Mitch McConnell

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 314, Dabney Friedrich.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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 Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 240, S. 886.

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.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 328, submitted earlier today.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 329, submitted earlier today.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I have 6 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: committee on commerce, science, and transportation The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 8, 2017, at 9:45 a.m., to conduct a hearing on the following nominations: Dana Baiocco, of Ohio, to be a Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, James Bridenstine, of Oklahoma, to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Neil Jacobs, of North Carolina, and Nazakhtar Nikakhtar, of Maryland, both to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Bruce Landsberg, of South Carolina, to be a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board, Raymond Martinez, of New Jersey, to be Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and Diana Furchtgott-Roth, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary, both of the Department of Transportation, and Leon A. Westmoreland, of Georgia, to be a Director of the Amtrak Board of Directors; to be immediately followed by a hearing to examine protecting consumers in the era of major data breaches. committee on commerce, science, and transportation The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 8, 2017, at 10 a.m., in room SD-106 to conduct a hearing entitled ``Protecting Consumers in the Era of Major Data Breaches.'' committee on environment and public works The Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 8, 2017, at 10 a.m., in room SD-406 to conduct a hearing on the following nominations: Kathleen Hartnett White, of Texas, to be a Member of the Council on Environmental Quality, and Andrew Wheeler, of Virginia, to be Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. committee on homeland security and governmental affairs The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 8, 2017, at 10 a.m. to conduct a hearing on the nomination of Kirstjen Nielsen, of Virginia, to be Secretary of Homeland Security. committee on the judiciary The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 8, 2017, at 10 a.m., in room SD-226 to conduct a hearing entitled ``The Impact of Lawsuits Abuse on American Small Businesses and Job Creators.'' committee on indian affairs The Committee on Indian Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 8, 2017, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-628 to conduct a hearing on S. 465, ``Independent Outside Audit of Indian Health Service Act of 2017'' and S. 1400. ``Safeguarding Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act of 2017''. subcommittee on africa and global health policy The Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy of the Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, November 8, 2017, at 3 p.m. to conduct a closed hearing on Ambassador Haley's Recent Trip to Africa.

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 notwithstanding rule XXII, at 3:45 p.m. today there be 30 minutes of postcloture time remaining on the Robb nomination, equally divided between the leaders or their designees; that following the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate vote on the confirmation of the Robb nomination; and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; finally, that there be 2 minutes of debate equally divided prior to the cloture vote on the Wehrum nomination.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Now on another matter, Mr. President, Members of the Senate are continuing to work hard to deliver much needed tax reform for families and small businesses. Yesterday, Senators, members of the administration, and tax reform advocates met here in the Capitol to discuss a mutual vision for relief. They shared the goals of simplicity, fairness, and economic growth. These are the same goals I have, they are the same goals the House wrote into its legislation, they are the same goals the President asked us to consider, and most importantly, they are the goals shared by many Americans across the political spectrum. So we are working together to get this done. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and it will help us create jobs and boost the economy, while closing special interest loopholes at the same time. We can do all of this through tax reform. Today, the House Ways and Means Committee will continue to mark up its legislative proposal. I would like to once again commend Chairman Brady for his good work on the House plan. The hearings this week are building momentum to accomplish our goals for the American people. Soon, the Senate Finance Committee, under the leadership of Senator Hatch, will release its own plan for tax reform. Working through an open committee process, the committee will ultimately bring tax reform legislation to the floor. I am exceedingly grateful to Chairman Hatch for his continued leadership of the Finance Committee. As we continue to advance tax reform, I would urge our Democratic colleagues to join us. In recent years, many prominent Democrats have expressed support for tax reform. Since then, the need for tax reform hasn't changed at all. The American people haven't stopped hurting either. The only thing that changed was the President. So I hope our colleagues will put partisanship aside and work with us in a serious way to help us deliver real relief to families. I hope they will help us take more money out of Washington's pockets and put more money in the pockets of the middle class. That is the aim of this tax reform effort, and we are going to keep working until we accomplish it.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 324, submitted earlier today.

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 3243, which was received from the House.

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. 250, H.R. 194.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent 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 notwithstanding rule XXII, at 11 a.m. on Thursday, November 9, there be 30 minutes of postcloture time remaining on the Wehrum nomination, equally divided between the leaders or their designees, and that following the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate vote on the confirmation of the Wehrum nomination; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; further, that following disposition of the Wehrum nomination, the Senate stand in recess until 1:45 p.m., and that at 1:45 p.m., the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Kan nomination with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 325, submitted earlier today.

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 Perdue and Merkley.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m., Thursday, November 9; 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; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Wehrum nomination.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc with no intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; that no further motions be in order; and that any statements relating to the nominations be printed in the Record.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following nominations: Executive Calendar Nos. 400, 401, and 402.

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.