Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 335, S. 1281.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Hassan amendment be considered and agreed to, the committee-reported substitute amendment, as amended, be agreed to, and the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time.

Mr. President, 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 Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 471, submitted earlier today.

I know of no further debate on the measure.

I ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to.

I ask unanimous consent that 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. 472, 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 adjourn until 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, April 18; 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 S.J. Res. 57, with the time until 12 noon equally divided between the managers or their designees; further, I ask that at 12 noon tomorrow, the Senate vote on passage of S.J. Res. 57, and that if passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; finally, notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, the cloture vote with respect to the House message to accompany S. 140 occur following disposition of S.J. Res. 57.

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 Thune.

Mr. President, I want to begin this afternoon by commending the men and women who make up the world's most capable military. Over the weekend, America's all-volunteer Armed Forces executed a challenging mission with precision and with excellence. At the President's order, the United States joined with our British and French allies in military action to respond to Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people.

I support both the actions taken and the underlying objectives.

The tactics the Assad regime has deployed to consolidate gains and terrorize the people of Syria have stood in defiance of the clear U.S. position that the use of chemical weapons is simply unacceptable. It was time to act.

Americans have become used to flawless execution on the part of our uniformed military. Times like these compel us to pause and appreciate their excellence and their heroism. We must remember that none of it could occur without extensive training, careful planning, robust investment, and the professionalism, dedication, and bravery of our servicemembers.

Mr. President, on a completely different matter, this afternoon the Senate will vote to advance legislation from Senator Moran that would bolster the proper sovereignty of American Indian Tribes in the face of excessive Federal regulations.

From the passage of the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 all the way until 2004, the NLRB respected the sovereignty status of Tribal government employers. But because the law does not technically provide that exemption, the NLRB discarded that precedent in 2004 and has become entangled in local Tribal decisions.

By intervening in Tribal affairs on a case-by-case basis, the NLRB has effectively been picking winners and losers among different businesses. The result has been regulatory confusion and a lessening of Tribal governments' authority to govern their own lands.

This legislation would correct the 83-year-old oversight that led to this confusion. It would codify in law that federally recognized Tribal governments should be exempt from such regulation, just like other State and local governments.

More than 160 Tribes, Tribal corporations, and Tribal trade associations support Senator Moran's legislation. I am proud to support it as well, and I urge every one of us to vote to advance the bill later this afternoon.

Tax Reform

Mr. President, tomorrow's tax filing deadline is not exactly a national holiday, but millions of Americans use the end of tax season as a time to pause and to take stock. In recent weeks, at kitchen tables in Kentucky and across the country, working families have been crunching the numbers. For too long, our country's outdated and unfair Tax Code made life more difficult than it needed to be for middle-class families. Now all of that is changing.

Tomorrow marks the last time America's working families, entrepreneurs, and job creators will have to file under that old Tax Code. This Republican Congress and President Trump got rid of it and put a brandnew 21st century Tax Code in its place. Now Americans are rightly anticipating a better year ahead, and they aren't having to wait very long.

President Trump is in Florida today to hold a roundtable discussion with small business owners. On Main Streets from Miami to Tallahassee, tax reform is empowering local employers to create more prosperity for their employees and for their communities.

In Melbourne, the owner of Stellar Transport, a shuttle service that works closely with Florida's elderly, is using tax savings to raise wages, expand paid vacation, and cover a 26-percent increase in healthcare costs for his 60 employees.

In Jacksonville, Magellan Transport Logistics is planning to buy a new 47,000-square-foot facility and hire 100 new employees as part of an ambitious plan to succeed under the new pro-growth Tax Code. Of course, these are among the first fruits of the U.S. economy under this historic new law.

Millions of U.S. workers are receiving bonuses, raises, and special benefits, not to mention lower utility rates and increased opportunities. As employers adopt new withholding practices, more and more workers will see more of their own money going into their own pockets.

Florida's workers and entrepreneurs should be proud of Senator Rubio, who was instrumental in getting tax reform across the finish line. In particular, his efforts helped Republicans to secure a significant increase in the child tax credit.

It is surprising that Florida's senior Senator didn't want any part of all these tax cuts and new jobs. He took every opportunity to vote with every other Democrat and try to block these tax cuts from happening. Fortunately, Republicans overcame partisan opposition and made tax reform a reality.

Measure Placed on the Calendar--S. 2667

Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk 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.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I move to table the motion to refer.

Madam President, I move to table the motion to concur with further amendment.

I move to concur in the House amendment to S. 140, with a further amendment.

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

Madam President, I send a cloture motion to the desk on the motion to concur with further amendment.

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

I ask for the yeas and nays on the motion to concur with amendment.

Madam President, I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

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

Madam President, I move to refer the House message on S. 140 to the Committee on Commerce with instructions to report back forthwith.

I ask for the yeas and nays on my motion.

Madam President, 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.

Madam President, I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 609.

I send a cloture motion to the desk.

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

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.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 465, submitted earlier today.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 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, 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. 466, S. Res. 467, and S. Res. 468.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preamble, where applicable, be agreed to, and 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 until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 17; 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 proceed to executive session to consider the Muniz nomination under the previous order, with the time until 12:30 p.m. equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; finally, I ask that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings.

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 Udall.

Mr. President, yesterday, the Senate confirmed John Ring to the National Labor Relations Board. Now the NLRB is, once again, fully staffed and ready to call balls and strikes fairly for America's workers.

This morning, we confirmed Patrick Pizzella, the President's highly qualified nominee, to fill the No. 2 job at the Department of Labor. Mr. Pizzella brings a sterling reputation and an impressive resume. It includes time at the GSA, the Small Business Administration, the Department of Education, the Federal Housing Finance Board, and OPM.

Even with 8 years as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Administration and Management and 4 years as a Senate-confirmed member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, this dedicated public servant saw his confirmation process play out in a manner that has become all too familiar--months of waiting on the Senate calendar, months of obstruction by our Democratic colleagues, months of needless vacancy in this critical agency position. After this morning's vote, Mr. Pizzella can finally get to work, but the same story of obstruction applies to the next nomination on the slate as well.

Andrew Wheeler is ready and waiting--and waiting and waiting--to clock in as Deputy Administrator of the EPA. His qualifications are beyond question. He has won the support of the American Farm Bureau Federation and has won praise from both sides of the aisle. Mr. Wheeler's former boss, our colleague Senator Inhofe, said, ``There is no one more qualified.'' Our former colleague, Senator Lieberman, called Mr. Wheeler ``fair and professional'' and said, ``I hope his nomination will receive . . . fair consideration by the Senate.''

Delaying key executive nominees does not come cost-free to the country. The Deputy Administrator is the EPA's chief operating officer. He plays a major role in protecting America's air and water, while minimizing unnecessary obstacles for workers and job creators. The American people deserve to have him and other key officials in place.

I mentioned yesterday that our Democratic colleagues are literally setting records. Just 15 months in, they have chosen to force--listen to this--84 cloture votes on President Trump's executive and judicial nominees. Eighty-four. That is more than three times as many nominee cloture votes as happened in the first 2 years of Presidents Obama, President Bush, and President Clinton combined. Combined, 84 cloture votes is more than 3 times as many cloture votes as happened in the first 2 years of President Obama, Bush, and Clinton altogether. Many of the nominees were then confirmed nearly unanimously.

I hope these stalling tactics will end soon because the personnel business isn't going anywhere. Today, in fact, CIA Director Mike Pompeo is appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the first time as the President's nominee for Secretary of State. He is yet another qualified nominee who deserves fair and swift consideration for our country's sake.

For now, I meant what I said on Monday. We will remain in session as long as it takes to process this week's slate of nominees. After Mr. Wheeler, we still have two judicial nominees: Rebecca Grady Jennings for the Western District of Kentucky and John Broomes for the District of Kansas. One way or another, the easy way or the hard way, this Senate will get the people's business done this week.

Mr. President, on another matter, I have been speaking all week about the stark difference between the Obama administration's economic legacy and the pro-growth agenda this Republican Congress and Republican President have been putting in place.

For 8 years, our Democratic friends' so-called economic recovery hardly made it past our Nation's biggest and richest cities. Democratic policies largely failed the millions of working Americans who live in our small towns and suburbs, smaller cities and rural areas--not so with this Republican Congress and this Republican President. Already, our inclusive opportunity agenda is bringing new energy, new optimism, and new growth to all of those forgotten parts of our country.

On my recent trip back to Kentucky, I heard what I have been hearing for months now. I heard how tax reform is helping bourbon producers compete, create jobs, and reinvigorate their local economies. I heard how employers in the State are reinvesting in their workers by offering bonuses or looking to increase hiring. I heard how farm families are breathing easier after regulatory reforms that will keep the government from invading every puddle, ditch, and pothole in America.

These signs of progress just confirm what Republicans have said all along: that middle-class families flourish when the IRS takes less of what they earn; that American entrepreneurs thrive when we scrub the regulatory rust off our economy and give farmers, ranchers local communities, community banks, and small businesses more say over their own affairs; that good things happen when we just get Washington out of the way.

Our policies are delivering real prosperity for Americans in all kinds of communities, so it is no surprise that a recent study found that last year, rural areas outpaced the rest of the country in relative job creation.

These are promising signs and long over due, but, of course, there is a lot more work to do.