and justice for all. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: as we all know, the senate has been quite busy. legislatively, we've been hard at work on everything from budgets to disaster relief to consumer protections to tax reform. on the nominations front, we've taken strong action to strengthen the judiciary, including confirming a slate of very well-qualified nominees in recent days. this week we're continuing our work to staff up the rest of the government as well. this is one of the senate's most important functions and one we take seriously. we're currently considering men and women who have been nominated to serve in many different roles at many different agencies. the one thing they all share in common is this: they're ready to get to work, and the sooner we confirm them, the sooner they can get on with the job for our country. first we'll vote to confirm john gibson as deputy chief management officer at the department of...

democratic leader. mr. schumer: later this week -- the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: now on taxes, later this week, the house will begin marking up the republican tax plan. record speed. no hearings. no real discussion. and unfortunately senate republicans are mimicking the house in trying to rush through their bill as well. and it is said that the senate republicans will unveil the plan of their own. although i don't expect there to be that much difference between the two. now, what has united the republican tax reform effort so far in this congress has been a stubborn desire to reduce taxes paid by big corporations and the super rich. that's the core. the middle class ends up with the leftovers, and shockingly, millions in the middle class will actually see a tax increase. not just a handful, but a large number. this morning's "new york...