mr. president, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. van hollen: thank you, mr. president. let me just start by responding to my new colleague -- and i respect my colleague. we've worked together on many issues. the senator from alaska and myself. that it is really important -- and i think he would agree -- that the american people, that the public have a thorough review of candidates for a position in public office that are going to have incredible influence over all aspects of their lives. and that's why it's so important that we undertake this process. it is a fact that many of the nominees put forward by president trump. had massive conflict of interest issues that need to be resolved. many of them remain unresolved. many of them are still not proceeding through committees because either their ethics report information has not been provided yet or they haven't passed other clearances. so it is absolutely fitting that we in the senate do our job to make sure that the people who are

mr. president. the editorial cites a thorough study of something like 800 different opinions that judge gorsuch has written since joining the court of appeals. less than 2%, less than two out of 100 of those opinions even drew a dissent from his colleagues on the bench. 98 out of every 100 of his decisions were unanimous. mr. president, this was on a court where seven of the active judges were appointed by democrats, and only five were appointed by a republican. "the wall street journal" says that of the last of at least eight cases considered by mr. gorsuch that were appealed to the supreme court, appealed to the supreme court, the supreme court justice upheld his results in seven of the eight. seven out of eight. four of them were unanimous in front of the u.s. supreme court. so if you actually look at his record, i think it's clear that this is a judge who is very much in the mainstream. cnn did a story on judge gorsuch, and they said that he is -- quote -- "a laid-black, fly-fishing, fourth-gener

mr. president, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. perdue: mr. president, i rise tonight to speak about an opportunity our country has to move this country forward. i appreciate the comments of my good friend from michigan. i appreciate all the comments in this hallowed ground here called the united states senate. but i have to say while i agree on some points, i disagree on others. and what i'm really troubled by tonight, mr. president, is the fact the other side is creating the ultimate shutdown in government right now. we've had an election. our democracy has worked. we have a new person in the white house. we have a new direction for our country. and yet, this person in the white house cannot even get his team approved here in the united states senate. today, after some 27 days, i think the number was for president obama he had 26 of his cabinet and other appointees already confirmed. at this point, president trump has only 13 of his nominees. quite frankly, had we not turned the

mr. president. there are many other issues that my colleagues were willing to overlook, if not outright ignore, with regard to secretary lew that have resulted in hyperbolic attacks on mr. mnuchin. mr. president, i'd like to remind my colleagues that despite the numerous concerns that i and others have had about secretary lew and the many significant disagreements that i had with president obama's agenda, i voted in favor of secretary lew's confirmation. on this very floor, i stated the following -- quote -- "i have always believed that the president -- any president -- regardless of party is owed a certain degree of deference when choosing people to work in his administration. therefore, though i personally would have chosen a different person for this position, i intend to vote in favor of mr. lew's confirmation." i wasn't alone. many other republicans also voted to confirm secretary lew despite serious reservations. in recognition that the president had a right to appoint who he wanted to as long

mr. president? the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: lefty versus righty microphones, mr. president. okay. now, i've just listened to my friend, the majority leader, mr. president, and the majority whip on the floor. they're able legislators, but they are sort of misleading the public as to the motivation. they have tried to -- our motivation. they have tried to paint every democratic request as leftover resentment from the election. sour grapes, the majority leader said a few weeks ago. they can say it day after day after day, but it will never be true. all that we democrats are insisting on is careful, careful consideration of nominees who we believe almost universally are below par. these nominees are going to have tremendous, tremendous effect on the american people. every mother and father in america should worry about betsy devos' lack of dedication, almost negative feelings about public education. she heaps ab

mr. president. mr. president, seeing no one seeking recognition, i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. rubio: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. rubio: thank you, mr. president. i know we're working through these nominations. an important one before us now. as we continue to debate it i thought it would be a good time to talk about the overall function of the federal government and the important things it does. today i had the occasion to meet with individuals from the one foundation, a group i learned about for the first time in 2010. i was runing for the institutes and a group of activists with black shirts and a round white symbol on the shirt that said "one" and i didn't know what it was. i thought it was a protester or something of that nature. they were polite and started talking to

the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. murray: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, over the course of this debate over the last nine hours, plus six hours on friday, of the 30 hours that we have on this, many senators have come to the floor to talk about their concerns about the nomination of betsy devos to be secretary of education. there are open questions about her extensive financial entanglements. there's open questions and clear concern about her basic lack of understanding of just basic education issues. we've heard that time and time again. and in the many ways in which her vision for our education system is really at odds with where families and communities nationwide want us to go. but, mr. president, let me take just a moment to focus on one major concern in particular. it is a public health threat that i know is deeply concerning for families and communities across this country, and that is the epidemic of sexual violence on our college campuses. mr. president, one out of five women and one out of 71 men are sexually assaulted while in college.

mr. president. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. bennet: i see the majority leader has stood, so i will suspend until he's finished. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i just wanted to congratulate the senator from south carolina for a very, very meaningful and effective presentation on behalf of our colleague, senator jeff sessions. mr. bennet: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. bennet: thank you, mr. president. i too congratulate my colleague from south carolina on his remarks. we don't share the same view on this, but he is an important voice here in the senate, and i'm glad that he's on the education committee in the senate. in fact, the other day i said that i wish the president had the sense to appoint him education secretary. the kids that i used to work for in the dem republic schools would have been very -- in the denver public schools would have been very well served by him. mr. president, the

mr. president. mr. president, i'd like to share my thoughts with colleagues today about the president's nominee to be secretary of education. i shared many of these thoughts yesterday with my colleagues on the senate help committee. like my colleague from maine, this nomination has been a very difficult one for me. it's been very personal. and as i mentioned in committee, i take very personally the education of the children of -- in my state. i take very personally the contributions that our educators, our administrators in our schools, all that they provide and the importance that we should all place, that we should all place on the education of america's children. i don't think it's an overstatement to say that i have struggled about how i will cast my vote on the nomination of mrs. devos. again, i take very personally the success of alaska's schools and the success of alaska's schoolchildren. we've got a lot of schools in asian as we all do -- we've got a lot of schools in alaska, as we all do around

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. kaine: mr. president, i offer my congratulations to my new colleague. ann odenall, richmond, virginia. on new year's eve, 2013, we were informed that our youngest son, patrick, 18 years old, had type one diabetes, an incurable disease that comes with a lifetime of insulin dependence, injecting oneself aches to eight times a -- six to eight times a day. the cause is unknown. the beta cells on our son's pancreas just stopped working. type one diabetes is extremely dangerous -- mr. schumer: could we have order, please? the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. mr. kaine: type one diabetes is extremely dangerous and when not managed causes blindness, kidney failure, limb loss, other illnesses and even death. we were knocked off our feet, numbed, confused and overwhelmed by the medical requirements to stay within an acceptable insulin range. people with the disease must balance insulin throughout the day and night. they must also measure their blood glucose level by pricking their finger for

mr. president. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. van hollen: mr. president, i want to start by thanking my colleague, the senator from connecticut for his leadership on public education issues and the fight against gun violence. he's been a voice calling for commonsense measures to address gun violence and to make our schools more safe, and i thank him for all that he's done in that regard. mr. president, yesterday i came to this floor to discuss the risks in a betsy devos would pose to our public education system for students from kindergarten through 12th grade. with herzl lust focus -- with her zealous focus on vouchers for private schools, she's ignored accountability and unique needs in communities in maryland and throughout the nation. education is a public trust, and we should not contract it out to the highest bidders in various voucher schemes. but in addition to overseeing support for k-12 education, the secretary of education is also responsible for federal efforts in t

mr. president. altec inc. >> thank you mr. president, alex with johnson & johnson. >> david with emerson. >> the, executive chairman of caterpillar. we have plenty of de-tens president trump: are they still doing the d12? >> we have a d11. president trump: the d12 i'm waiting for. it will be bigger than anything in history. >> it would be. president trump: there's nothing like what you do. caterpillars are the best. when we raise the dollar and let other people manipulate the currencies, it's the one thing that stops you, doug. >> we will take them on, we will bring them on. we have to let: other countries give you a level playing field. what a great company. i love caterpillar. i have been driving them for a long time. go ahead. >> mario with u.s. steel. president trump: you are going to be doing pipelines now. we put you heavy into the pipeline business. we approved, as you know, the keystone pipeline and dakota, but they have to buy steel made in this country. and pipelines made in this country. >> 100% mr. president. by the

mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: over the past several weeks, we've seen unprecedented obstruction from our colleagues across the aisle. it's made the confirmation of this president's nominees the slowest in modern history. i.t. left -- it's left several key departments without a permanent secretary at the helm for far, far too long. what's the point of the needless delay? what's the point? our friends are slow-walking votes, not changing outcomes. we took several important steps last night to move the nominations process forward. we confirmed steven mnuchin as treasury secretary, after eight years of failing economic policy, stagnant growth, and a tough job market, it's clear we need a new direction to get our country back on track. we need a new direction on regulations, smarter, pro-growth. we need a new direction on taxes, simpler and pro-jobs. and we're going to accomplish either of those goals, we're going to need new leadership at the helm of the treasury department. secretary mnuchin has real-world

mr. president? >> the senator from oregon. >> mr. president, as of thesi senate begins to consider the price nomination, i wanted to see if i could put a little perspective on the upcoming debate. focusing on bipartisanship has always been important to me. i know many of my colleagues on the senate finance committee on the democratic side share that view. and in 2009, the nominations of democrats tom daschle, tim geithner and ron kirk were all handled in a bipartisan way. issues came up in the vetting process in each of these cases, and both sides of the committee took the investigation seriously. unfortunately, mr. president, that has not been the case in 2017. p while congressman price served on the powerful ways and means i committee, he traded in healthcare stock, push policies that help his portfolio, and got special access to a promising stock deal. i asked th the congressman direy in his finance committee hearing whether he got a special deal. he said that he did not. i don't think you could be much clearer than the following p

mr. president. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. merkley: parliamentary inquiry. the presiding officer: state your question. mr. merkley: if a member of the senate is being considered for nomination and we're exercising our advice and consent power and if there is factual conduct in that individual's background that is presented on the floor that is uncomplimentary, would presenting the facts of that conduct in the process of debating an individual be considered in violation of rule 19? the presiding officer: the rules make no distinction between those senators who are nominees and those who are not. that rule does not permit truth to be evidence of a slight or to be a defense of a sleight. mr. merkley: mr. president, just to make sure i understand that clearly, if we are considering a nominee who happens to be a senator and we state factual elements of their background -- for example, conviction of a crime that is inappropriate conduct in the past -- stating the factual record about an individual would be considered in violation of

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new hampshire. ms. hassan: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to lift the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. hassan: mr. president, i rise today to join my colleagues in opposing congressman tom price's nomination to be the secretary of the department of health and human services. every american deserves the opportunity to have quality, affordable health insurance coverage to help them live healthy and productive lives. and having health care is not just critical to the freedom, dignity and well-being of our citizens, but also to the strength of our economy. as governor, i worked with democrats and republicans in new hampshire to expand health insurance coverage, including coverage for substance use disorder and behavioral health services to tens of thousands of granite staters. we need to bring this same bipartisan approach to the senate. we know that there are serious challenges in our health care system that must be fixed. and we need to work across party lines to support commonsense i

mr. president -- the presiding officer: that will take unanimous consent. mr. eed: i would request unanimous consent that i be allowed to yield the remainder of my time to the gentleman from rhode island, senator whitehouse. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reed: thank you, mr. president. with that, i would yield the floor. mrs. murray: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator are washington. mrs. murray: i come to the intoer to urge my colleagues to vote no on the nomination of scott pruitt to lead the environmental protection agency, a nomination that marks yet another broken promise from the new president to put the needs of american families first over the wishes of big corporations and special interests. the and just like we have seen with betsy devos at the department of education or steven mnuchin at treasury, we have yet another trump nominee whose record demonstrates a direct conflict with the mission of the agency they wish to lead. on the e.p.a.'s web site, that mission is pretty clear. to protect human health and the environment

mr. president. mr. president, the senate is not in order. the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. the senator from tennessee is recognized. mr. alexander: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, tonight the senator from maryland, senator cardin and i and a bipartisan group of united states senators have introduced a resolution reaffirming the strong alliance between the united states and australia. i'd like to speak about that just for a few minutes. i don't know what happened during last week's telephone call between the president of the united states and the prime minister of australia. but i do know this. the people of the united states do not have better friends than the people of australia. we're more than friends. as one australian told me when our family lived there 30 years ago, we're mates all right, he said. the english may be our ancestors but you americans are our cousins, first cousins. we started out the same kind of people, my australian friend said, underprivileged, a long wa

mr. president. mr. franken: mr. president, i rise today in opposition to the nomination of scott pruitt to serve as administrator of the environmental protection agency. the environmental protection agency or e.p.a. is tasked with protecting human health and the environment, including our precious air, land and water. this is clearly one of the most critical missions in the federal government. americans believe that a great country deserves safe drinking water, clean air, and to know that the products we use are safe. americans care about continuing this legacy for future generations believing that we should leave the environment in good shape or better than we found it, and that's where the e.p.a. comes in. before the agency was created in 1970, a hodgepodge of inconsistent state and city regulations proved to be inadequate for protecting the right of americans to have a clean, safe environment. before the e.p.a. in some cities in this country the air was so polluted that during the day drivers could ba

mr. president, mr. president, before i yield back, i want to speak for a couple of minutes about the supreme court. a year ago we lost one of the greatest legal minds to ever serve on the nation's highest court. for nearly three decades judge antonin scalia fought for individual liberty and defended the integrity of the constitution. no judge in recent memory has so fundamentally influenced the trajectory of the supreme court. now, from his landmark decision that protected our second amendment right to bear arms to his staunch defend of enumerated powers, judge scalia stood as a bulwark against the erosion of our still rights by an activist judiciary. he did this with an unshakable commitment to an originalist interpretation of the constitution. through this lens he did not read words that were not there nor infer content that did not exist. instead, justice scalia simply understood the constitution as the founders understood it. mr. president, judge scalia's passing marked a watershed moment for the fut

mr. president? mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the votes following the first vote in this series be ten minutes in length. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. there are now four minutes equally divided on the nomination. who yields time? a senator: mr. president? the senate is not in order. mr. carper: mr. president, the senate is not in order. the presiding officer: let's have order, please. mr. carper: mr. president, the senate is not in order. order, please. the presiding officer: let's have order, please. mr. carper: excuse me. the presiding officer: may we have order, please. the senator from delaware. mr. carper: mr. president, i said repeatedly on this floor i take no joy in discord and disagreement. i'm not one who's interested in obstruction. i come from a little state like senator coons where we get along pretty well. we believe in the three c's: communicate, collaborate, compromise. you know what gives me no joy? the rising sea level from new england to miami.

mr. president. mr. president, i would also ask to speak as if in morning business for the next five minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. rounds: thank you, mr. president. i rise today to commemorate the life and legacy of clint roberts who passed away in the early morning hours of february 18, 1982. he is a former member of the house of representatives, south dakota senate and a former south dakota secretary of agriculture. he helped give birth to the conservation reserve and conservation reserve enhancement programs which have been extremely beneficial to farmers, ranchers and landowners, not only in south dakota but across the country. these programs helped increase farm and ranch family incomes at a time of great economic turmoil, but more importantly, clint was a mentor and a hero to me and many others, and i'm proud to say a lifelong friend to me and jean. i have always looked up to clint and sought him out for advice. when i first met clint when i was an intern in the south dakota

mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. cconnell: i ask to proceed under leader time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, i'd like to say a word about the nominee we're about to confirm. we've long known our colleague from alabama as senator sessions and soon attorney general sessions. but it wasn't always this way. there was a time when the distinguished senator from alabama was known simply as buddy. buddy. the product of a small town called hibbert, the son of a country store owner. the inheriter of modest beginnings. senator sessions' parents grew up in the depression. they taught their son the value of a dollar and the importance of hard work. if our colleague wasn't at school or football practice, you were likely to find him at his dad's store lending a hand to customers. as anyone from a small town can attest, that little store served as far more than just a place to buy goods. it was also a local gathering place, a place where people were liable to share their hopes and concerns an

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: i yield the remainder of postcloture debate time and i thank the senator for his courtesy. the presiding officer: the senator has that right. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: mr. president, we continue to just sort of at a glacial pace work our way through the nominations. we have in front of us a nomination for attorney general senator sessions, a colleague of ours. i am very excited to be able to support his nomination to be the next attorney general of the united states, but unfortunately it's taking an extraordinarily long time for us to plow through this because democrats continue to use procedural roadblocks to keep the administration from able to get their team in place. and i say that, mr. president, having concluded today based on the research we've been able to assemble that the -- this is the slowest pace for cabinet approval since george washington. now, that sounds a little melodramatic but i think it's accur

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. mr. franken: mr. president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. franken: thank you, mr. president. i rise this evening in opposition to the nomination of betsy devos to be our next secretary of education. this is one of the most important jobs in our government the department of education bears the responsibility for making sure that every child in america has the opportunity to fulfill his or her potential, which means that the secretary of education has an enormous amount of power to shape our nation's future. so this is not a job for amateurs. president obama's first secretary of education was arne duncan, who had spent seven and a half years building a record of accomplishment as c.e.o. of chicago's public school system, previous to which he had been the director of a mentoring program and the founder of a charter school. when secretary duncan stepped down, he was replaced by dr. john king jr., the recipient of a doctorate in education administrativ

mr. president. mr. president, i have heard -- the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. markey: i'm sorry. i ask for a vitiation of the roll call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. markey: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i have heard from literally thousands of my constituents who have contacted my office in unprecedented numbers with fears about a justice department headed by senator jeff sessions as attorney general of the united states. my constituents and americans all across the country are concerned about the independence and integrity of the justice department under president donald trump. we are only three weeks into the trump administration, and what we have seen so far has been alarming. we have three years and 49 weeks left to go in president trump's term of office, and we have already seen in three weeks president trump issue an illegal and immoral ban on muslim refugees. we then saw president trump fire acting attorney general sally yates from her job ov

mr. president? the presiding officer: senator, we are. mr. rounds: i would move to vitiate the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. rounds: thank you. mr. president, i rise today to discuss president trump's nominee to be administrator of the united states environmental protection agency, oklahoma attorney general scott pruitt. general pruitt's legal background with the e.p.a. regulatory process makes him well suited to lead this agency. he has an in-depth understanding of the impact regulations have on landowners, american businesses and state and local governments. as attorney general, mr. pruitt has been a leader in standing up for the rights of state governments in the face of an aggressive e.p.a. that has imposed increasingly costly and burdensome regulations on the states. during his time as the attorney general, mr. pruitt established oklahoma's first federalism unit in the office of solicitor general to more effectively combat unwarranted regulation and overreach by federal agencies. general pruitt is a strong bel

mr. president, i would yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from south carolina. mr. scott: thank you, mr. president. i appreciate the time. i think we have had a very interesting debate on betsy devos and frankly on public education. listening to my friends on the left, i have been encouraged, encouraged because i'm excited that for the first time in a very long time we're actually having a conversation about the important role of public education in america. this is a necessary component to success in life. i have been inspired and inspired by senators who have spoken eloquently and passionately about the importance of our public education system, the challenges that they fear might come with the appointment of betsy devos to be secretary of education. i have also been disappointed and frustrated by some of the statements made by my friend on the other side. what this is not -- what this should not be is a partisan issue. this is not an issue of republicans versus democrats. that is not what this is about. t

mr. president? you know, we have been invited to the white house before and we've sat at this table with the former administration. but this is totally different. not once did the president go around the room and ask the sheriffs what were issues that were important to us, he or she, in our parts of the country, but rather it was about gun control, about other things. you asked us what was important to us whether it is mental health in the jails, opioid addiction, you hit on them right off the bat. border, immigration, vetting. we appreciate that. that has not happened before. we've been here before but we've never had a president to sit down and listen to what it is that we're facing representing our constituents in public safety across this country. that's why we appreciate -- that's why we're here today with you. >> that was scripted. >> very much. >> bill belichick is a great guy and friend of mine. he was telling me -- somebody told me that he'll oftentimes when he was wanting to get a player, h

mr. president? the presiding officer: majority whip. mr. cornyn: i'd ask consent the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. pursuant to rule 4, paragraph 2, the hour of 12 noon having arrived and the senate having been in continuous session since monday, the senate will suspend for a prayer from the senate chaplain. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal lord god, teach us this day, through all our employments, to see you working for the good of those who love you. strengthen the hearts of our lawmakers against temptations, and make them more than conquerors in your love. deliver our lawmakers from all dejection of spirit and free their hearts to give you zealous, active, and cheerful service. may they vigorously perform whatever you command, thankfully enduring whatever you have chosen for them to suffer. guard their desires so that they will not deviate from their path of integrity. lord, strengthen them with your almighty arms to do your will on earth, even as it is done in heaven. we pray in your mighty name. amen

mr. president. we began public hearings on supreme court nominees in 1916 since we began those, the senate has never denied a hearing or a vote to a pending supreme court nominee. never since 1916, until last year. last year the senate republicans waged an unprecedented blockade against the nomination of chief judge merrick garland, a fine judge with impeccable credentials, strong support from both republicans and democrats, a man who should be on the supreme court today. the first time since 1916 that had ever been done. since they have bowed to the extreme right of the party republicans who knew and said publicly before how much they respected him and how he should be a person on the supreme court, they refused to even meet with him, let alone give him the respect of a confirmation hearing even though the constitution says that we shall advise and consent, and even though each one of us has raised our hand in a solemn oath saying we'd uphold the constitution. so this is exactly what happened. repub

mr. president. i personally applaud the president for nominating judge neil gorsuch to serve on the united states supreme court. he's an outstanding choice. throughout his career, judge gorsuch has been a stalwart, standing strong in support of the united states constitution. he's repeatedly shown his commitment to our country's founding principles of economic opportunity, fiscal responsibility, limited government, and individual liberty. these principles have served to make our nation exceptional throughout our history. each branch of government has the shared charge of preserving and protecting those rights for all americans. judge gorsuch has led a remarkable career in both the public and private sectors and has demonstrated a keen understanding and appreciation of the law. he has an outstanding academic record. he's an outsideer to the political nonsense here in this town. he has an impeccable judicial record and he's actually called a judge's judge in the scalia mold. he's a mainstream judge. ac

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: mr. president, i listened carefully to my colleagues on the other side, and i want to make sure people really understand what this debate is all about. this debate is about background checks. it's about mental health. it is not about taking away constitutional rights. and i'm struck, mr. president, and i hope the distinguished president of the senate has taken part in a lot of these debates as well, is whenever there is a discussion about guns in the united states senate, senators get up and says we shouldn't be debating guns. we ought to be debating mental health. that's what we're talking about here today. mental health and colleagues were talking about background checks. the fact of the matter is you can go into town hall meetings in any part of america and you will hear extraordinary support for the whole idea of background checks. background checks as i indicated is right at the heart of this morning's debate. supporting background checks is not some extreme, far out position to hold.

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. menendez: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. menendez: mr. president, i rise today as a product of the new jersey public schools. the son of cuban refugees whose parents decided to leave everything behind because they did not like a dictatorship from the right and did not like what they saw in the sierra mastros as the castros were seeking to overthrow that government from the right and who fled their own country in order to seek a better life in the united states. they were the lucky ones. they saw the handwriting on the wall, and they got out before the true brutality of the castro regime took hold in cuba. when they arrived here, they had nothing more than the promise of a brighter future, and if not for them, then for their children. in so many ways, it's a quintessential immigrant story, indeed a quintessential american story. my mother worked as a seamstress in the factories of new jersey. my father was an itine

mr. president. i appreciate the time. i think we have had a very interesting debate on betsy devos and frankly on public education. listening to my friends on the left, i have been encouraged, encouraged because i'm excited that for the first time in a very long time we're actually having a conversation about the important role of public education in america. this is a necessary component to success in life. i have been inspired and inspired by senators who have spoken eloquently and passionately about the importance of our public education system, the challenges that they fear might come with the appointment of betsy devos to be secretary of education. i have also been disappointed and frustrated by some of the statements made by my friend on the other side. what this is not -- what this should not be is a partisan issue. this is not an issue of republicans versus democrats. that is not what this is about. this is not even a political issue, nor is this an issue about teachers. i, for one, am so ve

mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. durbin: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: pending before the united states senate is the nomination of mick mulvaney, a congressman who is seeking to be the director of the office of management and budgeting. if you were to ask the people of america about the cabinet positions filled by the president, the one they would probably miss is the office of management and budgeting. it turns out to be one of the more important positions, but it's not as well known historically as treasury secretary, secretary of state, attorney general. but it's an important job and it's one of the more consequential jobs because the director of the office of management and budgeting is responsible for preparing the president's budget, setting the priorities of the federal budget, and overseeing the performance of federal agencies. it is a big and challenging job. many other nominees for positions in the cabinet are well known and have been debated on the floor of the senate, but today i

mr. president. and i ask unanimous consent that my team member -- make sure i state it correctly -- patrick drupp, is granted the courtesy of the floor. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. warren: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from massachusetts. ms. warren: mr. president, for the first time in more than a decade, the republican party controls the house, the senate and the white house, and this week they are starting to roll out their legislative agenda. so now that they have complete control of the agenda, what do the republicans have in store? something to bump up wages for working families or something to create more jobs, something to tackle the student debt crisis, maybe something to deal with all the jobs that get shipped overseas? nope. one of the republican party's first orders of business is a giveaway to exxonmobil that will help corrupt and repressive foreign regimes and help it to funnel money to terrorists around the world. here's the problem. big corporatio

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new york. mrs. gillibrand: may i request to vitiate the -- may we vitiate the quorum call? the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. gillibrand: thank you. i rise today to oppose the nomination of senator sessions for the attorney general, and i'd like to preface my remarks with just a statement of recognition of the outpouring i received from my state, from constituents. i have letters. i have postcards sent, some with the statue of liberty. i have letters from every corner of my state passionately writing about their views on president trump's nominations, particularly senator sessions. i'd like to read one letter because i think it, it really summarizes the views of so many new yorkers. this constituent write, as your constituent and as a reformed jew, i strongly urge you to oppose the nomination of senator jeff sessions as attorney general. as the top law enforcement official of the country, the attorney general has substantial power over the administration of key legislation that advances t

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mr. manchin: mr. president, i rise also to speak about the stream buffer rule. i want everyone to know the state of west virginia has been a heavy-lifting state, we have been an extraction state. we do the mining. we mine the coal that built the steel that built the guns and defended us and gave us basically the great country we have. we have done everything. there is no one in west virginia that wants dirty water or dirty air, no one in oklahoma, no one in any extraction state. pitting people against each other is just wrong. the way this comes down is just strictly, it's strictly a duplicative rule. the stream buffer rule that was put in place. my colleagues know last year the department of interior office, surface mining reclamation and enforcement basically decided to send its final stream protection rule to the white house without fulfilling obligations and even a request by myself to please contact, work with the local authorities, work with the states that are involved. they did nothing. they wo

mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. murphy: i ask that we dispense with the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. murphy: thank you, mr. president. as i began with last night at 4 in the morning, now 5:30, let me thank the nonpartisan staff and those in the majority and minority for enduring another late night. these are exceptional times and thus we are here again in the early, early morning to talk about a nomination to the president's cabinet. as my colleagues have before me -- this is my first time on the floor since senator warren was gaveled down last evening -- let me just speak for a moment about my deep, deep disappointment at the events of early last evening. i want to put this in the context of the political moment that we are living in. we have a president of the united states today who is a bully, who is using his office to try to stifle and quell debate. if you dare oppose him, frankly, whether you're a republican or democrat, you are going to be called names, you are going to be mocked

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. lee: mr. president, i rise to speak about the nomination of judge neil gorsuch to be associate justice of the united states supreme court. confirmation of anyone appointed to the federal judiciary is a big deal. confirmation of someone appointed to serve on the supreme court of the united states is an exceptionally weighty matter, and i therefore approach this with the seriousness that it deserves. i approach this as one who has argued in front of judge gorsuch. i found as a threar that -- as a lawyer it that he's an exceptional judge, an unusual judge, a judge who comes to argument with an unusual degree of preparation. having read after the briefs and apparently all the cases and all the statutes cited in the briefs. there are some judges who during oral argument are constantly asking questions, but they're not necessarily questions that need to be asked. perhaps some judges want to hear the sound of their own voices. that's of course something that would never happen here in the united state

mr. president. mr. prime minister. both of you have criticized the iran nuclear deal and at times even called for its repeal. i wonder if you're concerned at all as it are -- relates to michael flynn but also some events with communication with russia if that's going to hamper this deal and with secondly on the settlement issue are you both on the same page? thank you. >> michael flynn is a wonderful man. i think he's been treated very, very unfairly by the media, as i call it the fake media in many cases. and i think it's really a sad thing that he was treated so badly. i think in addition to that, from intelligence, papers are being leaked. things are being leaked. it's a criminal act and it's been going on for a long time before me, but now it's really going on and people are trying to cover up for a terrible loss that the democrats had under hillary clinton. i think it's very, very unfair what's happened to general flynn, the way he was treated and the documents and papers that were illegally -- i stress that, ille

mr. president. mr. prime minister. both of you have criticized the iran nuclear deal and at times even called for its repeal. i'm wondering if you're concerned at all as it relates to not just the national security adviser, michael flynn, who recent sli ly no longer her also the events with communication with russia. if that will hamper it deal at all or keep iran from becoming a nuclear state. and secondly on the settlement issue, are you beth on tboth on page? how do you term that as it relates to the settlement issue? >> michael flynn, general flynn, is a wonderful man. i think he has been treated very, very unfairly by the media. as i call it, the fake media, in many cases. and i think it's really a sad thing that he was treated so badly. i think in addition to that, from intelligence papers are being leaked, things are being leaked. it is criminal action. criminal act and it's been going on for a long time, before me. but now it's really going on. and testimony are trying to cover up for a terrible loss that the d

mr. president. the president pro tempore: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: if i might, i'd like to begin this morning by directing some remarks to the chair. i'd like to recognize an important milestone of his but let me start off this way. the president pro tempore is something of a legend in the beehive state. he's a published author. he's got gold and platinum albums hanging on the wall. and he's a great fighter for his home state. it's not hard to see why utahans keep sending him back here. it's not hard to see why they chose to make him the longest serving senator in utah history. senator hatch has come a long way from the grinding poverty of his childhood and just recently he passed yet another significant milestone. he became the longest serving republican senator in american history. now that's impressive. and yet given what we all know about our colleague, it isn't all that surprising. senator hatch is almost always in the mix on the most consequential issues of the day. he's been a leading voice on everything from labor law to judicial no

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. engines: i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. menendez: thank you. mr. president, i have come to the floor to speak on the nomination of congressman price to be the secretary of health and human services, but before i do, i must speak to the decision that the united states court of appeals for the ninth circuit just decided in the case of the state of washington, the state of minnesota versus the president and the department of homeland security, and i am pleased to see that the courts of the united states are still part of the separate co-equal branch of government that the founders dictated when they ultimately created an ingenious document to the constitution of the united states that has served the nation well for so long. and even though it seems that the president may need a review of history and an understanding of the constitution as it relates to the separate co-equal branches of government because he seems to be wielding -- wil

mr. president. mr. prime minister. both of you have criticized the iran nuclear deal and at times even called for its repeal. i wonder if you're concerned at all as it relates to not just the national security advisor michael flynn, who is recently no longer here, but some of those events going on with communication in russia, if that is going to hamper this deal it all and if it would keep iran from becoming a nuclear state? and secondly on the settlement issue, are you both on the same page? how do term that, with regards to the settlement issue? thank you. pm netanyahu: -- president trump: michael flynn, general flynn is a wonderful man. i think he's been treated very, very unfairly by the media, as i call it the fake media in many cases. and i think it's really a sad thing that he was treated so badly. i think in addition to that, from intelligence, papers are being leaked. things are being leaked. it is a criminal action, a criminal act, and it has been going on a long time, before me. now it i

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. moran: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning hour. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. moran: mr. president, thank you. i'm here to speak about our nation's efforts to end global hunger. it's an undertaking that countless individuals, foundations, government agencies have devoted a significant amount of time and resources, effort to attempt to resolve. those who have dedicated their lives to feeding the hungry deserve our deepest gratitude and respect. they made the decision to improve the lives of others less fortunate than themselves, and they often have done that at their own loss of comfort and their own well-being. there is no more noble calling than trying to do something for someone else and especially when it costs you something as well. regardless of our faith, our creed, or our religion, almost all of us are taught early in life that it's our duty to help those in need. americans consistently have taken that moral responsibility to heart. as individu

mr. presidthe presiding officere senator from maine. mr. king: mr. president, i'm a former governor, and as such, i have an inclination to support the executive's nominees for their cabinet, for their secretaries or commissioners, in my case in maine. i think that's an important principal and it's how i start when i approach the analysis of any nominee to any position put forward by the executive, whether the executive is donald trump, barack obama, or anybody else. that's a kind of starting point. and that's how i started this january. and, indeed, thus far as we voted here on the floor, i have supported five of the seven nominees that have come before us, plus i've supported two additional nominees in committee, which have not yet come to the floor but who i will support on the floor. so i am not total opposition, don't vote for any nominees. i don't think that's the way our system works, and it's certainly not the way i intend to approach these issues. i have a -- i have approached them one at a time, looking at the positions of the nominees, their

mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs. feinstein: mr. president, thank you very much. i want to thank the distinguished chairman of the judiciary committee for his remarks. i greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with him and mrs. -- i beg your pardon. i just want to say i very much enjoy the opportunity to work with him and we've got a number of major issues forthcoming. here today, mr. president, i rise to oppose the nomination of senator sessions to become the attorney general of the united states. i think some of us, and i certainly, have lived through many difficult times in this country, but today this country is as divided as i have ever seen it. some republicans have said that democrats are in the anger stage of grief. but with all due respect, those statements just trivialize what's going on in this country. it's not trivial, and it's not small. today america is a country split in half with at least half objecting to the actions of this president, including his nominee for attorney general. my office has received approximate