an indictment of the nature describe here. >> the u.s. senate is meeting now to continue work on president trump's nominees. in about half an hour senators will vote on confirming a u.s. appeals court judge for the 2nd secretary as well as the export/import bank and board members. now live coverage of the u.s. senate. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order the chaplain will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. almighty god, the giver of every good and perfect gift, make us instruments of your love. today, use our lawmakers as ambassadors of reconciliation.

direct them in their work as you surround them with your gracious favor. lord, let all their plans and purposes be guided by your holy will. may their primary aim be to serve you and country with faithfulness, as you enlighten them so they will find solutions to the problems that challenge our world. lord, make us all good stewards, striving to use our influence for your glory. we pray in your gracious name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag.

i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington d.c., may 8, 2019. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable marsha blackburn, a senator from the state of tennessee, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: chuck grassley, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, joseph f. bianco of

new york to be united states circuit judge for the second circuit.

mr. mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i'm saddened to have to begin my remarks this morning by acknowledging yet another senseless act of school violence in america. less than a month after the 20th anniversary of the tragic shooting at columbine high school, another colorado community was shattered yesterday afternoon. just miles away at the stem school highlands ranch, one student has been killed, eight others have been wounded, and many more young lives were changed forever at the hands of two of their fellow students. i know the entire senate joins me in holding the victims of yesterday's shootings, their families and share entire communities in our prayers today. and our gratitude is with the first responders of douglas county whose swift action to engage the shooters saved untold

lives. now, madam president, on a completely different matter, i've been discussing the senate's continuing to make better progress filling vacancies in the executive branch and the federal judiciary. after last month's action to restore a more functional straightforward system for considering lower-level nominations, we've begun the process of clearing the executive calendar backlog left by literally years, years of partisan obstruction. this morning we'll vote to confirm three qualified individuals the president nominated for the export-import bank, kimberly reed of west virginia to serve as president, spencer bachus of alabama and judith prie user to serve on the board of directors. for years they waited for confirmation. thanks to last month's action, we'll consider them on the floor this week. we'll also vote to confirm joseph bianco of new york, as

u.s. circuit judge for the second circuit. mr. bianco is a graduate of georgetown university and the columbia university school of law. he's contributed years of distinguished service as an assistant u.s. attorney and now u.s. district judge for the southern district of new york. the senate confirmed him to that last role by a voice vote back in 2005. so i hope we can muster another strong bipartisan vote of confidence in this exceptionally well qualified jurist. finally, the senate will consider janet dhillon of pennsylvania to serve on the equal employment opportunity commission and michael park of new york to be a u.s. circuit judge for the second circuit. i'm proud that even amidst partisan distractions, this body will continue fulfilling one of its key constitutional responsibilities. now, madam president, on one final matter, i talked about leaving the outrage industrial

complex behind and returning focus to the issues that impact the everyday lives of the american people. that's what my republican colleagues and i have been focused on all along, and we're continuing to see that focus pay off. for the better part of the last two years, the labor department's monthly jobs report has regularly pointed to an economy that's opening new doors for millions of americans. it's reinforce whad we knew to be the -- reenforce whad we knew to be the case, the pro-growth agenda enacted by republicans is helping america's working families, job creators, and entrepreneurs write a remarkable new chapter of prosperity. here are just a few of the headlines to emerge following last friday's jobs report. real gains in the paychecks of average workers. torrent of job offer, bigger salaries offer more proof u.s. labor market is still red hot. u.s. unemployment fell to 3.6%,

the lowest since december of 1969. and yet there appears to be plenty of disbelief among washington democrats that things like rising wages, consumer confidence and fierce competition for skilled american workers are causes for celebration. at least that's what their recent policy proposals have left us to assume. from a massive federal experiment and one siz one-sizel health insurance and the green overhaul of american homes, cars, and jobs, democrats seem determined to make the current wave of prosperity and economic opportunity short lived. they're peddling a wholesale shift away from the free enterprise tradition that has unleashed prosperity and opportunity throughout american history, and they're doing so at the very time that daily headlines confirm those principles are still working to literally lift up american families. in my home state of kentucky,

the unemployment rate has reached its lowest level on record. communities across the country are tapping into new opportunities for growth and families and job creators nationwide are benefiting. so republicans will continue working hard laying the groundwork for american free enterprise to seize on this truly extraordinary moment. mr. mcconnell: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that i give my remarks under leader time and the vote is given -- occurs after that, immediately after that. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: okay. now, first, madam president, i begin this morning with a heavy heart, having heard of the abrupt passing of "new york times" journalist robert pare. it just so happens that robert lived on my floor in college during freshman year. while everyone else in those days had long hair and wore bell bottoms, robert had a flattop,

was always studious, inquisitive, polite, and very decent, earning him the nickname the deacon. he was the first to go into the library and the last to come out late at night. the deacon was different than most of us, but earned all of our respect. robert maintained the qualities of studiousness and inquisitiveness, politeness, decency throughout his personal and professional life, and in my view, he represented the very best of america. when robert's byline appeared on a story -- and so often his stories were on the front page, above the fold of the "new york times," the reader new that the reporting would be both important and authoritative. his death is a loss for journalism itself. i send my condolences to his family in this moment of profound grief.

now, madam president, we all know that leader mcconnell would like to move on from the mueller report. we know that he and many senate republicans are ready to say case closed. we all know that whether he has been bamboozled by, afraid of, worried about, or simply ee namerred with -- enamored with president trump, leader mcconnell would like to sweep the entire report under the rug. so yesterday, leader mcconnell's speech here on the senate floor struck me as an impassioned bit of wishful thinking that i believe the leader will regret in later days that he gave. i'm sure president nixon wished that the investigations into watergate would simply go away. just as i'm sure president trump wants mueller's investigations to fade in the background. but in the first case, president nixon, we had courageous republicans who put the rule of

law above simple fealty to a president. and they resisted. unfortunately, thus far, leader mcconnell has shown none of that nobility and that strength. he is simply going along with president trump. just for a moment, though, let us set aside the discussion about the president's repeated attempts to obstruct a federal investigation. let's just talk about the conclusions that mueller came to about election interference in 2016. separate from his views of the investigation of trump, does leader mcconnell agree that election security is a serious and ongoing challenge? does leader mcconnell agree with f.b.i. director wray that 2018 was, quote, a dress rehearsal for foreign influence campaigns against the united states? does the leader agree with our intelligence and law enforcement officials who are warning us

right now that foreign capitals -- russia above all, but perhaps iran and china and turkey -- are gearing up to try and interfere with our elections in 2020? this is the wellspring of our democracy. russia may temporarily want to choose one candidate over another, as they chose trump in 2016 and may well again. but their ultimate goal is to sow such, such dissension and worry and lack of faith in our democracy that it could crumble. if everyone believes that foreigners are influencing our elections and the outcome isn't just, that is a terrible, terrible step downward for america that none of us want to take. so then why doesn't leader mcconnell at least do something about election

security, independent of president trump, although that -- those investigations and hearings should go on and will. if so, if leader mcconnell believes that foreign interference in our elections is a serious problem, he has an obligation to separate himself from his desire to shield the president from accountability and act on this national imperative to defend our democracy from insidious and foreign attack. whatever leader mcconnell believes about the president's behavior and for whatever reason, there is no reason for leader mcconnell to resist bipartisan bills like the secure elections act that would harden election infrastructure. there is no reason for leader mcconnell to oppose additional funding in the appropriations process for states to safeguard

their election hardware. for god's sakes, there is no good reason for leader mcconnell to resist or delay scheduling an all-senators briefing on an election in 2020. the only reason to do that would be false. i hope the reason that leader mcconnell is resisting a strengthening and securing our elections, i hope the reason is not because he believes russia will help president trump and he's willing to let that go forward. i hope that's not true. but there is no good reason on god's green earth why we shouldn't be making our elections more secure, even though we may have different views about the mueller report. so i urge my friend, the republican leader, disentangle yourself from the self-serving desire to sweep the mueller report and all of its findings

under the rug. recognize that it is indisputable that russian interference is a grave threat to our elections and the mueller report helped corroborate and document that. and work with us, for the sake of america, leader mcconnell -- work with us to protect our country from foreign interference in our elections in the future. do not -- you cannot, you must not sit on the sidelines. now, mr. president, on another issue. yesterday we heard leader mcconnell say he'd like to get a disaster relief package done by memorial day. democrats in this chamber are going to hold him to that standard, and we will make sure that the package provided will have funding for all affected communities, from hawaii all the way to puerto rico. my colleagues from the midwest and south are starting to feel

the heat. according to press reports, they're going to leader mcconnell and saying, we have to get something done, because they realize, justifiably, with each passing week the cost of inaction grows. cities in iowa has endured another round of flooding. in the south, the hurricane season is around the corner. we need to get disaster aid out the door. but when you want to know why it hasn't happened, first and foremost it's because president trump disrupted a bipartisan bill that would have passed a month and a half ago and said, no aid for puerto rico. and, second, our republican colleagues in the midwest, in the south willingly went along with that, thinking that they could roll over puerto rico, roll over the house, and roll over democrats here in the senate. well now you've learned, that's not happening. so work with us on a bipartisan package. we want to get it done. we want to see aid go to every part of the country, including

the midwest, including the south, including florida, including texas, but puerto rico must be treated similarly and fairly. i promise that we could solve this impasse in a moment if republicans here in the senate agree to treat puerto rico fairly, the disaster package will pass this chamber like a hot knife through butter, and our position is very simple -- democrats support a package for disaster relief that provides support for all affected americans -- hawaii, california, iowa, the south, the atlantic coast, the pacific islands, and the islands of puerto rico. and we're not going to move forward unless everyone is included and everyone is treated fairly. now, on nominations, mr. president, today is a great example of how leader

mcconnell and the senate in place of real legislative progress, in place of helping the middle class in this turbulent world in which we live, simply use floor time as a legislative graveyard and only rubber stamp extreme and unqualified nominees, with no legislating. we've become a legislative graveyard under leader mcconnell's leadership, and the middle class and people trying to get there suffer. this afternoon, senate republicans are going to confirm janet dhillo in. to the chair of the eeoc. this move, confirming republican nominees instead of democratic nominees, is going to imperil equal pay rules and protections for lgbtq workers.

this afternoon the senate will vote on the debate on the nomination of michael park to the second circuit. a quick overview of mr. park's experience reveals some pretty outlandish views. in private practice he advanced arguments that would limit the civil rights of millions of americans on matters pertaining to the census and educational opportunity. he represented groups in an amicus brief against the constitutionality of medicaid expansion. and he worked to defend the kansas effort to defund planned parenthood. since the second circuit covers my home state of new york, i met with mr. park to try and understand why he was being nominated for a lifetime position as a circuit judge. frankly, his principal qualification seemed to be that he is a card-carrying member of the federalist society. mr. park has little experience and little judicial background. he is an ideologue.

he doesn't have the kind of balance and integrity and compassion and understanding of both sides that any judge needs. it will be obvious to anyone who reviews his record that he lacks the breadth and objectivity that we prize in our judges. but my republican friends, like leader mcconnell, have a singular goal -- to remake the federal bench in their image. so federalist stooges like mr. park, who aren't qualified for a district court, are being rammed through as circuit court judges. the senate ought to reject this confirmation. and in the senate's -- and in the less partisan senates of the past, it wouldn't have even come forward. but regrettably, instead of legislating, instead of doing things for the american people, all leader mcconnell is doing is ramming through these nominees, most of whom are way out of the mainstream, far away from the views of most

americans, and unqualified for their jobs. this wouldn't have happened years ago. i hope my colleagues will -- when they look at park's record, will do the right thing. finally, on women's health care, later today a group of democratic senators will come here to the floor to highlight what's with been a campaign -- a campaign by republicans to strip women of the right to make their own health care decisions. at the federal level, their latest salvo is their offensive title 10 gag rule which would hurt low-income individuals' access to reproductive health. this is a retrick h. strick -- this is an attempt to restrict women's freedom. this threatens the lives of women across america. take one of my constituents in new york. 33, she found two lumps in her

left breast. she went to see the gynecologist at planned parenthood. natasha was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent treatment. now, praise god, more than five years later, her cancer is in complete remission. if not for the exams and other prevention offered by planned parenthood clinics across the country, natasha and other women like her might never have received lifesaving diagnoses. but republicans have time and time again pushed -- embold understanded by president trump have continued their attack on the reproductive rights of women. bost just last month, both -- just last month, bills were passed banning abortion after just six weeks of pregnancy. just yesterday georgia's governor signed his state's version of that bill into law. since taking office, president

trump and his republican colleagues have prioritized -- prioritized -- restricting women's reproductive freedoms. they believe they know better than american women. they impose their views on american women. that is just wrong. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: i ask unanimous consent for three minutes to address the senate. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. brown: thank you, mr. president. the senate is finally holding long, long, long overdue votes on nominees to the export bank of the united states. to me, this is about ohio businesses. this is about american workers. this is about the dignity of work. all three of these nominees are qualified. for nearly four years, the export-import bank has been forced to support work for american jobs. a small group of special

interests in this town tried to kill this altogether. ex-im has been paralyzed because of the leadership in this body and because of the president and vice president. the bank can't approve any transaction greater than $10 million. the senate is inaction, the president's inaction, the vice president's inaction have hurt ohio's businesses in the past. that amount has been cut nearly in half. that means jobs, it means good-paying industrial jobs. if the president, if republican congressmen -- republicans in congress are serious about helping american manufacturers, after years and years of obstruction, which they have done, they need to approve these nominees and work with us to authorize the bank this summer. my colleagues have a choice -- do they care about these businesses? do they care about manufacturing? do they care about workers? do they care about the dignity of work?

or do that he care more about their extreme special interest politics? i stand with workers. i will vote to to reopen the export-import bank. thank you, mr. president. the presiding officer: question is on the bianco nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote? if not, the yeas are 54, the nays are 42. the nomination is confirmed. mr. cornyn: mr. president? mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i'd ask unanimous consent that the remaining votes in this series be ten minutes in length. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. the question occurs on the reed nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll.

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: any senator wishing to vote or to change their vote? if not, the yeas are 79. the nays are 17. the nomination is confirmed. the clerk will report the bachus nomination. the clerk: nomination. export-import binchg of the united states, spencer bachus iii of alabama to be a member. the presiding officer: the question occurs on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote: