Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 664, 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.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the

Senate completes its business today, it recess until 10 a.m., Tuesday, October 2; that following the prayer and pledge, the Executive Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate recess tomorrow from 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings; further, that notwithstanding rule XXII, all time during leader time and recess count postcloture on the House message to accompany H.R. 302.

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

Thereupon, the Senate, at 6:39 p.m. recessed until Tuesday, October 2, 2018, at 10 a.m.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

I now ask for a second reading and, in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 6897, which was received from the House.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 567, S. 2515.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read the third time.

The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read the third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 632 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, 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.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 661, submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, 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.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 662, submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, 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.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Democratic leader, the Senate proceed to the consideration of the House message to accompany H.R. 6, the opioids bill. I further ask consent that the majority leader or his designee be recognized to make a motion to concur; that there be up to 4 hours of debate on the motion, equally divided in the usual form; and that following the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate vote on the motion to concur with no further intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, for the information of all of our colleagues, there were two very significant developments today.

This morning, the Judiciary Committee reported out Judge Kavanaugh favorably. All 11 Republican members of the Judiciary Committee voted in favor of reporting him out with a favorable recommendation. No. 2, we will shortly move to proceed to the Kavanaugh nomination, and I am pleased to announce that all 51 Republican Members of the Senate support the motion to proceed to the nomination. One hundred percent of the Republican conference supports proceeding to the Kavanaugh nomination.

Now, in committee, they reviewed the most pages of documents ever produced pertaining to any Supreme Court nomination--literally, hundreds of judicial opinions from his tenure on the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit and 5 days of hearings during which Judge Kavanaugh testified for nearly 40 hours. Judge Kavanaugh testified on every topic, from complicated legal subjects to sensitive personal matters, and there were statements and testimony from countless personal friends, classmates, coworkers, former clerks, and other associates.

So the picture that has emerged from all of this is clear: Judge Kavanaugh is one of the most qualified and most impressive Supreme Court nominees in the history of our country.

He has excelled at the highest levels of legal scholarship. He holds two degrees from Yale and, for years, has lectured at Harvard Law School. He has issued more than 300 legal opinions from what is widely considered the second highest court in the Nation. Several have subsequently been cited in the Supreme Court's own majority opinions. Along the way, he has built an outstanding reputation within the legal community for his clear and thoughtful writing and his exemplary, fairminded judicial temperament.

Judge Kavanaugh's qualifications have been affirmed by his peers and by renowned legal scholars from across the ideological spectrum. One self-described liberal Democrat who advised him at Yale Law School said that Judge Kavanaugh ``commands wide and deep respect among scholars, lawyers, and jurists.''

This praise has been echoed by hundreds of character witnesses who have testified before the Senate or written us letters to praise Judge Kavanaugh's personal character and his integrity in the strongest terms.

The committee has also thoroughly investigated the last-minute allegations that have been brought forward. The evidence that has been produced either fails to corroborate these accusations or, in fact, support Judge Kavanaugh's unequivocal denial, and, in some cases, the accusers have even recanted their baseless allegations.

All in all, this is a nominee who has received what many have considered the gold standard of judicial qualification--a rating of unanimously ``well qualified'' from the American Bar Association.

So this is a nomination that deserves to move forward, and that is precisely what is happening.

I commend our colleagues on the committee for sending this impressive nominee here to the floor with a favorable recommendation.

Now we will keep the process moving. The full Senate will begin consideration of Judge Kavanaugh's nomination today.

Mr. President, I understand the Senate has received a message from the House to accompany H.R. 302.

The ACTING PRESIDENT Pro Tempore. The Senator is correct.

I move that the Chair lay before the Senate the message to accompany H.R. 302.

I move to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment.

I send a cloture motion to the desk on the motion to concur.

I move to concur in the House amendment with a further amendment.

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

I move to refer the House message on H.R. 302 to the Committee on Commerce with instructions to report back forthwith.

I ask for the yeas and nays on my motion.

I have an amendment to the instructions.

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call be waived.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, at 5 p.m. on Monday, October 1, the Senate resume consideration of the House message to accompany H.R. 302, as if in legislative session; further, that at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur; further, that if cloture is invoked, the Senate remain in executive session and the postcloture time continue to run as otherwise under the rule; finally, that upon the use or yielding back of the postcloture time, the Senate vote, as if in legislative session, on the motion to concur.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 1127.