>> thank you all for cing here, appreciate it. >> thank you. >> thank you all. appreciate it, thank you all. good day. [inaudible conversations] thank you very much for doing this, guys. thank you, david. [inaudible conversations] >> this afternoon a senate subcommittee holds a hearing examining the manufacturing industry's response to the pandemic. 2:30 p.m. eastern on c-span 3. on-line at c-span.org or listen live on the free c-span radio app. and today, the u.s. senate continues work on judicial nominations. this morning, they'll consider two u.s. district judges for southern mississippi and western kentucky, and later today, senators will be asked

to limit debate on the nomination of judy shelton for federal reserve board. three republican senators have announced opposition to her confirmation, and the vote is expected to be tonight. that vote is scheduled for 2:15 eastern time when senators return frotheir weekly party meetgs. the chaplain: let us pray. mighty god, help our lawmakers to not put their complete trust in mere humans who are as frail as each breath. instead, give them the wisdom to totally trust you to guide them in doing what is best for our nation and world. lord, remind them that eventually

all will be well for those who pursue godliness, and that you reward those who diligently seek you. may they remember that you will judge their work and reward their faithfulness, for they are accountable to you. inspire them to continue to plant and water the seeds of peace, knowing that a bountiful harvest will surely come. keep their motives pure as they seek to glorify you. we pray in your merciful name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance.

i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under g, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presidinofficer: the clerk will read a mmunication the clerk: washington d.c., november 17, 2020. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorae cindy hyde-smith, a setor from the state ofississippi, to pform the duties of the chair. signed: chuck grassley, president pro tempore.

mr. mcconnl: madam president? the presidg officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: there is significant outstanding business that congress needs to complete before the end of the year. my republican colleagues and i have stated over and over that we still want to pass more coronavirus relief for the american people. senate republicans have voted multiple times to send hundreds of billions of dollars to schools, small businesses, health care, and laid-off workers. if speaker pelosi and leader schumer had not made the calculation to block it, that money could have been out the door many weeks ago. instead, our democratic

colleagues have spent months, literally months holding all of that urgent help hostage over unrelated left-wing wish-list items. their so-called heroes proposal is so unrealistic that -- and poorly targeted that speaker pelosi's own moderate democrats ridiculed the bill the instant she put it out and said it will never become law. it includes things like a massive tax cut for wealthy people in blue states and huge sums of money for state and city governments with no linkage to demonstrated covid needs. some blue states including new york and california have actually seen higher state tax -- income tax revenues this autumn than they saw during the same months last year. in part because they are taxing a chunk out of vulnerability people's unemployment benefits. they're receiving more tax revenue now than they did in

2019. some of these blue states are receiving more revenue now than they did in 2019. but alas, democrats still want coronavirus relief for the entire country held hostage over a massive slush fund for their own use. well, even if our democratic colleague continue to block any bipartisan pandemic relief from becoming law, there are other responsibilities we still need to tackle together. the federal government is currently funded through december 11. the next few days will tell us a lot about whether congress can pull off the bipartisan, bicameral appropriations process that i believe both sides would like to deliver. last week our colleagues on the senate appropriations committee released all 12 bills for fiscal year 2021. the bills would fully fund all kinds of crucial priorities from securing our border to caring for our veterans, to supporting

public health at this particularly critical time. what needs to happen now is quite simple. our colleagues on the committee and their counterparts in the house need to continue their bicameral discussions and settle on topline dollar amounts for each separate bill. i hope they'll be able to reach this broad agreement by the end of this very week. that would help keep us on a course to deliver fully -- full-year funding legislation that helps all agencies plan and get ahead of the curve by the december deadline. for nearly two years we avoided the drama that had become a washington routine and funded our government on a bipartisan basis. last august we passed a two-year bipartisan funding agreement that let our committees do their work, even amid this divided government. when both sides have honored the agreement, chairman shelby has been able to deliver full-year bills without drama. i hope we can replicate that

successful pattern this year. congress should also reach a bipartisan, bicameral compromise on the national defense authorization act and pass a conference report before the end of the year. our men and women in uniform need every tool and resource to confront the great power competitors, rogue states, and terrorists who wish us harm. congress should be an asset to our own service members, not a liability. this year would make the 60th consecutive year congress will have passed an ndaa. this is no time to break that streak and leave our forces in the lurch. let's get this done and pass a conference report through both chambers this year. now, on another matter, while our committees are working, the full senate is keeping busy with one of the core constitutional responsibilities we have. continuing to confirm well-qualified men and women to lifetime toiments to the term --

appointments to the federal judiciary. we voted to advance the nomination of kristi haskins johnson, the current solicitor general of mississippi with multiple impressive clerkships under her belt to serve as a district judge for the southern district of mississippi. she'll make history as the first woman to join the bench in that district. this is just the first of several nominations we'll consider this week. we'll also vote on benjamin beason, a kentuckian who has been nominated to be a district judge for the western district of kentucky. he's now outstanding choice by president trump. he receives a first rate education from kentucky center college and columbia law school where he edited the law review. he slerked on the d.c. circuit and supreme court for the late justice ruth bader ginsburg. since then mr. beaton has excelled at some of the country's top law firms. he's also undertaken a substantial pro bono caseload

and shown a dedication to community service. at each step, the nominee has demonstrated a firm commitment to the constitution and the rule of law. the american bar association has confirmed what kentuckians already knew mr. beaton is well qualified to serve as a district judge. last month our colleagues on the judiciary committee advanced this brilliant nominee with no members voting in opposition. i urge all my colleagues to join me in voting to confirm him later today and our other impressive nominees this week. now, this week's nominees are only the latest example of the incredible qualifications that have characterized president trump's nominees. take the metric. that our democratic colleagues have called the gold standard. the ratings of the left leaning american bar association. as of a few months ago, across all the people that president trump had nominated to the federal district courts, 68.8%

had earned the a.b.a.'s top rating, top rating of well qualified. if you look back over the last seven presidential administrations, only one, bush 43, has managed to post a higher average rating for judicial nominations. even then it was only higher by just a hair, just a hair. even the democrats' own proposed gold standard destroys the talking point that president trump's nominees have been less thoroughly qualified. it's just not factual and not true. earlier this year looking at clerkships and professional experience, one liberal commentator admitted that, quote, the average trump appointee has far more impressive resumes than any past president's nominees. let me say that again. this is a liberal commentator who follows these things admitted that, quote, the average trump appointee has a far more impressive respec resun any past president's nominees.

so it's pretty hard to argue, madam president, that these haven't been extraordinary additions to our federal courts. this is a tremendous accomplishment. these are judges who will serve our nation honorably for generations to come. our colleagues here in the senate should be rightly proud to have confirmed them. we're going to continue doing just that. i ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call with respect to the beaton nomination be waived. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. mcconnell: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the erk will call the roll.

quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: ask unanimous consent the quoru be dispensed with. the esiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: now, before i begin, mad president, i want to remind senators to wear a mask as much as psible on the flr. i personally take my mask off when i'm addressing the chair,

so long as other senators and staff are not nearby. otherwise, a mask should be worn at all times on the floor. this is not only for the safety of other senators. this is for the safety of our staffs, everyone who works here on the floor, and everyone who works here in this building. as well as setting the right example for the american people. now, on judy shelton. today the senate will vote on a -- on the nomination of judy shelton to serve as a member of the board of directors of the federal reserve. miss shelton is without a doubt one of the most unqualified nominees i have ever seen for our nation's central bank. when her nomination first came before the senate banking committee, a former republican aide to a senator on the banking committee said that she was so unqualified and so far out of the mainstream that the, quote, idea of even calling miss something was beyond the pale. that's a former republican aide

saying miss shelton wasn't qualified to be a witness in a committee hearing let alone a nominee to the federal reserve board of governors. and it's not hard to understand why. for years, miss shelton has advocated for the resurrection of the gold standard, a long-since discarded policy that in part led to the great depression. she has questioned the independence of the fed. and beyond that has even questioned whether the fed should exist. miss shelton has also suggested that we put an end to federal deposit insurance, an institution that has protected americans' savings since the 1930's. that is why over 130 of the nation's top economists, including seven nobel laureates, have opposed her nomination, as have countless alumni of the federal reserve board of governors. miss shelton's views have another strange quality. they seem to change when it's politically convenient. when president obama was in

office, miss shelton harangued the fed to increase interest rates, despite the economic downturn, but in 2017 when president trump took office, miss shelton abruptly switched her position and argued that the fed should reduce rates, in her words, as fast, as efficiently, as expeditiously as possible. it may surprise few to learn that she was an advisor to president trump's 2016 campaign. she has defended his candidacy, his policies, and encouraged world banks to hold international conferences at mar-a-lago. imagine. a nominee for the federal reserve, which is supposed to be an independent body. i have fought both democrats and republicans when they have tried to interfere with the independence of the fed, but miss shelton doesn't seem to care about it at all,o that might be the most concerning thing about her nomination, her stunning lack of independence.

the federal reserve board must make decisions on an objective economic analysis and judgment, not whatever is best for one party or one occupant of the oval office. that's why terms on the federal board last 14 years. we are supposed to trust federal reserve governors to be neutral arbiters, no matter which party is in power in washington. we are supposed to trust that everyone who serves on the fed is first and foremost well qualified and truly independent. but unfortunately, judy shelton is neither. miss shelton has shown herself to be an economic weather vane, pointing which ever direction she believes the partisan winds are blowing. every single democrat will oppose her nomination today. i understand a few of our republican colleagues will oppose her nomination as well. the question is will enough of our colleagues on the other side stand up and do the right thing today? members of this chamber have stood up before to prevent president trump from putting

unqualified partisan advocates on the federal reserve. during these final few weeks of the trump presidency, it's time to do it again. i plead with my republican colleagues, for the sake of an economy that is hurting from covid, for the sake of our future economy and its growth to reject mission shelton's nomination. on covid, by all rights, the senate should not be spending its time this week on so many nominees, especially such unqualified nominees while covid-19 is surging throughout the country. the urgent need for another relief bill has been confronting the senate since march of this year. the republican leader put the senate on pause, as he said, all summer while the virus got worse and worse. and when he finally decided it was time to do another bill, he crafted a partisan, emaciated proposal that fell drastically short of what is needed to address a burgeoning health and economic crisis.

now, president-elect biden has urged the senate to pass a comprehensive bill that actually meets the needs of the american people. he pointed to the heroes act, and that's the right focus. we need a comprehensive bill that meets the needs of the american people. but, of course we will want to sit down and negotiate with our republican colleagues. the republican leader should come to the table and negotiate with democrats on a bipartisan covid relief bill with a bipartisan process that addresses all of the challenges we now face. i yield the floor and note the sence of auorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. thune: madam preside? the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. thune: madam president, is the senate in a quorum call? the presiding offic: we are. mr. thune: i would ask unanims consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objectn. under the prevus ord, the leadership time is rerved. 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 rept. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. kristi haskins johnson of mississippi to be united states district judge for the southern district of mississippi.

mr thune: madam psident, for the second monday now in a row, we've received tremendous news about the prospects for a covid vaccine. last week pfizer announced that the initial results of its covid vaccine showed a greater than 90% rate of effectiveness. yesterday moderna announced that its vaccine is showing a similarly high effectiveness rate. this success is a tribute to the innovative power of the congrs and the trump administration to expedite the development of covid vaccines. operation warp speed has helped fund development of moderna's sack seen and will help fund distribution of both moderna's and pfizer's products. whileaccine trials and development continue, so does research into new covid treatments. drugmaker eli lilly just received emergency use

organization in an antibody drug to treat patient with mild or moderate illness. also filed for an antibody has treatment. there are other trials goi on righ now for covid vaccines and therapeutics. meanwhile, we're also strengthening domestic production of personal protective equipment for medical workers.and other essential 3m, which manufacture n-95 masks upped production. i recently visited the plant in aberdeen, south dakota, to celebrate the opening of the plant's new manufacturing lines. these new lines will help the n-95 production increase to more than 95 million respirators per month. that's critical progress on the

p.p.e. front, not to mention the jo, that are being created. on the economicront, the good news continues. the october jobs rort showed another reduction in the unemployment rate and revealed that the economy created more than 600,000 jobs in october. while we have a wayto go to get back to where we need to be, the speed and strength of our recovery is encouraging. and it is a testament to the strength of our enomy before the virus hit. thanks to republican tax relief and regulatory reform,ur economy was thriving before the coronavirus descended and that economic strength provided the groundwork for a strong recovery. republican-led coronavirus initiatives like the paycheck protection program have also helped keep the economy going during the virus. more than five million small businesses including more than 23,000 in south dakota have taken advantage of the paycheck protection program's forgivable loans to help keep their

businesses operating and their employees on the payroll. of course, madam predent, while there's much to be hopeful about, the virus is still very much with us and cases are surging. my home state of south dakota has been hit hard, as have many other areas of the country. and while we wait for final approval of vaccines, it's essential that we keep following best practices and do what we can to slow the virus' spread, like social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands frequently, avoiding large gatherings and more. and while the money congress has already invested in covid relief has gone a long way toward meeting the country's needs, we should pass additional targeted lief to help americans weather the rest of the pandemic. senate republicans have introduced additional covid relief legistion that would provide the hardest-hit businesses with a second round of paycheck protection program operate safely, and provideleges

additional health care resources to fight the virus. our legislation would also provide for an additional $300 per week over and above regular unemployment benefits for those who have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic. i'm very pleased that our legislation include an additional $20 billion in funding to allow the department of agriculture to continue to assist ag producers. we've also included liability protections for schools and businesses that are doing their best to protect others from the virus. predatory trial lawyers are already lining up to exploit the crisis for gain. we need to ensure that schools and businesses and medical professionals aren't subjected to frivolous lawsuits for coronavirus infections that were beyond their control. able to say that republicans be will pass our coronavirus bill in the next couple of weeks,

but, unfortunately, that depends on my docratic colleagues. the democrateadership hasn't shown much inclination to work with republicans. in fact, it's shown the opposite. speaker pelosi spent more than three months -- three months, madam president -- supposedly negotiating a coronavirus relief package that never arrived. why? cause democrats refused to put a reasonable offer on the table. members of the speaker's own party pleaded with her to arrive at an agreement, but the speaker wouldn't listen, and she's still not listening. despite the fact that her party lost a number of seats in the house in the election, the speaker and the democrat leader in the senate are still refusing to come to the table to work with republicans in. being in, the speaker and the leader -- in fact, the speaker and the leader have doubled down on their demands. i get that the democratic

leaders would like to be able to design their own coronavirus bill with no input fro anyone else, but that's not what happens in divided government. in divided government, both sides have to compromise in order to pass legislation. republicans know that. and we are willing to compromise to get relief into the hands of the american people, but democrats are not. even as the coronavirus surges around the country, democrats continue to insist on their way or the highway. it's hard not to think that the democratic leadership is more interested in exploiting this crisis for political gain than in actually getting relief to americans. madam president, we could have another covid relief bill ready for passage tomorrow if democrats would just come to the table. it's inexcusable that they haven't, but republicans aren't giving up. we will continue to invite our democrat colleagues to work with

us to develop comomise legislation. and i hope that at least some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will decide that a pandemic is not the time to play politics and will work with us to deliver a bill to the american people. madam president, i yield the floor, a i sugst thebsence of quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. thune: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority whip is recnized. mr. thune: i ask unanimous consent to vitiate the quorum call the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order, all

postcloture time on the nomination has expired. the question is on the nomination. mr. thune: madam president, i request the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote

the presiding officer: the yeas are 53, the nays are 43. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is coidered made and laid upon the table and the president wil immediately notified of the senate's action. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion. we, the dersigned senators, in accordan 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 beniting mink joel bton of kentucky to b united states district judge for the western district of kentucky. signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that the debate on the nomination of benjamin joel beaton of kentucky to be united states district judge for the

western district of kentucky shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: if there are no senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote, the yeas are 52. the nays are 44. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: the judiciary, benjamin joel bton of kentucky to be united states district judge for the western district of kentucky. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate

the previous order, the senate >> y are watching c-span2, joe unfiltered view of government. created bymerica's cable-television companies as a

public service and brought you today by your television provider. >> listen to c-span's podcast the weekly talking about women in the recent elections what change this election cycle for womennd why. find c-span's the weekly where you get your podcasts. >> the space x crew that lunch from florida on sunday has safely docked with the international space station. before astronauts on board spent a couple hours on board conducting safety checks and boarded the in the space station. we'll pick it up shortly before the boarding as he astronauts were greeted by nasa's keith rubens waiting for them on the space station. >> two-thirds the current

expedition 64 crew here, kate rubens of course with nasa and the expedition commander sergei on the right side of the screen. they along with sergei have all been at the station since october 14. now waiting to greet the four new members of the expedition that would be joining them any moment. [applause] and there they are across the hatch mike hopkins and here is vict glover. you heard the a crew, the team n mission control cheering to see them come across the hatch. there is shannon walker.

and finally soichi noguchi bringing up the rear, four new members bring the total expedition 64 crew to a total of seven. readyo increase the space station science and get to work. spec the astronauts joint astronaut kate ribbons and two russian astronauts on the international space station. after the docking nasa officials spoke about the spacex dragon mission took questions from reporters at a news conference. >> hello and welcome home to nasa johnson space center. it's been an exciting night after 20 years of continuous human presence, intertional space station is the marking new milestones and as of tonight has