brainard to be confirmed.it is not clear that the finance committee vetting of nominees has served a youthful purpose and information released by the finance committee on problematic issues surrounding nominees doesn't seem to have decreased support for their confirmation. i'm not saying that every nominee who runs into trouble should be automatically rejected. i myself voted for one of the five nominees that i just mentioned. however, it does not appear that the information released by the committee on the nominee in this current congress has given much consideration. the issues involving dr. brainard should have no bearing on political parties, issue positions, or who is friend with whom. the only basic issue should be that everyone needs to pay their taxes as required by law and the nominee should be fully responsive to the congress. in looking at the first of these issues, the nominee showed that she was deficient in the second for the reasons i have laid out here in earlier statements, i will vote against

that person is not lael brainard. we cannot trust someone who gives evasive, inconsistent, and incomplete answers to routine questions. we cannot trust someone who spends nine months refusing to come clean about her record. we cannot trust someone who refuses to be straightforward about her tax problems because she is so desperate to be confirmed. mr. president, someone with this record is a terrible noise to serve in the treasury department. i want to urge my fellow senators and my colleagues to consider this record before they vote on this nomination. mr. president, i urge a no vote on this nomination and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: will the senator withhold his request? mr. bunning: yes, sir, mr. president, i will. the presiding officer: thank you. the senator from missouri is recognized. mrs. mccaskill: i rise today to talk not about obstructionism but rather about transparency and the rules. the rule i'm going to talk about today is a rule that, in fact, we embraced in the last congress.

irrise in support of the nomination of lael brainard to be the undersecretary of the treasury for international affairs. i know lael personally. she is a renowned expert in international economics, dedicated public servant and is highly qualified for this important position. i've had the privilege of working with her when she was a member of the clinton administration, deputy snrants to the president for national economics. then she went on to be a vice president, founding director of the brookings institution's global economy and development program, and then an associate professor of applied economics at m.i.t. shown school. she has extraordinary he credentials and experience, but she's also, in addition to that, someone who has a wide-ranging interest in ndges economics, international affairs, and international security policy. she's someone that i have known for many years, someone i respect immensely for her judgment, her maturity, and her dedication to not only the country but also to ensuring that our policy reflects our highest eye dells as well as -- ideals as well advances our course

under the previous order, the question is on the nomination of lael brainard. mr. kyl: mr. president, i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: he vote: the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber w wish to vote or to change a vote? if not, on this vote, 78 yeas, 19 nays. and the nomination is confirmed. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from vermont is recognized. mr. sanders: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to speak for ten minutes, to be followed by senator burris for 5 minutes, at which point the senate would recess for party caucuses. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. sanders: the front page story of the "new york times" today points to the fact that of the enormous power of big money in terms of financial reform. and they say -- and i quote -- "with so much money at stake, it is not surprising that more than 1,500 lobbyists, executives, bankers and others have made their way to the sen