Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 430, S. 2734.

Mr. President, 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 S. Res. 537, submitted earlier today.

Mr. 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.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 538, 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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m., Monday, June 11; 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. I further ask that following leader remarks, the Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 5515. Finally, I ask that notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, the vote on the motion to proceed to H.R. 5515 occur at 5:30 p.m., Monday.

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.

Mr. President, yesterday I announced that the Senate's regularly scheduled August recess will not occur this year. Members will be able to meet with our constituents during a standard 1-week State work period at the beginning of the month, and then we will come right back here and get back to work.

The reason is simple: We have too much left to do for the American people.

Sixteen months into the Trump administration, Senate Democrats persist in their unprecedented campaign to obstruct the President's nominees for a wide array of executive and judicial positions.

It is time for a little historic perspective.

During President Obama's first 2 years, the Senate needed only 12 cloture votes on nominations. In President George W. Bush's first 2 years, there were four cloture votes on nominations and for President Clinton, just eight. But less than a year and a half into this administration, the Democratic minority has stalled progress through-- listen to this--101 cloture votes, and counting, on nominations--101 cloture votes.

This used to be a rare tool of last resort, used only in a tiny handful of cases. Well, not these days. In many cases, the nominees in question are completely without controversy. Not a single Senator in either party voted against confirming Robert Wier or Fernando Rodriguez to serve as district court judges just yesterday. They were both confirmed unanimously. So were Walter Counts and Karen Scholer, two more district judges we considered back in January. But Senate Democrats forced us to invoke cloture on each of these nominees and then made sure they soaked up Senate floor time, even though literally no Senator opposed them.

This isn't due diligence. It certainly isn't good government. It is what happens when our friends across the aisle put political slogans about ``the resistance'' ahead of the country's needs.

We have gotten a great deal done this Congress. We have bolstered our economy with historic tax reform and regulatory reform. We have delivered critical resources to communities afflicted by the opioid crisis, with more on the way. We have undone harmful spending caps to fully equip our military. We have taken action to combat human trafficking and school violence. We have repealed ObamaCare's individual mandate tax and its Independent Payment Advisory Board and delayed several other healthcare taxes.

Republicans are still working to do more. We need to confirm more of the President's team and judicial nominees. We need to take up regular appropriations bills. We need to tackle legislative priorities like the water infrastructure bill, the farm bill, the Defense bill, and many others.

So the Senate will remain in session in August. We will work on legislation. We will confirm more nominees.

We will keep delivering on the agenda that has already done so much to make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous.

On another matter, Mr. President, I was honored to meet a number of Kentucky veterans at the World War II Memorial and welcome them to Washington.

My father fought in World War II, so I was particularly grateful to hear these veterans' stories and share their special moments of remembrance. One man I talked to is 100 years old. He was in the initial invasion when we finally got on offense in North Africa. He fought in every theater in Europe and was there when the Germans surrendered on May 8, 1945. He landed at Omaha Beach, but he said it was 2 days after the invasion, so there was a second wave of soldiers coming in after the invasion, and there are stories and stories of people like that.

I had a chance to thank each of them, as well as the Honor Flight Bluegrass organization, which takes on the logistical and financial burdens so that veterans can travel to their monuments at no personal cost.

I was especially glad this opportunity came today, on the 74th anniversary of the D-day invasion. On June 6, 1944, the free world embarked on a daring mission of historic proportions. With conviction, bravery, and patriotism, the ``greatest generation'' ran into the breach.

Many paid the ultimate price on D-day, but their bravery paved the road to victory in Europe. Allied troops stared down the most pernicious evil the modern world had ever seen--and prevailed.

The world has changed in the years since D-day, but some things haven't changed at all. We still honor the sacrifices of those who ran into the breach.

Today, the President will sign into law the VA MISSION Act that Congress passed last month. It is a set of major improvements in the way we care for American veterans--increasing their choices and expanding access to care for those who sacrificed to serve.

Here is something else that hasn't changed: We still call on brave men and women to take on a wide array of difficult missions.

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

Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 442,

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to proceed be agreed to.

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

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

Mr. 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.

Mr. President, the Select Committee on Intelligence has received a request from the Department of Justice for records pertinent to a pending investigation arising out of allegations of the unauthorized disclosure of information by a former employee of the Committee.

This resolution would authorize the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, acting jointly, to provide records in response to this request from the Department of Justice.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 61, H.R. 88.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendment be agreed to, the Murkowski amendment at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, 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. 172, H.R. 1719.

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 the following Calendar bills en bloc: Calendar Nos. 432, 433, 434, and 415.

I ask unanimous consent that the bills, en bloc, be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bills en bloc.

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