended the cycle of chronic continuing resolutions for defense funding that denied certainty to our Armed Forces and eroded our readiness. We rebuilt a regular appropriations process. It featured the largest year-on-year defense funding increase in 15 years and the biggest pay raise for servicemembers in nearly a decade.

Together we made new investments to start rebuilding our Nation's infrastructure.

Together, we brought new resources and new reforms to the systems that serve our veterans. Together, we improved comprehensive sanctions to target maligned behavior throughout the international system. We passed major bills to combat sex trafficking, improve school safety, expand opportunities for vocational and technical training, and extend the right to try new medical treatments to those with terminal illnesses.

This isn't even an exhaustive list. Clearly, the Senate has proved to be fertile soil for bipartisan work. It has made life better for the American people in tangible ways. We should all take pride in this, and we need to keep up this momentum for the remainder of this year as we consider more legislation and confirm more nominees. We will need it throughout the next Congress. We will need to work across the aisle within this body, and this Republican Senate and Democratic House will need to learn to collaborate as well. This long list of accomplishments offers just the blueprint we will need.

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 move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 544.

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

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