Floor Statements

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) and the Senator from New Hampshire (Mrs. Shaheen) are necessarily absent.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) and the Senator from New Hampshire (Mrs. Shaheen) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the Senator from New Hampshire (Mrs. Shaheen) are necessarily absent.

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

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

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) is necessarily absent.

Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Michael Etan Farbiarz to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Born in New York, NY, Mr. Farbiarz received his A.B. from Harvard University in 1995. After graduation, he studied as a Fiske Scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge University, from 1995 to 1996 before earning his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1999. He then clerked for Judge Michael B. Mukasey on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York from 1999 to 2000 and Judge Jose Cabranes on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2000 to 2001.

Mr. Farbiarz began his legal career in 2001 as an associate at a law firm in New York City, where he worked for 3 years and tried two cases. In 2004, he joined the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York--SDNY--as an assistant U.S. Attorney. Over the course of a decade, Mr. Farbiarz led more than 100 investigations, tried 7 cases, and argued 13 appeals before the Second Circuit. Within 5 years, he rose to serve as the deputy chief of the Terrorism and National Security Unit for 1 year and was further elevated to serve as the cochief of the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit for 4 years.

After leaving the SDNY, Mr. Farbiarz became a senior fellow at New York University Law School from 2014 to 2016 and worked as an adjunct instructor at Columbia Law School in 2014. Most recently, Mr. Farbiarz has served as the general counsel of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey since 2016.

The American Bar Association has unanimously rated Mr. Farbiarz ``well qualified'' to serve on the District of New Jersey. Senators Menendez and Booker strongly support his nomination as well.

I will be supporting this outstanding nominee, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) is necessarily absent.

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

Mr. President, ``Always ready, always there.'' That is the motto of the Illinois National Guard. And for 300 years, in times of war and peace, it has lived up to that promise.

As the Illinois National Guard celebrates its 300th anniversary, we thank our citizen soldiers for their service and their sacrifice.

If you want to see the selfless character of the Illinois National Guard, just take a look around the Senate because you will spot my colleague Senator Tammy Duckworth, former Lt. Col. Tammy Duckworth of the Illinois Air National Guard.

Senator Duckworth almost gave her life when the Black Hawk helicopter she was copiloting was hit by an RPG in Iraq. But it didn't diminish her will to serve our State and our Nation, and I am lucky to have her as my colleague.

The Illinois National Guard traces its history of service to May 9, 1723, when a local militia completed its first exercise in Kaskaskia, IL. Back then, Illinois was still a French territory. Since then, the citizen soldiers of the Illinois National Guard have protected our State and Nation at home and abroad.

When the Mississippi River overflows its banks or when we are faced with other natural disasters, it is the Guard that we call. And its members have served with honor and distinction throughout its history.

During the American Revolution, Illinois' militia members fought under the heroic command of Col. George Rogers Clark to oust the British from Illinois.

Illinois' most famous member of the National Guard was a man named Abraham Lincoln, who served during the Black Hawk war in the 1830s.

During the Mexican-American War, a young Army officer served as assistant quartermaster in the 21st Illinois Infantry Regiment. He went on to lead the Union forces to victory in the Civil War. His name was Ulysses S. Grant.

Later, Illinois' 370th Infantry Regiment earned the distinction of being the only Army unit commanded mainly by African-American officers in World War I, and members of the Illinois Army National Guard served bravely in World War II, the Korean war, Vietnam war, Operation Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

More recently, Illinois National Guard members were activated during the COVID-19 pandemic as the world grappled with that virus; and after the U.S. Capitol was attacked on January 6, National Guard members were dispatched to help restore order.

In the most challenging times, the Illinois National Guard continues to be ``Always ready, always there.'' I am confident they will be for many years to come.

This month, their sacrifices are remembered throughout our State; and on behalf of a grateful State and Nation, I want to commend Maj. Gen. Rich Neely, the adjutant general of the Illinois National Guard, and all the men and women of the Illinois National Guard on the occasion of this momentous anniversary.

Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Judge Robert Kirsch to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

A graduate of Emory University and Fordham University School of Law, Judge Kirsch clerked for U.S. District Judge William J. Zloch on the Southern District of Florida before devoting his entire legal career to public service.

Judge Kirsch was selected for the prestigious U.S. Attorney General's Honors Program, in which he served as a trial attorney in the civil division.

Thereafter, Judge Kirsch spent over a decade as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, defending the United States in civil actions and prosecuting a range of criminal cases including financial and corporate fraud, as well as drug trafficking, weapons offenses, and bank robbery.

Since 2010, Judge Kirsch has had a distinguished career as a judge on the New Jersey Superior Court, serving as a criminal division judge, a civil division judge, and a family division judge.

The American Bar Association rated Judge Kirsch as unanimously ``well qualified.'' In addition, he has the strong support of his home State Senators--Mr. Menendez and Mr. Booker--as well as the New Jersey legal community.

Judge Kirsch's significant courtroom experience, as both a longtime litigator and on the bench, makes him well-positioned to serve on the District of New Jersey with distinction. I urge my colleagues to support Judge Kirsch's nomination.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein) is necessarily absent.

Madam President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Anthony Johnstone to a Montana seat on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Johnstone is an accomplished appellate litigator, academic, and public servant and was unanimously rated ``well qualified'' by the ABA. He received degrees from Yale University and the University of Chicago Law School before clerking for Judge Sidney Thomas, whom he has been nominated to succeed.

Mr. Johnstone began his career in private practice as a commercial litigator in New York before returning to Montana to pursue a career in both public service and academia. From 2004 to 2011, Mr. Johnstone served in the Montana Department of Justice. In recognition of his legal acumen, he was appointed State solicitor--Montana's top appellate lawyer--in 2008. In this role, he handled 29 cases on appeal, including 19 as sole or chief counsel of record.

Since 2007, Johnstone has also served as a professor at the University of Montana Blewett School of Law. He teaches courses on constitutional law, legislation, the regulatory process, and other topics. In addition to teaching, he is also a prolific writer and has authored pieces on federalism, the law of democracy, and issues of importance to rural communities--including those located in the Ninth Circuit's jurisdiction.

Mr. Johnstone has earned the trust of leaders throughout the Montana legal community. With his experience in both legal practice and legal theory, along with his unwavering commitment to the Constitution and the rule

of law, Mr. Johnstone will be an exceptional judge on the Ninth Circuit.

I strongly support his nomination and urge my colleagues to do the same.

I announce that the Senator from California (Mrs. Feinstein), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Kelly), and the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin) are necessarily absent.