their remarks and commend my colleagues for participating in this important information. with that and without objection all members will have five legislative days within which to submit extraneous materials and written questions for the witnesses to the chair which will be forwarded to the witnesses for their response. i ask our witnesses to please respond as promptly as you can. this hearing is adjourned. [inaudible conversations] >> the u.s. senate is about to gavel in. today they'll be voting on two of president biden's picks for new jersey and colorado.

they will turn to a house passed bill on technology and science research programs so the u.s. can better compete with china. live now to the floor of the u.s. senate here on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain dr. barry black will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal god, breathe upon us the awareness that you continue to dwell with

us. show our lawmakers your constant love and faithfulness. as they find safety in your presence, receive their gratitude and praise. keep them covered until the raging storms are over. lord, remind them that patient persuasion can break down the strongest resistance. help them also to remember to see trouble coming and avoid it. continue to answer their prayers, as you fill them with your peace. we pray in your merciful 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., june 8, 2021. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable raphael . warnock, a senator from the state of georgia, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patrick j. leahy, 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, julien xavier neals of new jersey to be united states district judge for the district of new jersey.

mr. schumer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. now, the senate today will achieve an important milestone for the session. we will confirm the first of president biden's judicial nominees, the first but certainly not the last, not even

close. we will soon confirm julien neals to be a judge for the district of new jersey and afterwards we'll turn to the nomination of regina rodriguez to be judge for the district of colorado. i greatly look forward to confirming what will be the first of many judicial appointments during the biden administration. later today, the senate will take a final vote on the u.s. innovation and competition act paving the way for the largest investment in science and technology in generations. after three months of bipartisan negotiations, after hard labor of six senate committees, after considering over 20 amendments from both sides of the floor, we should and we will pass this historic bill today. when all is said and done, the bill will go down as one of the most important things this chamber has done in a very long time. a statement of faith in america's ability to seize the opportunities of the 21st

century. the ambitions of this legislation are large, but the premise is simple. if we want american workers and american companies to keep leading the world, the federal government must invest in science, basic research, and innovation just as we did decades after the second world war. technology firms currently make up a quarter, a quarter of the global stock market. whoever wins the race to the technologies of the future is going to be the global economic leader. with profound consequences for foreign policy and national security as well. whoever harnesses the technologies like a.i. and quantum computing and innovations yet unseen will shape the world in their image. do we want that image to be a democratic image? a small d? or do we want it to be an authoritarian image like president xi would like to impose on the world? eats we can concede the mantle of global leadership to our

adversaries or we can pave the way for another generation of american leadership. that is what this bill is all about. and i look forward to joining my colleagues in finally passing this bill later today. now, on january 6. this morning the senate homeland committee -- homeland security and government affairs committee in partnership with the rules committee released a joint report related to the aspects of the tragedy of january 6. i particularly salute chairs peters and klobuchar for the good work they have done with their ranking members. the report drew a few notable conclusions, especially with respect to failures in intelligence gathering and communication that took place on and before january 6. but just as glaring as what the report didn't consider, indeed what was not allowed, it was not allowed to consider.

the report did not investigate, report on, or hardly make any reference to the actual cause, the actual impetus for the attack on january 6. with the exception of a brief reference to former president trump's remarks at the ellipse, senate republicans insisted that the report exclude anything having to do with the cause of the insurrection. if -- if anything, the joint report by the homeland security and rules committees has strengthened the argument for an independent commission on january 6. we had a perfect opportunity to establish such a commission at the end of last session before republicans mounted a partisan filibuster against it. despite the fact that the democrats worked with republicans for weeks in the house and senate to construct a commission that was bipartisan, focused, straight down the middle. despite the fact that speaker pelosi acceded to every major

request made by house republicans about the structure of the commission. and despite the fact that here in the senate, i have supported the changes proposed by my colleague, senator collins. as the big lie continues to spread, as faith in our elections continues to decline, it is crucial, crucial we establish a trusted, independent record of what transpired on january 6 and what caused it. so i reserve the right to bring legislation for an independent bipartisan commission to the senate floor for another vote. now, on paycheck fairness. finally this week, the senate will vote on whether to take up legislation that would provide equal pay for women in america. we have been talking about the wage gap for years now with no action taken by this senate. women with the same jobs, the same degrees, sometimes even better degrees than their male colleagues are making less

money. for women of color, the gap between them and their male counterparts is even wider. this is a fundamental issue of fairness, and we have a very simple commonsense legislation -- legislative proposal to address the issue. but yesterday, the republican leader said democrats' attempts to bring this issue up for a debate was, quote, transparently designed to fail. he went on to say that issues like gun safety and pay equity were merely demands of our radical base. look, -- look, the only way that a bill to provide equal pay for women is designed to fail is if senate republicans block it. and if the republican leader, quote, wants to talk about radical positions, i'd say that opposing legislation to provide equal pay for women supported by a solid majority of voters is a

radical position. does he believe that? you know what's radical? opposing legislation to expand background checks to prevent felons and mentally ill from getting a gun. more than 90%, 90% of americans support that policy, but republicans have in the past opposed it. that's truly a radical position. do you know what else is radical? opposing a bipartisan, independent commission to report on a violent mob that attacked this capitol, spreading doubt about the veracity of our elections. that is radical and in my opinion despicable. it gnaws at the very roots of this grand democracy. and we hear either encouragement or acquiescence from the other side when president trump and his minions do this. do you know what else is radical? passing laws that specifically make it harder for younger, poorer, and nonwhite americans to vote. that is truly radical and

dangerous. it's against a whole grain of progress we have made in america. remembering that when the constitution was passed, the vast majority of us in this chamber -- not the vast majority, but probably the majority. i haven't counted -- would have to be white, male, protestant property owners to vote, we've made progress. they want to take a giant step back. for pure electoral gain. radical, that's radical. so we're going to have a vote on paycheck fairness this week. the first vote is not even a vote on the bill itself. just a vote on whether to take it up for debate. we'll see if our republican colleagues take the radical step of blocking the senate from even debating equal pay for women. i yield the floor. note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without

objection. mr. mcconnell: today, mr. president, the senate will wrap up consideration of a broad bipartisan effort to update our approach to competition with china. this bill had accelerated an important conversation on a topic we all know deserves our full attention. from critical supply chains to intellectual property to counterespionage, it touches on key issues that will help determine our strategic footing for decades. that's why an overwhelming majority of us, myself included, voted to proceed to the measure here on the floor. not because the bill was already perfect. in fact, as the ranking member of the commerce committee noted when it was reported out, the legislation was not ready for prime time. rather, we took it up precisely because it deserved robust debate and amendment. so i was glad that several of

our colleagues were allowed to offer substantial revisions here on the floor. in particular, i'm glad the democratic leader thought better of blocking chairman wyden and ranking member crapo from including their bipartisan provision on combating illicit trade practices. but i was disappointed that he proceeded with an effort to end this important debate without allowing the senate to consider a number of other outstanding republican amendments. there is no practical reason. our consideration of this important issue should have to compete for sufficient space on the democrats' dance card. we're talking about making america more competitive with its biggest and fastest growing rival. if any issue demands thorough, exhaustive debate, it's this one. unfortunately, the final bill we will be voting on today will remain incomplete.

it includes several smart, targeted measures but leaves many more on the table. and so it will advance as an imperfect approach to an extremely consequential challenge. one thing this legislation did demonstrate extremely well, however, was that the rules of the senate don't stand in the way of bipartisan legislating. needless to say, final passage of this legislation cannot be the senate's final word, final word on our competition with china. it certainly won't be mine. as i have warned repeatedly, soft power is only as strong as the hard power underpinning it. the chinese communist party doesn't hesitate in investing the proceeds of its predatory trade practices and influence campaigns directly into modernizing these hard -- its hard power arsenal. over the past two decades, defense spending in beijing has increased astronomically.

meanwhile, the biden administration's proposal for defense spending puts forward such a meager, meager year-on-year increase, it fails to keep pace with inflation let alone with our rivals. the white house request would degrade our ability to project power quickly out in the western pacific. it would cannibalize specific deterrents initiative funds intended to build infrastructure and enhance operability with the region just to cover short falls in the budget. it would cut procurement of munitions that are already in short supply. the administration is playing a dangerous shell game and the political consequences aren't lost on either side of the pacific. the perception that the united states might be any less than fully committed to prevailing in great power competition has left china emboldened and our friends in the region quite worried. here at home, the chairman of the joint chiefs sounded the

alarm, warning that great power peace was, quote, fraying at the edge. preserving that peace will require more than the action we will take today. it will require this administration to get serious about funding our national defense. it will require major investment in the sorts of cutting edge capabilities that deter those who intend harm on america and our allies. so in the coming weeks, we will see whether democrats talk about rebuilding alliances has any substance to it. in the annual defense authorization and the appropriations process, the senate will embrace this essential debate about restoring america's hard power head on o this is a pivotal moment. not a time for half measures on america's national security. now, on another matter, today the homeland security and rules committees released a conclusion of their months-long

investigation into the circumstances of the unprecedented breach of security here at the capitol on january 6. i'm grateful to our colleagues on both committees whose hard work made this invaluable report possible. my assessment of the terrible events of the 6th has been consistent from the beginning. i have condoned -- i have condemned the perpetrators as well as those who enabled and encouraged them, and i have given full-throated support to our colleagues' bipartisan inquiry, along with the work of federal investigators and prosecutors to ensure that every criminal participant faces justice. the rules and homeland security report identifies a number of serious shortcomings in capitol security that were exposed and exploited on the 6th. it directs our attention to the many glaring gaps that could leave the complex vulnerable to future incidents. through the efforts of the

capitol police, the senate sergeant at arms, and other institutional partners, the senate's work to close these gaps is already well under way. the committee's inquiry into january 6 is ongoing. and the nationwide search for a new chief of the capitol police is making progress. our colleagues' should guide the review of the today's report is one of the many runs i'm confident in the ability of existing investigations to uncover all actionable facts about the events of january 6. i'll continue to support these efforts over any that seek to politicize the process, and i would urge my colleagues to do the same. august --

i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority whip is recognized. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, one of the major responsibilities of the senate judiciary committee, which i chair, is a selection of judges to serve our nation. it is important not only because it is a question measuring their

standards of integrity and honesty and judgment but also because these are lifetime appointments, literally the women and men who are chosen for these slots will have an impact in their courts which could last for many years and decades. that's why we're careful with the biden administration to not only bring good nominees before the committee but to make certain that they bring the necessary qualities. this week the senate will the consider several of president biden's judicial nominees. i believe that they understand the role of the judge in our system. they'll bring much-needed experiential and demographic diversity to our nation's court. i've tried throughout my career -- and many others like me have tried -- to choose men and women for the bench that will reflect the diversity of america. the face of justice is often as

important as the fact of justice. and if people appearing before our courts feel that there is at least a chance for success based on the background and experience of a judge, i think it's a positive thing. given the background of these judges in trying cases, arguing appeals and issuing rulings from the bench, i believe and the committee agreed these judicial nominees are ready for service. today i would like to speak in support of two of them. julian neals, nominated to the district of new jersey -- district court of new jersey p regina rodriguez, nominated to the district court of colorado. in each of the states six judicial vacancies, they've been designated as a judicial emergency status by the administrative office of the u.s. courts. today we can begin to address

this judicial emergency by final ly confirming julian neals to the u.s. district court for the district of new jersey. he has served the people of the state of new jersey for decades. as an expert in municipal law, he handled several legal disputes that were tried to verdict, judgment, and final decision, including multiple, multiple jury trials. he was the chief judge of the newark municipal court. he presided over 6,000 cases in that capacity. he received a unanimous writing of well qualified from the american bar association. he has the strong support of his home state senators, senators cory booker and bob menendez. and he's received broad bipartisan support in the judiciary committee with five reasons joining all the democrats in supporting his nomination. i urge my colleagues to support him. this week the senate will also consider the nomination of regina rodriguez to be a judge

in the district court of colorado. what a life story she brings. she is the daughter of a japanese american mother whose family was interned during world war ii. and a mexican american father who was one of the first hispanic coaches in the national football league. her father's job as a coach took the family cross country. though she was born in colorado, she spent several of her formative years in my home state of illinois. she thought she might want to be a lawyer when she was 17 years old. so she put on her best suit, knocked on the doors in macomb, illinois, until she found a lawyer who said, come on in. i'll show you the ropes. she held onto that passion that first developed when she was a teenager. over the past 30 years she has served as a talented litigator

who has tried 35 cases to verdict. she has a range of experience in. in the public sector she served is as an assistant district attorney and rose to be the first latina chief in the district of colorado. in private practice she represented a broad array of clients from individuals to fortune 500 firms. during her tenure as litigator, she has demonstrated that she understands the importance of applying the law to the facts in a fair manner. she has represented plaintiffs, defendants, government, and those who have sued the government. as a woman of color, she has risen as a partner in several leading law firms, no mean feat. she has taken out time to mentor young attorneys, just as that lawyer in macomb, illinois, did for her. she has received a unanimous well-qualified rating. her nomination is supported by

the national asian pacific bar association, the latinas first foundation and the colorado lawyers committee. she earned support across the aisle. on may 20, she was voted out of the committee by a vote of 17-5 with the support of six of my republican colleagues. when confirmed, she'll be the first asian american judge to serve not only in the district of colorado but in the entire 10th circuit. her historic, well-deserved confirmation will bring her federal judiciary committee closer to reflecting the lives and experiences of all americans. the judicial nominees we're voting on this week illustrate something that is substantial and profound. they they illustrate that president joe biden is dedicated to appointing legal experts with outstanding credentials and a wealth of experience. during his first several months in office, president biden has nominated public servants who

will bring to the bench a variety of professional perspectives and personal experience. too often those things have been missing in previous nominees. by confirming judges who reflect the experience of all americans and who demonstrate fealty to the rule of law, we can continue building a justice system that works for everyone. over the last four years we have seen a concerted effort on the republican side to fill vacancies. they broke records in some respects in the number of nominees they brought before the senate for approval. some of the records are not to be proud of from my perspective. ten of the nominees who were submitted for consideration during the last four years before the senate judiciary committee were found unanimously unqualified by the american bar association. nevertheless, most of them made it to the bench in lifetime appointments. many nominees came before us out of the trump administration who were seeking lifetime

appointments to become a trial judge and had no personal experience in a courtroom. hard to imagine that anyone would be thrust into that situation and expected to perform as a propetional -- professional. imagine you will the parties to those lawsuits, many of whom stake their lives on the outcome to find a judge who couldn't find their way through the code of civil procedure if they were forced to. that unfortunately was the standard that was used as long as these nominees in the past had the blessing of the so-called federalist society that was good enough for many of my republican nominees. joe biden is really responding to that by suggesting nominees who meet much higher standards. i want to work with the biden administration to continue in that tradition. so at end of the day, we can fill the vacancies with women and men who are not only competent, honest, have the integrity and experience both legal and otherwise to serve our

nation for the rest of their lives should they choose in these judicial capacities. i commend these two nominees who passed out of our committee with strong bipartisan vote to my colleagues on the floor today. i hope they'll join me in supporting them. i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. thune: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican whip is recognized. mr. thune: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, is the senate in a quorum call? the presiding officer: yes. mr. thune: i would ask unanimous consent the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president, let me begin by saying that i'm grateful to senators klobuchar, blunt, peters, and portman and the two senate committees that they lead for their bipartisan investigation into the events of january 6 and for producing a detailed report in a short amount of time. the report makes clear that there is more work ahead for the committees. more importantly, it also highlights the immense bravery

of the men and women of the u.s. capitol police who defended the capitol complex on january 6. in the coming days after a thorough review of the 100-page report,ly discuss its recommendations with my colleagues and work to institute reforms that will make a meaningful change to better protect the united states capitol. mr. president, on a different topic, in his 1996 state of the union address, then-president bill clinton famously declared, and i quote, that the era of big government is over. well, after taking a look at the biden budget, it's clear that the era of big government is back. and it's bringing big government's usual companions. big taxation, big spending, big deficits, and it seems likely big inflation. mr. president, the biden budget

which the administration quietly slipped out the door before the holiday weekend would raise taxes by 3.6 -- $3.6 trillion over ten years. $3.6 trillion. all told the biden budget proposes at least 30 separate tax increases ranging from a hike in t the capital gains taxo a height in the top income tax rate to a new death tax. and it would raise taxes on middle-class families by allowing the tax relief that republicans passed in 2017 to expire. under the biden budget in just a few short years, working americans could be facing thousands of dollars in higher taxes. all these tax hikes, of course, are an attempt to pay for the biden administration's new spending. under the biden budget, government spending would exceed $6 trillion every year. to put that in perspective, the

total, total federal budget in 2019 was $4.4 trillion. increased to $6 trillion-plus per year, 8.2 trillion by 2031 is a massive, massive hike in federal spending. over the course of the biden budget, government spending would equal around 25% of our gross domestic product, far exceeding the average of the past five decades for spending as a percentage of our total economic output. so what would the consequences of all this spending look like? well, i've already mentioned the $3.of trillion -- $3.6 trillion in new tax hikes. then will would be the deficits which would exceed $1.3 trillion every year for the next ten years. by 2031 the end of the biden bucket window, our debt would be -- get ready for this -- $39

trillion. our debt would equal117% of the u.s. economy. again, the highest level in our nation's history debt to g.d.p. the interest payments on the debt would triple over the next ten years to $914 billion. that's right. by 2031 we would be paying nearly $1 trillion a year just in interest on the debt. that's more money that our nation will spend on medicare this year. so, mr. president, let's review. the biden budget equals taxes, spending, and debt. and here's the real kicker, mr. president. the biden budget hikes taxes, hikes spending, and drives up the debt for pretty much nothing. that's right. after an initial good year or

two, the biden budget projects permanently weak economic growth. for the majority of the next ten years economic growth wouldn't even hit 2%. all that government spending and debt isn't going to result in prosperity. it's going to result in permanent economic stagnation. and that means permanently diminished opportunities for american families. fewer jobs, lower wages, weaker career prospects. mr. president, democrats like to talk as if government can provide security and salvation. but the truth is government is not an engine for prosperity. government might serve as a safety net in difficult circumstances. but government will never make you prosperous. it's a robust economy, not a robust government that will produce prosperity, that will

produce the good jobs and good salaries and good benefits and good careers. and that's why one of the most important jobs of government is creating the conditions that will allow the economy to flourish. that's what republicans work to do with the tax relief that we passed in 2017. and as we saw before the pandemic hit, it was working. the biden budget on the other hand focuses on creating a flourishing government and the economy would pay the price. and working americans would face a future of diminished earnings and reduced opportunity. mr. president, there's a lot more that could be said about the biden budget. i haven't even mentioned the diminished investment in our national defense which could have very serious consequences for our national security. less than three years ago, the bipartisan national defense strategy commission released a report warning, warning that our readiness had eroded to the point where we might struggle to

win a war against a major power like russia or china. and while we've made some real progress since then, we still have a lot of work to come to -- to do to ensure that our military is prepared to defend our nation and meet the threats ever the 21st seen tur are -- of the 21st century. the biden budget would send us right back to the situation that we faced three years ago. i guess it's not surprising that a budget that fails to be serious about fiscal realities would fail to be serious about national security realities. but it's deeply concerning that the president doesn't seem to understand the importance of investing in our national defense. mr. president, president biden has made the priorities of liberal interest groups the top priorities for his administration, whether that's canceling the keystone xl's good-paying jobs and economic growth to please the environmental left or overturning the mexico city policy so the taxpayer dollars can go to fund abortions overseas. on the question of abortion,

president biden's budget abandons decades of bipartisan compromise and eliminates the hyde amendment which protects taxpayers from having their tax dollars used to fund abortions here at home. you would think that if we can't agree that the human rights of unborn children should be protected, we should at least agree that taxpayers shouldn't be forced to pay for the killing of unborn children. almost 60% of americans oppose using taxpayer dollars to pay for adorgses. -- for abortions. but president biden has made it clear that his allegiance to the radical abortion left trumps the opinions of the american people. and so his budget eliminates the hyde amendment and imposes a number of other proabortion measures like additional government funding access for the nation's largest abortion provider, planned parenthood. mr. president, the biden budget might be good news for liberal

interest groups but it's bad news for the american people and bad news for our country. and i hope that my democrat colleagues will think twice before forcing this massive government expansion on to the american people. mr. president, i yield the floor and i suck -- suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. bennet: thank you, mr.

president. i'd ask the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. bennet: and i'd ask consent to complete my remarks. the presiding officer: without t objection. mr. bennet: thank you. i wanted to come to the floor to share a few words about regina rodriguez, president biden's nominee for the united states district judge for the district of district of colorado. she comes to this floor with well, broad-earned support across the state of colorado. my office has received a flood of letters on her behalf, all of them testify to her character, her hard work, and commitment to service, justice and the rule of law. she learned all of it, mr. president, from her family. her mom's family knew injustice firsthand. during the second world war, they were relocated from california to the hart mountain internment site in wyoming, joining over 10,000 people whose loyalty was questioned by the united states government based

solely on their japanese an ssess century. -- ancestry. her mother went on to become a teacher and administrator in the denver public schools. her father, peter, was a mexican american who went from living in a railroad boxcar on the south side of chicago to earning a nomination for the nfl hall of fame. education and hard work transformed her parents' lives. and regina has always sought to live up to their example. she grew up in gunnison, colorado but her family moved around the country because her dad coached football. she graduated with honors from the university of iowa, which i know is not the only reason why chairman grassley supported her nomination but probably was an important one, then returned home to earn a j.d. from the university of colorado law school. after starting a at a private firm in denver, regina joined

the u.s. attorneys office. she went to work for the attorney general on an alternative dispute resolution, a new approach at the time, meant to avoid lengthy trials through arbitration and mediation. she helped to mainstream the approach for all u.s. attorneys, saving the government countless hours and taxpayers countless dollars over the years. gina rose to become the chief of the civil division in the u.s. attorneys general's office. she was the first latina to hold that position and quickly developed a stellar reputation among colleagues and judges. today she is one of the most respected trial lawyers in colorado and has received award after award for her work. her commitment to the community has been just as impressive.

she's a founding board member of colorado youth at risk, a nonprofit that helps kids stay on the right track. she served as one of colorado's higher education commissioners and still serves on the board of denver's highest-performing charter school, the school of science and technology in my old district. somehow she finds time to mentor young lawyers from underrepresented communities. the evidence is overwhelming. regina rodriguez is an exceptional nominee with a distinguished career and commitment to service. she has blazed trails in colorado and in colorado law through the sheer force of her intellect, hard work and character. regina and her family with what we mean when we come to this floor and talk about the american dream. she has my full and enthusiastic

support, and i want to thank my colleagues on the judiciary committee for advancing her nomination with overwhelming bipartisan support. they saw what colorado already knows, which is what an exceptional judge gina would make, and i wholeheartedly agree. i urge my colleagues to come together and confirm this outstanding nominee in a big, bipartisan vote. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. bennet: mr. president, i'd ask the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. bennet: thank you, mr. president. i have nine requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. bennet: thank you, mr. president. i'd note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. a senator: i ask consent we vitiate the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order, the question is on the nomination. 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 66. the nays 33. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. 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 executive calendar 127, regina m. rodriguez of colorado to be united states district judge for the district of colorado 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 debate on the nomination of regina m.

rodriguez of colorado to be united states district judge for the district of colorado 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: is the yeas are 72, the nays are 28. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: the judiciary is regina m. rodriguez of colorado to be united states district judge for the district of colorado. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate the previous order, the senate

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