Mitch McConnell

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday I announced that the Senate's regularly scheduled August recess will not occur this year. Members will be able to meet with our constituents during a standard 1-week State work period at the beginning of the month, and then we will come right back here and get back to work. The reason is simple: We have too much left to do for the American people. Sixteen months into the Trump administration, Senate Democrats persist in their unprecedented campaign to obstruct the President's nominees for a wide array of executive and judicial positions. It is time for a little historic perspective. During President Obama's first 2 years, the Senate needed only 12 cloture votes on nominations. In President George W. Bush's first 2 years, there were four cloture votes on nominations and for President Clinton, just eight. But less than a year and a half into this administration, the Democratic minority has stalled progress through-- listen to this--101 cloture votes, and counting, on nominations--101 cloture votes. This used to be a rare tool of last resort, used only in a tiny handful of cases. Well, not these days. In many cases, the nominees in question are completely without controversy. Not a single Senator in either party voted against confirming Robert Wier or Fernando Rodriguez to serve as district court judges just yesterday. They were both confirmed unanimously. So were Walter Counts and Karen Scholer, two more district judges we considered back in January. But Senate Democrats forced us to invoke cloture on each of these nominees and then made sure they soaked up Senate floor time, even though literally no Senator opposed them. This isn't due diligence. It certainly isn't good government. It is what happens when our friends across the aisle put political slogans about ``the resistance'' ahead of the country's needs. We have gotten a great deal done this Congress. We have bolstered our economy with historic tax reform and regulatory reform. We have delivered critical resources to communities afflicted by the opioid crisis, with more on the way. We have undone harmful spending caps to fully equip our military. We have taken action to combat human trafficking and school violence. We have repealed ObamaCare's individual mandate tax and its Independent Payment Advisory Board and delayed several other healthcare taxes. Republicans are still working to do more. We need to confirm more of the President's team and judicial nominees. We need to take up regular appropriations bills. We need to tackle legislative priorities like the water infrastructure bill, the farm bill, the Defense bill, and many others. So the Senate will remain in session in August. We will work on legislation. We will confirm more nominees. We will keep delivering on the agenda that has already done so much to make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 442, H.R. 5515.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to proceed be agreed to.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk on the motion to proceed.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call be waived.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the Select Committee on Intelligence has received a request from the Department of Justice for records pertinent to a pending investigation arising out of allegations of the unauthorized disclosure of information by a former employee of the Committee. This resolution would authorize the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, acting jointly, to provide records in response to this request from the Department of Justice.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. I know of no further debate on the bills en bloc.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the bills, en bloc, be considered read a third time.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 172, H.R. 1719.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 61, H.R. 88.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendment be agreed to, the Murkowski amendment at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following Calendar bills en bloc: Calendar Nos. 432, 433, 434, and 415.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of Senators Tillis, Brown, and Portman.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Thursday, June 7; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. I further ask that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the Marcus nomination, under the previous order, with the time until 12:30 p.m. equally divided between the two leaders or their designees; finally, that at 12:30 p.m., all debate time on the nomination be expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the Marcus nomination with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, yesterday, the Senate advanced the nomination of Robert Wier to serve on the Eastern District Court of Kentucky by a vote of 90 to 1. This was a needless delay, but I look forward to confirming this well-qualified nominee later this morning. Next, the Senate will turn to Fernando Rodriguez, Jr., the President's selection to be a U.S. district judge for the Southern District of Texas. Mr. Rodriguez is a graduate of Yale and the University of Texas. He earned recognition for his tireless efforts to combat human trafficking. His peers praise his work ethic and his knack for tackling complicated issues. President Trump continues to send us impressive judicial nominees with sterling qualifications. I would urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting to promptly confirm this slate.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Now, on another matter, Madam President, the Senate took a major step forward on behalf of our national defense. After years of harmful spending caps undermining the combat readiness of our armed services, we brokered a 2-year spending agreement that included the largest year-on-year increase in defense funding in 15 years. This significant accomplishment laid out a roadmap to deliver on the promises we make to our warfighters. Now it is time to take the next step and authorize the programs that are most needed. That is why the Senate will soon be turning to the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act. Each year, reviewing the President's budget request provides an opportunity to hear directly from our Nation's military leaders about their needs. Months of hearings and markups allow Congress to direct resources and authorize programs, equipping our brave service men and women to confront emerging challenges. The Armed Services Committee should be commended for their earnest, bipartisan work this year. The legislation they have produced is strong. Following our agreement that eliminated harmful and arbitrary caps on defense spending, this legislation will add to the process of untying our commanders' hands. It authorizes $716 billion for national defense, enough for the Department of Defense to implement the national defense strategy and replenish and modernize America's fighting forces--as long as we meet our overall responsibility and pass the Defense appropriations bill later this year. This authorization would expand our capabilities on the sea and in the air, provide long-term certainty and support for our All-Volunteer Force, renew oversight efforts, streamline personnel management, modernize acquisitions, and eliminate duplicative and wasteful programs. It sends a clear message that we have our warfighters' backs. How fitting, then, that it is named for our colleague, Senator McCain-- a stalwart champion for our service men and women if this Chamber has ever seen one. I look forward to discussing this legislation at length in the coming days.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Now, on a final matter, Madam President, I spoke yesterday about the new job opportunities flooding into the U.S. economy. It is all thanks to the ingenuity of American workers and job creators, with an assist from Republican policies. Just this year, more than 1 million new jobs have been created, more than 3 million new jobs since January of 2017. The unemployment rate has sunk to 3.8 percent. It hasn't been that low in 18 years. In a big shift from the deeply uneven Obama era, communities all across America are getting in on the action. Rural areas led the whole Nation in relative job creation last year. Let me say that again. Rural areas led the whole Nation in relative job creation last year. Republicans are proud of the historic tax reform and dramatic regulatory reform that helped make that happen. In addition to these nationwide policies, we are also delivering targeted strategies to help the specific communities that have suffered the most. In many parts of the country, including my home State of Kentucky, the Obama-era economic lag has intertwined with another major problem: the opioid epidemic. By one estimate, in 2016, more than 2 million Americans--2 million--were addicted to opioids. This crisis that is shattering families and communities is not an isolated medical issue. There is a reason experts describe many of these fatalities as ``deaths of despair.'' It is, in part, a symptom of declining opportunity and communities literally falling apart. Recent studies suggest that opioid use increased the most in precisely the communities where employment rates have fallen the most, particularly in the manufacturing sector. Complex problems demand comprehensive solutions, and that is exactly what this Congress will continue to deliver. We are attacking this from all angles. In a strong bipartisan fashion, we passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act and the 21st Century Cures Act to bolster prevention, treatment, and law enforcement. I recently introduced the CAREER Act to help recovering addicts find jobs and stable housing to get back on their feet, and the Senate allocated billions in resources for treatment and prevention on the frontlines. The robust Federal response is helping our first responders and professionals combat the dangers of abuse, but, as is always the case, major challenges are rarely solved here in Washington. Congress can provide resources and support to vulnerable communities, but often we do the most good by getting government's foot off the brake and letting American innovators get back to business. For example, I recently heard some great news from one private sector problem-solver in my home State of Kentucky. In my hometown, US WorldMeds has spent the last 15 years working to bring relief to millions of Americans touched by opioid addiction. They have been working on introducing a medicine in the United States to help ease the symptoms of withdrawal. Just last month, we got word that they have received FDA approval. US WorldMeds' CEO, Breck Jones, believes this nonnarcotic medicine can help more addicts kick the habit altogether. I had the opportunity to visit US WorldMeds' facility last year. I was so impressed by what I saw. Now that team can scale up their efforts and begin getting their treatment into the hands of Americans whose lives it could help transform--all of it made easier when Washington offers targeted support where it is needed but mostly gets out of the way of the innovators. Talk about a winning combination.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.