alexander, john wrote and joseph green junior and the members of the 400 years of african-american history. national park service officials, including daniel smith, and david cella. the vice mayor jimmy gray and members of the city council. also other special guests. on behalf of the members of city council, our city staff and residents of this city is my honor and privilege to welcome you to point comfort. freedoms fortress. fort monroe and fort monroe national monument in hampton, virginia. >> it is a historic city that is 409 years old. i often tell them we don't look that old as we've and burned to the ground twice. from almost the beginning, it has been a multiethnic and multicultural city, a model for the nation and for the world to emulate. in july 1610, there were two ethnicities and cultures in hampton, that is the english colonist and that of the indians. just over nine years later, a third ethnicity and culture was introduced. that if africans. in late august, 1619, the white line arrived at point comfort with human cargo, captured in an attack on a spanish slave ship, the san juan batista. the virginia secretary stated that 20 odd were traded for foo

the clerk: department of state, joseph cella of michigan to be ambassador of the united states of america to the republic of fiji. mr. mcconnell: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: mr. thune: madam president. the presiding officer: majority whip. mr. thune: madam president, is the senate in a quorum call? the presiding officer: it is. mr. thune: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. is. mr. thune: madam president, in just a few days we will mark the one-year anniversary of the president concluding negotiations on the united states-mexico-canada free trade agreement. it's time for congress to ratify this agreement now. the united states-mexico-canada agreement will benefit pretty much every sector of the u.s. economy. the automobile industry, textiles, digital trade, and e-commerce, services, manufacturing, and yes of course, agriculture. madam president, as the represent of -- representative of a state whose lifeblood is agriculture farmers and ranchers a

the clerk: nomination, department of state, joseph cella of michigan to be ambassador of the united states of america to the republic of kiribati, the republic of gnaw are you and the kingdom of tongue ga. mr. mcconnell: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. 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 joseph cella of michigan to be ambassador extraordinary and plenty of the united states of america to the republic of fiji and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the united states of america to the republic of kiribati, the republic of nauru, the kingdom of tonga and tuvalu. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed t