quorum call:

mr. brown: the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: i ask to distense with the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: this week, this body began rubber stamping yet another trump nominee who will help unravel wall street, reform who will give big banks free rein again. this white house looks like a retreat for wall street executives. michelle bowman is about to become a member of the board of

governors of the federal reserve. we should be aware that the only reason this slot is open is because of the obstruction of president obama's federal reserve nominees in the last congress. president trump will already have nominated six of the seven board slots. other nominees we could be voting on who would enjoy more broad bipartisan support that i would -- that would have direct impact on saving and creating american jobs, people -- bipartisan nominees for the export-import bank blocked by two or three members of the senate, doing the bidding of the white house, costing us thousands -- and this is coming from business interests, chamber of commerce, national association of manufacturers, people -- "wall street journal" places like that. this is costing us thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs because of complicitness in the majority leader's office and because somebody at the white house has a problem with the export-import bank. nobody can understand what it is.

these nominees have strong bipartisan support. instead of voting on that to create jobs immediately, immediately in my state, we're voting on someone who will make it easier for the fed to roll back and water down more consumer protections. miss bowman failed during the hearing to provide the committee with any insight on her views on monetary policy and regulation, on financial stability. in other words, all of the issues that affect our economy she'll make decisions on. we've seen what's happening at the fed. we've heard their plans for rolling back rule after rule after rule. today vice president -- vice chair quarles said the fed came to our committee last week to testify. last week he said the weakened -- they'll weaken stress tests for living wills. the fed put out its proposal to implement the bank giveaway bill enacted earlier this year. it rolls back rules on banks with over $250 billion -- you know what else it does?

get this, mr. president. the fed announced plans to weaken rules for foreign mega banks. these are banks like santander and deutsche banks. these are foreign banks. think about making america great again. these are foreign banks, big foreign banks, foreign banks that are huge into the hundreds of billions of dollars in assets internationally. good size in this country. they have broken federal law. time and time and time again. what does this white house do? what does the majority leader do? he says it's okay to give these foreign banks a break. then we have to be preached to about making america great. how does that make any sense, mr. president? that the president of the united states sends these nominees up here who come out of this swamp at the white house, these nominees who pure and simple look like a retreat of wall street executives at the white house. excuse me, a retreat of foreign banks c.e.o.'s at the white house. and they come up here and weaken

the rules protecting americans. we side with foreign banks who have broken the law instead of siding with american consumers. mr. president, something is very, very wrong on that. i worry for our country. i worry for our economy. i know what happened -- there may be collective amnesia in the senate banking committee but i remember what happened. mr. president, i live -- the zip code my wife and i live in had more foreclosures in 2007 than any zip code in the united states of america. i see the residue from those foreclosures. i know people lost their homes. i know people lost their savings. i know people lost their jobs. i see what those homes look like. i know they have high levels of lead-based paint. does anybody care about that? no, they want more deregulation and wanchts to help the foreign banks at the expense of people in my neighborhood. it's bad economics. it's morally outrageous. the presiding officer: the

clerk shall call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar numbers 544. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nominations. the clerk: nomination, department of agriculture, steven vaden of tennessee to be general counsel. mr. mcconnell: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of stephen alexander vaden of tennessee to be general

counsel of the department of agriculture. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i move to proceed to legislatives. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion carries. mr. mcconnell: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 939. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. opposed, no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, department of commerce, karen dunn kelley of pennsylvania to be deputy secretary. mr. mcconnell: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of of the standing rules of the

senate do here by move to bring to a close the nomination of karen dunn kelley of pennsylvania to be deputy secretary of commerce. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. opposed, no. the ayes appear to have to. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. mcconnell: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 626. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. opposed, no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. thomas alvin farr of north carolina to be united states district judge for the eastern district of north carolina. mr. mcconnell: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators we, the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the

nomination of thomas alvin farr of north carolina to be united states district judge for the eastern district of north carolina. signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. mcconnell: i move to froad executive session to consider calendar 11341. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the clerk shall report the motion. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, jonathan a. kobes of south dakota to be united states circuit judge for the eighth circuit. mr. mcconnell: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: cloture motion, we the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of jonathan a. kobes

of south dakota to be united states circuit judge for the eighth circuit signed by 17 senators as follows -- mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: all in favor say aye. opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. mcconnell: i move to proceed to executive to consider calendar number 1064. the presiding officer: all in favor. opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the. the clerk: will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, bureau of consumer financial protection, kathleen laura kraninger of ohio to be director. mr. mcconnell: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. the clerk: cloture motion, we the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of kathleen laura

kraninger of ohio to be director bureau of consumer financial protections signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the mandatory quorum call, for the cloture motions be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that with respect to the bowman nomination, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: without objection. the presiding officer: the clerk shall call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: i ask that the calling of the quorum be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection.

mr. grassley: people who have called themselves latvians have been in existence for centuries and centuries. but the nation-state that we call latvia has only existed for 100 years, so i come to the floor to express the fact that on saturday the republic of latvia celebrates 100 years as a country. as kobach chair of the senate baltic freedom caucus, i recognize the estonia and lithuania in february, and i mentioned that i would be back this november to talk about latvia's 100th anniversary like i did estonia and lithuania

back in february. on november 18, 1918, the people's consul of lat i hava -- lat via declared independence. the movement was a process of continuous historical development going back to the latvian national awakening in the 1950s. at that time between local german-speaking nobles and the russian imperial government and divided by the internal political boundaries between the russian empire, latvians did not control their political fate. however latvians promoted unity

around their language and culture. with the collapse of the czar government, latvians pushed for an autonomous territory, although independence did not yet seem feasible. when there's an -- there was an attempt to consolidate control of la tvia, the time came to declare independence. however, as we all know, declaring independence remains and means being prepared to defend that decision of independence. much as our founding fathers pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to the cause of american independence, the founding

fathers of lativia knew they would have to defend their independence with the force of ours. in fact, they had to fight invasions by both soviets and germans. if this sounds familiar, it is because it's pretty much the same story i described in february with the he's stonian -- estonian war of independence. in fact, the lativias and estonians fought side by side. they received help from poland, they signed the peace treaty recognizing the sovereignty of latvi ia -- sadly, it wasn't long before the treaty was

violated. hitler and stallen agreed to -- between them and the pack. the soviets and the other baltics in the leadup to world war ii and then of course hitler broke his end of the bargain and invaded. at the end of the war, stalin had taken back the baltics and made clear that he was there to stay. despite the courageous resistance of the latvian force brothers for many years while latvians held out hope of assistance by the united states on western allies, latvia remained occupied by the soviet union for the next 50 years

after world war ii. however, the united states never recognized the legitimacy of the soviet occupation of latvia. throughout the cold war, we maintained diplomatic relations via embassy staff who had been a credit to the united states by latvia before the soviet occupation. i should note that if anyone is interested in learning more about the latvian or baltic history, there are books on the subject written by a professor emeritus from iowa state university. the professor's name is andre plakin. after world war ii, latvians who had fled the soviets or otherwise found themselves outside their country were unable to go home to a country

under foreign occupation. the displaced persons act allowed refugees to come to the united states provided they had a sponsor, and about 700 of them came to my home state of iowa. there is a latvian american community in iowa to this very day. in fact, the first latvians to come to the des moines area were the family of the current pastor of the iowa latvian evangelical lutheran church congregation, leo pells. after his family's initial arrangements for a job at a creamery in birmingham, alabama, fell through, they heard that iowa would be a good choice as the climate would be what they were used to. so that family moved to des moines. other latvians soon arrived and

they sponsored further latvians until they were -- until there were 300 to 400 just in the des moines area. the latvian society of iowa was formed in 1950, and the latvian lutheran congregation was formed in 1952 after the arrival of the latvian pastor. like in other latvian communities around the world, cultural events were organized to keep the latvian culture alive and a saturday school was established to teach latvian language, history, geography and folk dances. song festivals were played -- have played an important role in the preservation of latvian culture going back to the national awakening so naturally there was also a choir. the latvian society of iowa was

part of the larger effort of the latvian, estonian, and lithuanian communities to keep the plight of the baltics on the radar of our american political leaders. then in 1991, thanks in part to the external pressure from the united states as well as the courageous efforts of latvians themselves and others in the soviet union demanding their premium, the evil empire collapsed. latvia is now back in the family of free democratic european nations where it belongs. latvia is a member of nato in excellent standing, both in terms of meeting its financial commitment of 2% of g.d.p. and in terms of its soldiers fighting shoulder to shoulder with americans and other allies in places like afghanistan and

iraq. even while latvia is looking towards a bright future, its large neighbor to the east is ruled by a man who sees the fall of the soviet union, including losing latvia as, in his words, the major geopolitical disaster of the century. those are the words of vladimir putin. he appears to be stuck in an old-fashioned way of thinking that assigns smaller countries to the righteous sphere of influence. he bullies neighbors that do not toe the russian line. in fact, he has even occupied the ukrainian region of crimea. while the u.s. does not recognize just as we didn't recognize the soviet occupation of the baltics.

vladimir putin resents the fact that latvia and the other baltics naturally choose to align with fellow european countries to their west with which they share a common european history, culture, and outlook. given their pass and current experience dealing with k.g.b. thugs like putin, the latvians can provide invaluable insight as we grapple with how to combat russian disinformation. in fact, it is appropriate that riga is home to nato's stratcom center for excellence which provides analysis of solutions for nato on strategic communications and countering disinformation. so as i conclude, i look forward

to continuing the strong partnership between latvia and the united states, and i offer my best wishes to all the latvians as they celebrate 100 years of latvian statehood. i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. mcconnell: mr. president if. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to legislative session for a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following senate resolutions, which were submitted earlier today -- s. res. 692 through s. res. 701. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, the senate proceed to the resolutions en bloc. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following calendar bills en bloc -- calendar number 588 through 607.

the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, the senate will proceed to the measures en bloc. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the committee-reported amendments be agreed to where i pplicable and the bills, as amended, if amended, be considered read and passed and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar 631, s.3554. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 3554, a bill to extend the effective date for the sunset for collateral requirements for small business administrator -- administration disaster loans. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the bill be considered read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon

the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the committee on banking, housing, and urban affairs be discharged from further consideration of s. 2331 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. ifer officer the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 3321, a bill to award congressional gold medals to katherine johnson and dr. christine darden and to award gold medals to dorothy jon and jackson for the national you are a naughtics space administration during the space race. the presiding officer: without objection, the subcommittee is discharged. the senate will proceed to the measure. major further ask that the couldn't substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to, the bill as amed be considered read a third time and passed, the title amendment at the desk be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all all. is there objection.

the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask the chair lay before the senate the message to accompany s. 2152. the presiding officer: the medicare lays before the senate a emergency from the house. the clerk: resolve that the bill from the senate, s. 2152 entitled an act to amend title 18 united states code to provide for assistance for victims of child pornography and other purposes do pass with an amendment. mr. mcconnell: i move to concur in the house and ask unanimous consent the motion be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i understand there is a bill at the desk and i ask for its first reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the tile for the first time. the clerk: s. 3549, a bill to provide for programs to help reduce the risk that prisons are resid rate upon release from

prison. mr. mcconnell: i now ask for a second reading and object to my own request. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bill will be read for the second time on the next legislative day. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the upcoming adjournment of the senate, the president of the senate, the prez prez and joart and. a senator: leaders make appointments to committees, board, or conferences authorized by law by concurrent action of the two houses or by order of the senate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that h.r. 3460 be discharged from the committee on homeland security and government affairs and referred to the committee on environment and public works. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that appointments at the desk appear separately in the record as if made by the chair. the presiding officer: without

objection. mr. mcconnell: 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 days and times and that following each pro forma session the senate adjourn until the next pro forma session. friday, november 16, 3:00 p.m., tuesday november 20 at 10:00 a.m., friday, november 23 at 12:00 noon. i further ask when the senate adjourn, on friday, november 23, it next convene at 3:00 p.m. monday, november 26, 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, following leader remarks, the senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the vaden nomination with the time until 5:30 equally divided between the two leaders or their designees. finally, that cloture motions filed during today's session of

the senate ripen at 5:30 p.m. monday, november 26. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: so if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask it stand adjourned under the provisions of s. res. 700 and do so as a further mark of respect for the late walter d. huddleson, former senator from the commonwealth of kentucky. the presiding officer: under the previous order and pursuant to senate resolution 700, the senate stands adjourned until 3:00 p.m. on friday, november 16 and does so as a further mark of respect to the late walter huddleston, former senator from huddleston, former senator from >> today the seneca murder nominee to serve on the federal reserve governors. the senate also rejected a resolution from senator rand paul to block u.s. arms sales to

bahrain over its war with yemen. when the senate gobbles back and you can find my coverage here on c-span2. >> up next on c-span2, conversation with congressman gregory meeks of new york executive director of emily's list and a media consultant for president obama. they talk about the 28 team or term elections and what democrats can expect in 2020. >> good morning. welcome. i'm sure this is going