Mitch McConnell

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration and the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 522.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 603.

Mr. McCONNELL. I 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.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 612 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. McCONNELL. 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, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to immediate consideration of H.R. 6124, which is at the desk.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, 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 with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 302 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Alexander amendment at the desk be agreed to, the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and the motions 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 S. Res. 624, submitted earlier today.

Mr. McCONNELL. 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, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Democratic leader, the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 485, H.R. 6, and that Senator Alexander or his designee be recognized to call up amendment No. 4013; that there be 1 hour of debate equally divided; that upon the use or yielding back of that time, the Alexander amendment No. 4013 be agreed to; and that H.R. 6, as amended, be read a third time and the Senate vote without intervening action or debate on the bill as amended.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn, to then convene for pro forma sessions only, with no business being conducted, on the following dates and times and that following each pro forma session, the Senate adjourn until the next pro forma session: Friday, September 7, at 9 a.m., and Tuesday, September 11, at 5 p.m. I further ask that when the Senate adjourns on Tuesday, September 11, it convene at 3 p.m., Wednesday, September 12; 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; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Rettig nomination; finally, that notwithstanding the provision of rule XXII, the cloture motion filed during today's session ripen at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, September 12.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Democratic leader, the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 549, S. 2554, and that Senator Lee or his designee be recognized to call up amendment No. 4011; that there be 1 hour of debate equally divided; that upon the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate vote on adoption of the Lee amendment No. 4011 without intervening action or debate; and that upon disposition of the Lee amendment, S. 2554 be read a third time and the Senate vote on the bill as amended, if amended.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, day 2 of Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings proved to be a marathon session. For 13 hours, Judge Kavanaugh was grilled by our colleagues on the Judiciary Committee. Through that testing, the Senate got to see exactly why the American Bar Association deemed this nominee to be unanimously ``well qualified,'' which is the highest possible rating, a distinction that many of our Democratic colleagues in the past called the gold standard. We saw precisely why he has earned such praise from accomplished legal figures, like Lisa Blatt, a self-described liberal and a leading Supreme Court litigator who proudly introduced Judge Kavanaugh before the committee; and Neal Katyal, the Obama administration's Solicitor General who said: ``It's very hard for anyone who's worked with Judge Kavanaugh, appeared before him, to frankly say a bad word about him.'' Judge Kavanaugh was patient and professional. His answers showed total command of everything, from the fine details of case law to the principles upon which our Founders built the Constitution. In July, one of Judge Kavanaugh's former Yale Law School professors explained that he is ``an avid consumer of legal scholarship. He reads and learns.'' It certainly shows. Judge Kavanaugh's widely acclaimed temperament was on full display. He gave thoughtful, expansive answers, while also respecting the independence of the judiciary. Even as some of our Democratic colleagues seemed to forget--seemed to forget--that we are examining a potential Supreme Court Justice and not interviewing a superlegislator who will be writing his own policy preferences into law, Judge Kavanaugh remained very gracious and spoke at length about his past jurisprudence and his understanding of the role judges play in our Republic. It was striking to contrast Judge Kavanaugh's poise, on the one hand, and professionalism with the continued unhinged--literally, unhinged-- antics of the far left, which once again resorted to yelling and screaming and interrupting the hearing with nonsensical protests. The Capitol Police deserves all of our gratitude for keeping order, as does Chairman Grassley for keeping the proceedings moving smoothly. Perhaps it is finally dawning on the far left that Judge Kavanaugh is an impressive, mainstream, and brilliant nominee who almost any objective observer would agree is more than qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. Maybe that is why they are resorting to futile attempts to disrupt the proceedings. Maybe that is why no fewer than 66 individuals were removed from the hearing room for interruptions. I will be perfectly clear about this. Hysterical stunts are not going to stop the U.S. Senate from completing its business. There is no heckler's veto here. I look forward to more excellent testimony from Judge Kavanaugh today.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, pursuant to the order of August 28, at 1:45 p.m. today, the Senate will proceed to executive session to consider Calendar Nos. 693, 731, 778, 779, 782, 838, 839, and 893, as under the previous order. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I want to say a few words about a loyal and valuable public servant as he reaches a remarkable milestone. Over the past 50 years, Members of Congress have come and gone, but all the while, Dr. Walter Oleszek has been on hand at the Library of Congress to answer Members' and staff's toughest questions about the inner workings of American government. Walter arrived in Washington in the summer of 1968 from Upstate New York. He signed on with the Legislative Reference Service, now the Congressional Research Service, and has been serving ever since. Over five decades, Walter has grown into an institution unto himself. He is not only the longest serving CRS team member but also a dedicated and integral part of its operations, while also finding time to teach and lecture on the side. Alan Frumin, the former Senate Parliamentarian, was actually one of Walter's students at Colgate University years ago. According to Alan, ``If there's anything about Congress that Walter does not know, then that thing doesn't exist.'' In my experience around here, the Parliamentarian is usually the smartest one in the room. So that is especially high praise, and Walter has earned it. Today, on behalf of the Senate, I want to thank this scholar, author, internationally sought adviser, and dedicated steward of the U.S. Congress. We congratulate him on his career thus far and look forward to continuing to work alongside him.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 1013.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

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 proceed to legislative session for a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, over the weekend, Senator McCain was laid to rest at Annapolis. Our dear friend left a towering legacy of service and sacrifice. As Senator Graham reminded us last week, while none of us can hope to fill his shoes, we should all strive to follow in his footsteps. Today, the great State of Arizona has sent us a successor who is as well-equipped as you could imagine to do just that. Our friend and former colleague, Senator Jon Kyl, is one of the most serious, most expert, and most effective legislators with whom I have had the pleasure of serving. In his 18 years of Senate service, he forcefully defended the interests of Arizonans on issues local, national, and international. He mastered the details of water and natural resource issues. He became a go-to point person on missile defense, nuclear modernization, strategy, and arms control. He built a reputation as a steady and energetic public servant who put his State and his country first. On a point of personal privilege, I am glad we will have Jon back with us. He has great judgment and an even keel. He is a team player, a true friend, and an inspiring example of what a Senator can and should be. It is a good thing, too, because Congress has a lot to accomplish in the coming weeks--like finalizing appropriations bills, completing our consideration of Judge Kavanaugh, and confirming more of the President's qualified nominees. It is going to be all hands on deck for the American people. I could not be happier that this new, not-so- junior Senator from Arizona will be here to help us through this period.