Floor Statements

Mr. President, I thank my friend from Oregon. I think this is a great project we can work on together.

During the recent break, I met with a lot of farmers in Kentucky. Since farmers demographically tend to be older in most of our States, I thought it was particularly noteworthy that there were a lot of young, enthusiastic farmers, including research people from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, with genuine enthusiasm about what this could mean to help reinvigorate a rural economy in Kentucky that is not what it used to be when we had tobacco as our No. 1 cash crop. That has faded, and it should have, given the health implications of it.

This is an opportunity for us to do something together, to do something important for rural America, and I look forward to working with my friend and colleague to achieve success.

Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the nomination.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the further rollcall votes in this series be 10 minutes in length.

Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the nomination.

Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the nomination.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action for the nominations confirmed during today's session.

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

Mr. President, I ask that the Chair lay before the Senate the message to accompany S. 140.

The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message from the House of Representatives:

Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 140) entitled

``An Act to amend the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water

Rights Quantification Act of 2010 to clarify the use of

amounts in the WMAT Settlement Fund.'', do pass with an

amendment.

Motion to Concur

Mr. President, I move to concur in the House amendment to S. 140.

Cloture Motion

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Mr. President, I move to refer the House message on S. 140 to the Committee on Indian Affairs 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.

Mr. President, today the Senate completed its work on the personnel business for this week the way we started--by confirming a talented nominee to be a Federal district judge in Kentucky.

President Trump nominated Rebecca Jennings to be the first woman to serve as a district judge for the Western District of Kentucky. Widely recognized for her outstanding legal talents and judgment, Ms. Jennings has earned the support of Kentucky's legal community. In fact, dozens of her peers wrote that ``she has a first-rate analytical mind and superb judgment. She is principled, thoughtful, and hard-working.'' These qualities are exactly what I believe we need on the Federal district courts. Our colleagues on the Judiciary Committee agreed, advancing Ms. Jennings' nomination to the Senate floor on a voice vote. Just moments ago, the Senate fulfilled its responsibility, confirming another well-qualified nominee for Kentucky and for the Nation, both of which will be well-served by Rebecca Jennings on the bench.

I hope the Senate can build on this momentum and continue confirming more of the President's abundantly qualified nominees without undue delay.

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

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, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 461, 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 understand that 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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m., Monday, April 16; 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, I ask that following leader remarks, the Senate resume consideration of the House message to accompany S. 140 and that notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, the cloture vote on the motion to concur be 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, this morning, Speaker Ryan announced to his colleagues that he will be departing the House at the conclusion of the 115th Congress.

Two and a half years ago, Paul Ryan was drafted by his colleagues to lead the House through a new era. Like a true leader, Paul stepped up to the plate. He answered his colleagues' call with exactly the earnest, selfless, and focused approach that has defined his entire career in Congress. The results have been beyond impressive.

Capping off a remarkable 20-year career in Congress, Paul's speakership has yielded one significant accomplishment after another for his conference, his constituents in Wisconsin's First Congressional District, as well as the American people.

True to his career-long reputation as a champion for pro-growth economics, Paul helped lead the way on last year's once-in-a-generation rewrite of the Nation's Tax Code. Thanks in large part to his personal passion and expertise, reform became a reality, and our economy is charting a new course toward greater prosperity and greater opportunity.

On its own, this generational accomplishment would secure the Speaker's legacy as a transformational conservative leader, but, of course, it is far from the only fruit of his speakership. His leadership was vital to securing everything from the largest year-on- year increase in defense funding in 15 years to the remaking of the way we treat and find cures for rare diseases. What is more, Paul has paired that ambitious agenda with infectious good cheer and an unflagging commitment to serve all Americans. Amidst all the stresses and pressures of leadership, Paul's optimism and energy never waned.

It has been a sincere pleasure and a real inspiration to work alongside this humble servant and happy warrior. I am glad we can count on his continued leadership through the rest of this year because our work together is far from finished. I look forward to collaborating closely these next months to implement more of the inclusive, pro- growth, pro-opportunity agenda the American people are counting on us to keep advancing.