even in a short amount of time last year, we saw just how much good a fully functioning nlrb can do for american workers when it calls balls and strikes fairly instead of bending over backwards to meet every demand of big labor. today we'll have a chance to get things back to normal for the long term. mr. ring has a distinguished record in labor negotiation. i would urge my colleagues to join me in voting to confirm him today. after mr. ring, the senate will turn to the nomination of pat pizzella to serve as deputy secretary of labor. the fact that this cabinet agency has gone 15 months without its number two official is yet another testament to the historic obstruction visited on this administration by senate democrats. he's been sitting on the calendar for six months despite his ample qualifications. i would urge all of our colleagues to vote to finally advance mr. pizzella's nomination. on another matter this week we've been discussing the stark difference between the obama administration's agenda and the policies that president trump and this republican congress have implemented. du

confirm republicans would hold a majority on the nlrb. also a vote to limit debate the deputy labor secretary nomination and more executive and judicial nominations coming up this week. mitch mcconnell it's indicated they will keep the senate in session this week to complete work on all of the scheduled nominations. and now live to the floor of the u.s. senate as the session gets underway here on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. spirit of the living god, fall afresh on us today. you are a god of might and power, and our times are in your hands. forgive us for sometimes forgetting to trust your prevailing providence, as you increase your faith through the power of your holy word. lord, thank you for our lawmakers. remind them that they are appointed by you and are, therefore, accountable to you for their work. may they not forget that they are servants of your kingdom, as you motivate them to be faithful in what they

confirm republicans would hold a majority on the nlrb. also a vote to limit debate the deputy labor secretary nomination and more executive and judicial nominations coming up this week. mitch mcconnell it's indicated they will keep the senate in session this week to complete work on all of the scheduled nominations. and now live to f

employer side of the case so when the case was argued in a sober you had the employee lawyer and the nlrb on one side and the employer's lawyer and the solicitor general's office on the other side. that case still hasn't been decided yet but it did get a lot of attention because of the unusual dynamic. a similar dynamic with two federal government lawyers on each side of the up podium but a similar case involving the ohio voter eligibility of -- eligibility law. in that context previously the obama administration and taken the view in ohio to clean up the voting rolls which was a violation of federal law according to the obama administration. the solicitor general itself was arguing the case in support of the state of ohio. those get a lot of attention. the press corps that focuses on the supreme court and the federal government. i think it's fair to say it's a tradition of the solicitor general's office to try to limit the number of cases in which there are both -- are those changes in conditions but i have to say i think the fact that the government did change its position in a number o

that nlrb decision overturned years of precedent. let's thereon tribal leaders -- let's listen to tribal leaders. in his prepared statement to the indian affairs committee regarding the tribal labor sovereignty act of 2015, then-governor paul torres of puebla isleta stated, quote, this bill is essential to restore the dignity and equality of indian tribes as sovereigns, which the national labor relations board is seeking to deny us. the board treats every sovereign all the way down to the local governments and political subdivisions of the state as exempt from the national labor relations act except for one -- indian tribes. it does so even though congress made clear when the national labor relations act was enacted that the act does not apply to sovereign entities. the nlra does not mention indian tribes and for a long time the board recognized that the act does not apply to tribes. since 2004, it lost that power. but it did not ask congress for that power, nor did it ask the tribes for their view. so this clearly goes beyond what s

president trump's nlrb is failing miserably at that mission. working americans deserve board members with a demonstrated record of fighting for workers, not against them. they deserve board members who aren't ethically and legally constrained from doing the job. mr. ring does not meet those qualifications. workers need an nlrb that works for them, and they need leaders at the department of labor also who are going to be on their side, not on the side of giant employers and extreme right-wing donors. patrick pizzella has been nominated to the number-two job at the department of labor, and nothing in mr. pizzella's resume tells us that he meets the description of being on the side of workers. in the 1990's, mr. pizzella lobbied with jack abramoff to exempt the mariana islands from labor laws. that's what allowed companies to run sweatshops while slapping made in america labels on their products. later when mr. pizzella was in charge of data management and other operations at the labor department, the government accountability office found that th

now the nlrb is once again fully staffed and ready to call balls and strikes fairly for america's workers. this morning, we confirmed patrick pizzella, the president's highly qualified nominee to fill the number two job at the department of labor. mr. pizzella brought a sterling reputation and an impressive resume. it includes time at g.s.a., the small business administration, the department of education, the federal housing finance board, and o.p.m. even with eight years as the assistant secretary of labor for administration and management and four years as a senate-confirmed member of the federal labor relations authority, this dedicated public servant saw his confirmation process play out in a manner that's become all too familiar. months of waiting on the senate calendar. months of obstruction by our democratic colleagues. months of needless vacancy in this critical agency position. after this morning's vote, mr. pizzella can finally get to work, but the same story of obstruction applies to the next nomination on the slate as well. andrew wheeler, he is ready and waiting, and waiting,