Floor Statements

Mr. President, on another matter entirely, I appreciated the opportunity to visit with the President yesterday after his impressive speech before Congress. We had a positive discussion about the upcoming legislative agenda. One important item we discussed was the way forward on repealing and replacing ObamaCare.

Just yesterday, our Members came together for a productive discussion on the next steps toward protecting American families from the broken promises of ObamaCare. Here in Congress, we remain committed to working with the administration to repeal and replace this failed law.

President Trump, in his address to Congress, reaffirmed his own commitment as well. He provided important direction on what the path forward should look like as we transition away from ObamaCare toward truly patient-centered care.

Now, look, we know this transition isn't going to be easy. Providing relief from the disaster of ObamaCare is going to be a challenge. However, the status quo is simply not sustainable. The American people need help, and they need it right now.

That is why we started the process of repealing and replacing this partisan law at the beginning of the year, and it is why we will keep working to make

this right for American families. It is what the people who sent us here have called for, and it remains among our top priorities here in the Senate.

Mr. President, on yet another matter, the Senate has been working to put the President's Cabinet in place with several important agencies that serve the American people. I am pleased to share that, by the end of the week, we will have confirmed even more nominees, including Representative Zinke, whom we approved yesterday, as well as Dr. Ben Carson and Gov. Rick Perry. Both Carson and Perry received bipartisan support in committee, and I expect to see the same when the Senate votes to confirm them. Once we do, Dr. Carson can begin bringing much needed reforms to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, while Governor Perry can begin leading on smarter policies at the Energy Department.

I also look forward to confirming another important nomination before the Senate. Judge Neil Gorsuch continues to earn praise from both sides of the aisle, including many on the political left. President Obama's legal mentor calls Gorsuch ``brilliant.''

His former Solicitor General praises Gorsuch for his ``fairness.''

Alan Dershowitz says Gorsuch is ``highly credentialed'' and ``hard to oppose on the merits.''

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently had praise for the judge, too, complimenting his collegiality and excellent writing abilities.

Judge Gorsuch has received wide support in his local community as well, with more than 200 Colorado lawyers from across the political spectrum voicing their support for his nomination. Here is what they said in a letter to Colorado's Senators just last week. They wrote:

We know Judge Gorsuch to be a person of utmost character.

He is fair, decent, and honest, both as a judge and a person.

His record shows that he believes strongly in the

independence of the judiciary. Judge Gorsuch has a well-

earned reputation as an excellent jurist. He voted with the

majority in 98 percent of the cases he heard on the Tenth

Circuit, a great portion of which were joined by judges

appointed by Democratic presidents.

We all agree that Judge Gorsuch is exceptionally well-

qualified to join the Supreme Court. He deserves an up or

down vote.

That is from 200 Colorado lawyers.

It is praise that has been reiterated by other Coloradans as well. Here is how the Colorado Springs Gazette put it this week in an editorial supporting the nomination. The paper said:

To vote against Judge Gorsuch would favor . . . party over

someone who clearly ranks among the top-qualified nominees in

the court's history.

The considerable praise we have heard regarding Judge Gorsuch is not surprising when we consider the reputation he has earned across his State, in the Federal judiciary, and among those who have worked with him through the years. That includes Judge John Kane, a senior district court judge in Colorado appointed by President Carter. He also shared his view this week on what type of jurist Judge Gorsuch has been, and will continue to be, if confirmed to the Supreme Court. Here is what he had to say. This is a Carter appointee:

[Judge Gorsuch's] opinions, concurrences and dissents are

clear, cogent and mercifully to the point. I have been

affirmed and reversed by him and in each instance I thought

he was right and fair.

Let me repeat what Judge Kane, a Carter appointee, said:

I have been affirmed and reversed by him and in each

instance I thought he was right and fair.

Judge Kane added that Judge Gorsuch's ``writings indicate a strong respect for tradition and precedent'' and, he said, ``I don't find his decisions reflecting any sort of ideological bias.''

``I am very comfortable with this nomination,'' Judge Kane concluded, and ``I'm not sure we could expect better, or that better presently exists.''

Let me say that again. This is a Carter appointee to Federal courts. He said: ``I'm not sure we could expect better, or that better presently exists.''

In other words, no one is better.

It is high acclaim from someone who not only has professional experience with the nominee before us but also someone who, as a judge himself, has a clear-eyed understanding of the standards a jurist must uphold.

In the coming days, we can expect to see more examples of bipartisan support for Judge Gorsuch. He is an outstanding nominee. He is both well qualified and well respected, and he deserves fair consideration and an up-or-down vote.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote on the nomination, and I move to table the motion to reconsider.

Mr. President, I yield back the time.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote on the nomination, and I move to table the motion to reconsider.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to H.J. Res. 37 and ask for the yeas and nays.

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 Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 79, 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 the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 80, submitted earlier today.

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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 2 p.m., Monday, March 6; 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 resume consideration of H.J. Res. 37; further, that the time until 6 p.m. be equally divided in the usual form; finally, that all debate time on H.J. Res. 37 expire at 6 p.m. Monday.

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 Klobuchar.

Mr. President, I think we were all really pleased last night to hear the President's unifying message. It was refreshing for everyone after such a difficult election season. It was great to see even my friend the Democratic leader occasionally applauding the President last night. It is a reminder that we are all in this together.

Yesterday, I laid out my hopes for his address to Congress. I said that the middle class is ready for a new direction after 8 years of disappointments. I said that we all knew what needed to get done, too-- issues like simplifying taxes to create more jobs, reforming regulations to get the economy moving, and repealing and replacing ObamaCare to bring relief to the middle class. It was great to hear the President touch on each of those issues last night.

It was also great to hear him talk about his outstanding nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch--a judge who has earned widespread acclaim and who will be a worthy successor to Justice Scalia on the High Court.

Last night President Trump talked about a new spirit of optimism in our country. He talked about repositioning us for success, both at home and in a dangerous world. He talked about growing opportunity, better jobs, and a thriving middle class. Then, he actually put forward policies that could get us there. What a change from the last 8 years.

He also outlined some of the actions he has already taken to move these priorities forward. For instance, he took action yesterday to send the so-called waters of the United States rule back to the drawing board. He demonstrated that there are realistic ways to protect our Nation's waterways without excessive and duplicative regulations that infringe on the property rights of individuals.

Let me again commend him for protecting the middle class from yet another regulation based more on ideology than fact. It is just the type of thing Americans are so tired of--leftwing regulations spun as one thing, but that really do another; left-leaning laws that purport to help the middle class, but that actually hurt middle-class families.

A great example of that is ObamaCare. Americans were promised that costs would go down, but, of course, they went up. Americans were promised more choice, but they got less. Americans were promised that they could keep their plans, but that was a broken promise as well.

No wonder Americans were so tired of what they have seen over the last 8 years. They are ready for something entirely new. They are ready to start believing in the future again. The President made clear last night that he is ready to work with Congress on policies that can actually move us forward. He will find many partners in Congress excited to get those things accomplished.

We share his commitment on other issues he outlined too. We agree that our children deserve better than failing schools. We agree that our veterans deserve better than failing bureaucracy. We agree that our brothers and mothers and friends and neighbors deserve better than the scourge of heroin and prescription opioid abuse.

In an era of divided government, Congress took what action we could on those issues. It was often significant action, and we are all proud of it. But we now have a chance to achieve even more. So, of course, we are excited about the opportunity to improve the lives of the men and women who sent us here. That is why we all signed up for this job in the first place.

I am not just talking about Republicans. I know our Democratic friends have different ideas than us on many of these things. I know the far left is pressuring them to burn the place down because it can't accept the results of last year's election. But everyone knows that won't get us anywhere at all.

Let's remember that we have a historic opportunity before us. We can

keep refighting the last election over and over and over, or we can heed the President's message of unity last night. We can come together to accomplish big things. We can pull down the barriers of the past. We can uphold, in the words of the Democratic leader himself, our ``moral obligation'' to ``avoid gridlock and get the country to work again.''

Now, I know he said that just before the election. I know he hoped the election would turn out differently. But we each have a duty to accept the results. We each have a duty to bring the country together and to move it forward. That is now the challenge before our Democratic friends.

I ask them to meet the moment--to meet the moment. I hope they will because the American people are counting on us all. They are ready for a new start. We are determined to work hard on their behalf. As the President himself said last night, so is he.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote on the nomination, and I move to table the motion to reconsider.

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