Floor Statements

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 executive session for the consideration of the following nomination: Executive Calendar No. 607. I ask consent that there then be 10 hours of debate equally divided in the usual form and that following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate vote on the nomination with no intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; that no further motions be in order; and that any statements relating to the nomination be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of Executive Calendar Nos. 791 through 820 and all nominations on the Secretary's desk; that the nominations be confirmed; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order; that any statements related to the nominations be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session for the en bloc consideration of the following nominations: Executive Calendar Nos. 710, 711, 712, 713, 714, and 825.

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc with no intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; that no further motions be in order; and that any statements relating to the nominations be printed in the Record.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of the following nomination: Executive Calendar No. 757.

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate vote on the nomination with no intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; that no further motions be in order; and that any statements relating to the nomination be printed in the Record.

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

Mr. President, on behalf of myself and the distinguished Democratic leader, Mr. Schumer, I send to the desk a resolution authorizing representation by the Senate Legal Counsel and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, this resolution concerns a pro se civil action filed in Maine Federal court against two employees of Senator King's office regarding claims arising out of volunteer assistance the pro se plaintiff provided to that office. The District Court, on its own initiative, dismissed the lawsuit without needing to hear from the defendants, and the plaintiff has filed a notice of appeal.

This resolution would authorize the Senate Legal Counsel to represent the Senate employees in that appeal in order to seek dismissal of the appeal or affirmance of the lower court's dismissal of this suit.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of and the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 440.

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.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further consideration of and the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 464.

Madam 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.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of S. Res. 489 through and including S. Res. 500, which were submitted earlier today.

I know of no further debate on the resolutions.

I ask unanimous consent that the preambles be agreed to en bloc.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn, to then convene for pro forma sessions only, with no business being conducted, on the following dates and times, and that following each pro forma session, the Senate adjourn until the next pro forma session: Monday, April 30, at 2:30 p.m. and Thursday, May 3, at 10:30 a.m. I further ask that when the Senate adjourns on Thursday, May 3, it next convene at 3 p.m. on Monday, May 7, and 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; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Engelhardt nomination; finally, that notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, the cloture motions filed during today's session ripen at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 7.

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.

Madam President, yesterday the Foreign Relations Committee finished consideration of Mike Pompeo's nomination to serve as our Nation's 70th Secretary of State. They reported his nomination to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation. Later this week, we will take their advice, and we will vote to confirm him.

We will be lucky to have this capable public servant on the job. We know Mike Pompeo is up to the task. After all, we confirmed him with a comfortable and bipartisan majority to lead the CIA. In one of the most sensitive positions in our government, the quality of his leadership was directly linked to the security of the American people.

West Point valedictorian, Harvard Law, U.S. Army officer, a successful businessman, and three-term Congressman serving on the House Intelligence Committee--this is the resume that Mike Pompeo brought to the top job at the CIA with the support of a bipartisan supermajority of the Senate, and, by all accounts, his tenure there has been a big success. The caliber of Mike's leadership and the quality of his counsel have won him the respect of our National Clandestine Service and the confidence of the President.

Just recently, Director Pompeo undertook sensitive conversations with representatives of North Korea to lay the groundwork for efforts aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

As he steps into this new mission as Secretary of State, he clearly enjoys the confidence of the President, and throughout his testimony before the Foreign Relations Committee, he demonstrated expertise and professionalism.

Fortunately, even as so many of President Trump's well-qualified nominees are obstructed and delayed without reason, a bipartisan majority of Senators have already signaled their intention to vote to confirm Mike Pompeo. We have the nominee, we have the votes, and we will confirm our next Secretary of State this week.

Then, I hope we can build on this bipartisan momentum and process more of the President's qualified nominees

Madam President, on another matter, our Nation's opioid epidemic continues to plague communities and families in my home State of Kentucky and across the Nation. Here in Congress, we are doing our best to support the healthcare and law enforcement professionals who are battling it every single day.

Last week, I introduced the Protecting Moms and Infants Act, a bipartisan effort to confront the heartbreaking cases of prenatal and infant opioid addiction. It builds on my 2015 bill, the Protecting Our Infants Act, and Congress's other recent progress on this issue.

In recent years, Congress has bolstered prevention, treatment, and enforcement efforts through the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and the 21st Century Cures Act, and the recent government funding bill dedicated a record level of resources to saving lives from heroin and prescription drug abuse.

But much more work remains. So today I am proud to announce legislation to address this crisis' devastating effects on the American worker and the American workforce.

Stable employment is not just a path to financial security for workers and families. Earning a paycheck from a job is also linked to personal happiness and even physical health. We see firsthand in Kentucky the need for the structure and support that come with a job to help keep former addicts from falling back into the cycle of addiction. According to the CEO of a treatment facility in Louisville, ``stable housing and employment are vitally tied to an individual's recovery.'' But, unfortunately, in the very communities where employment could do so much, the opioid crisis itself is making it harder to attain.

I frequently hear Kentucky employers cite substance abuse as a major hurdle to finding and hiring suitable

applicants. One study traced roughly 25 percent of the decline in workforce participation between 1999 and 2015 to the opioid crisis. That amounts to about 1 million missing workers. It is no wonder that the Trump administration reports that the epidemic cost our economy a half trillion dollars in 2015 alone.

The economic cost pales in comparison to the human cost that addiction and joblessness inflict. The Comprehensive Addiction Recovery through Effective Employment and Reentry Act, or CAREER Act, would bring targeted relief to the States most devastated by substance abuse. This State-based pilot program would encourage local businesses and treatment groups to form partnerships to help those in recovery find and maintain employment.

The legislation expands housing block grants to encourage more transitional housing options for recovering addicts until they secure permanent arrangements. It gives States more flexibility to spend Federal career services and training funds to support specific initiatives dedicated to helping individuals transition from treatment to the workforce. In short, this bill does exactly what the experts tell us needs to be done on this front.

This morning, Chairman Alexander and the HELP Committee are reviewing comprehensive opioid legislation. I commend the chairman for his diligent efforts on this subject. It is my hope that the committee will choose to include some of the proposals in the Protecting Moms and Infants Act and the CAREER Act in the larger package that they are developing.

This epidemic requires our continued attention. On behalf of those in Kentucky and all over the country who are struggling, we are determined to keep doing our part.