i rise in support of the nomination of r.d. james to serve as the assistant secretary of the army for civil works. mr. barrasso: the assistant secretary establishes policy

the clerk: department of defense, r.d. james of mo to be assistant secretary of the army. mr. mcconnell: mr. president, last week americans from all across the country including many from kentucky came here to washington to speak up for unborn children whom our legal system has denied the right to life. now congress has an opportunity to take a step forward. the united states is currently one of just seven countries -- just seven -- including china and north korea that permit elective abortion after 20 weeks. it's a time -- it is time we begin to remedy obvious and tragic moral wrong. the long overdue legislation that we will be voting on soon would do just that. i'm pleased to have filed cloture on this bill to protect unborn children who are capable of feeling pain. i'm proud to cosponsor it along with many of my colleagues, and i look forward to voting for it early next week. i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to legislative session for a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to minutes each. the presiding officer: without object

i rise in support of the nomination of r.d. james to serve as the assistant secretary of the army for civil works. mr. barrasso: the assistant secretary establishes policy direction and provides leadership for the civil works programs of the u.s. army corps of engineers. in this position, mr. james will play a central role in ensuring the navigatability of the waterways. he will oversee the storm risk management and responses to emergencies like hurricanes that we saw in florida and in texas this past fall. he will also play a central role in modernizing america's aging water infrastructure. this week the committee on environment and public works, which i chair, has look at the needs of america's water infrastructure. these hearings are important steps as the committee works towards a new water resources development act which will be reauthorized this year. it's critical to have mr. james confirmed so he can partner with us in this important process. i look forward to working with mr. james on projects important to my state of wyomin

the clerk: nomination, department of defense, r.d. james of missouri to be assistant secretary of the army. mr. mcconnell: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: okay. mr. president, there are now only 13 days remaining until the continuing resolution expires on february 8. in that short amount of time, we must seek a budget deal, an agreement on health care legislation, and a bipartisan bill to protect the dreamers and provide for border security. all these items are important. all of them are urgent, and we are working hard to get them all done. on the issue of immigration, the bipartisan group of moderate senators should continue trying to find a consensus. i think that's an excellent idea. the white house, unfortunately, has proven to be wildly unpredictable. within a co