Mitch McConnell

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, now on a completely different matter, it is both my honor and unhappy duty to offer one more parting tribute to a distinguished Senator who will leave us at the end of the 116th Congress. My good friend the senior Senator from Kansas, Pat Roberts, is preparing to close out the longest congressional tenure the Sunflower State has ever seen. When Pat arrived in Washington as a freshman House Member, he was a young man among giants--Byrd, Stevens, Dole. But over the past four decades, the name ``Roberts'' has come to define its own iconic brand of heartland statesmanship. Pat is the first to admit he didn't establish that name all on his own. He inherited it from another great Kansan. Charles Wesley Roberts was a marine, a journalist, and a leader in Republican politics. So get ready to experience some deja vu, because at age 16, our future colleague got to attend the 1952 convention that nominated Kansas's own General Eisenhower. That early taste of politics planted a seed. Pat earned his own Marine Corps commission. In fact, he served with the first contingent to return to Iwo Jima, where his father had fought 15 years earlier. Then he decided to ply another family trade. Like generations of Roberts men, including an abolitionist newspaperman three generations back, he took up journalism. Only then did Pat bring his talents here to Washington, to Senator Frank Carlson's office. He impressed, and by the next time his next boss, Keith Sebelius, announced his retirement, Pat was running out of excuses not to go on and run himself. Campaigning in Kansas's ``Big First'' district required countless road trips across nearly half the State. But listening to neighbors, building relationships, and earning trust came naturally. Pat's district elected him no fewer than eight times, and the whole State sent him here to the Senate another four. Before long, every small-time diner in Western Kansas was filled with people who saw Pat not just as an elected official but as a trusted friend. The way I hear it, you walk into a restaurant or a coffee shop with Pat, and you budget about 15 minutes of conversation before you even make it to your table. Many of those conversations revolve around one particular line of work. There is a reason why no less an authority than Bob Dole would later dub this man ``Mr. Agriculture.'' When Republicans retook the House majority in 1994, they knew who had to chair the Ag Committee. The rest is history for our colleague, for his State, and for farmers and growers all across America. The 1996 farm bill that Pat shepherded included ``Freedom to Farm,'' landmark legislation that set a new tone for the way American farmers would compete in a global market. Now, today, we know that Pat would later become the only American ever to chair the Ag Committee in both the Senate and the House. But on this side of the dome, he tackled a few other assignments first. Pat had already helped clean up some ethics messes in the House, and so his discretion and integrity landed him on the Senate Ethics Committee. In short order, he was chairing it. Then came the Intelligence Committee gavel and, with it, more sensitive challenges. Our trusted marine had to conduct oversight and ask hard questions in the wake of September 11 and the Iraq invasion. He oversaw essential reports and helped shape reform. But we couldn't keep the Kansan away from his top passion for long. So it wasn't long before Mr. Agriculture was chairing the committee with the most importance of all to his constituents back in Kansas. Chairman Roberts has been a constant voice and a consistent champion for the men and women of this country who get their hands dirty, grow crops, raise livestock, and, as our colleague likes to say, ``feed a troubled and hungry world.'' Even in polarized times, the Ag Committee has largely remained a haven for bipartisan work. That is partly the nature of an issue set where divisions tend to be more regional than ideological, but it is also because of the skilled, thoughtful, and genial consensus-builder we have had at the center of the dais. Two years ago, because of the chairman, the farm bill conference report passed by an overwhelming margin of 87 to 13--87 votes for our farm bill. By my count, that was the eighth farm bill our colleague had a hand in. It turns out that experience actually matters, or, as our colleague likes to say, ``it takes a long time to do big things''--``a long time to do big things.'' That is true of multiyear farm bills. It is true of the advances Pat has pushed forward on geopolitical issues like food security. It is true of other important projects that our friend has taken under his wing, like the crusade to make certain that President Eisenhower receives the monument he deserved here in Washington. This pandemic may have changed the unveiling ceremonies this year, but it is only fitting that Ike persevered. That is thanks to a quarter century of work from Pat Roberts. There is a reason the people of Kansas have rehired our colleague time after time, and it is not just for his entertaining wit, although I will have more on that subject in just a moment. It is because, when their Senator sees a way to strengthen his home State or his country, he keeps at it until he gets it done. In short, Pat has spent decades making sure that it is not just places like Manhattan, NY, but also Manhattan, KS, that get the attention and support they deserve. In fact, thanks to Pat, Manhattan, KS, is the home for our Nation's historic new National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. He played the long game and spent years getting his State ready to make the pitch. This state-of-the-art research facility will come online at K-State, next to another important research facility that happens to be named Pat Roberts Hall. He has looked out for Fort Riley and its essential missions. He has helped devastated communities like Greensburg rebuild after disaster. In every way imaginable, Kansas has had its champion. Pat's voice has been a powerful presence in these halls. But in rare moments when he hasn't been getting results, the voice has, of course, been making us laugh. Pat is one of the best humored Senators in a long time--not funny, humorous. It is not just Pat's quick wit or his punch lines themselves that take the cake. The best part is just the unpretentious fearlessness with which he will go after a good laugh in almost any situation. It is a daunting task to try to convey Pat's winsome humor as a third party. It is a package deal. The words, the voice, the expression all work together. But I will share just one example. Several years back, Pat and I were both attending a formal dinner honoring Bob Dole and Howard Baker. Pat had been asked to offer some remarks in Bob's honor. Apparently, he decided a conventional toast would just simply not cut it; the fancy evening would need shaking up. It so happened that Pat had recently attended Kennedy Center Honors that honored Neil Diamond. So when Pat took the podium at that dinner, with that famous tune ``Sweet Caroline'' stuck in his head, he wound up leading the audience in the world premiere sing-along of the new original song ``Sweet Robert Dole . . . Bob, Bob, Bob.'' A little unusual, sure, but somehow it was the perfect contribution. It literally brought the house down. So we have here a senior Senator from a State that expects greatness from its representatives. They gave America a young man from Abilene who led the fight against tyranny in Europe and became President. They gave us another son from Russell who fought in that fight, came home, became Senate majority leader, and ran for President. But let's add one more name to that distinguished company. Historians certainly will. There is a third Kansas statesman from Holton who belongs on that list: Eisenhower, Dole, and Roberts. In his own farewell speech, Pat quoted his first boss in Washington, Senator Carlson. He said: There are no self-made men or women in public office. It is your friends and family who make you what you are. Well, more than all the bills he has passed, above all the outcomes he willed into reality, Pat says his family is his ``crowning achievement.'' So I must conclude by thanking Pat's ``magnolia blossom,'' Franki, for her generosity in lending Pat to us all these years and everything she has done to make it possible. And the Senate thanks his three kids and their eight grandchildren for making do with less of our colleague's time than they deserve. So Pat, we know we are going to laugh less without you. I am afraid we are not going to get as much done without you. But you have made us better for knowing you, the Senate better for having you, and Kansas and your country so much better for your devoted service. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, 6 weeks ago, Americans voted in this year's general election. The legal and constitutional processes have continued to play out since then. Yesterday, electors met in all 50 States. So, as of this morning, our country has officially a President-elect and a Vice President-elect. Many millions of us had hoped the Presidential election would yield a different result. But our system of government has processes to determine who will be sworn in on January 20. The electoral college has spoken. So, today, I want to congratulate President-Elect Joe Biden. The President-elect is no stranger to the Senate. He has devoted himself to public service for many years. I also want to congratulate the Vice President-elect, our colleague from California, Senator Harris. Beyond our differences, all Americans can take pride that our nation has a female Vice President-elect for the very first time. I look toward to finishing out the next 36 days strong with President Trump. Our Nation needs us to add another bipartisan chapter to this record of achievement. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, over the last 4 years, our country has benefited from a Presidential term filled with major accomplishments. President Donald Trump has repeatedly surprised the skeptics, confounded his critics, and delivered significant policy victories that have strengthened our country. Case in point, back in May, when the President set the goal of finding a pandemic-ending vaccine by the end of this year, his timeline was literally dismissed by people who assumed they knew better. Here is one quote: ``Trump promises coronavirus vaccine by the end of year,'' scoffed one headline, ``but his own experts temper expectations.'' ``Fact check'' complained another headline, ``Coronavirus vaccine could come this year, Trump says. Experts say he needs a `miracle' to be right.'' Well, with the genius of science, support from Congress, and the bold leadership of the Trump administration, that medical miracle arrived right on schedule. Americans on the frontlines are receiving vaccinations as we speak. This episode offers a kind of microcosm of the last 4 years. On so many subjects--from economic prosperity to foreign policy, to protecting American families--the skeptics doubted him. The critics derided him. But President Trump has delivered. When President Trump ran for office, he promised to help open a new chapter for working families. After 8 years of failed policies that concentrated wealth and optimism among the lucky few, prosperity was going to flow to all kinds of workers in all kinds of communities, he said. And that is exactly what happened. Before this pandemic spread from China and the world had to slam on the brakes, the American people had the best job market in living memory. With help from the policies of President Trump and Republicans in Congress, American workers dynamited the stagnation that experts had said was ``the new normal.'' Unemployment hit a 50-year low. Capital markets hit record highs. And this time, all kinds of Americans got to share in the gains. We saw earnings grow faster for workers than for managers, faster for the bottom 25 than for the top 25. This success was fueled in part by the policy leadership of President Trump. This administration pursued bold regulatory changes. Once-in-a- generation tax reform had eluded prior leaders. This President signed it into law in his first year. And together we repealed the worst part of ObamaCare. The unfair individual mandate was zeroed out. President Trump also took historic steps to strengthen the future of our trade with the world. He secured the historic United States-Mexico- Canada Agreement and the bilateral tax treaties with partners in Europe and in Asia. A nation this productive needs plenty of energy to keep it going. Fortunately, President Trump and his administration ended the ideological war on fossil fuels and hit the accelerator on ``all of the above'' American energy dominance. In the last 4 years, we surpassed Saudi Arabia in oil production. We saw energy exports exceed energy imports for the first year in almost 70 years. Meanwhile, we saw CO2 emissions fall, along with other harmful pollutants. That energy independence has dramatically strengthened our hand with respect to the rest of the world, particularly the Middle East. So speaking of the Middle East, President Trump wasted little time pulling back from the prior administration's disastrous ``Iran deal.'' His team eliminated daylight between us and Israel and repaired our relationships with Arab partners. And he aligned these relationships around our common shared interests--countering threats like radical Islamic terrorists and Iranian aggression. Under President Trump's command, our forces took terrorist leaders like al-Baghdadi and Soleimani off the battlefield. The physical caliphate that ISIS established on the previous President's watch was destroyed. All of this paved the way for the Abraham accords, the historic normalization of relationships between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and, most recently, Morocco. And the potential is there for more on the horizon. Now, the Middle East isn't the only place where the Trump administration has shored up our footing on the world stage. Our 45th Commander in Chief sought out to rebuild and modernize our military and to move our foreign policy from a chapter of weakness and apology into a renewed posture of strength. Four years later, we have a new national defense strategy to compete with and deter adversaries like Russia and China. We have rebuilt the military and invested in new technologies to ensure America keeps our edge in everything from cyber to space, to advanced weapons system. The President's leadership does not stop with those who are currently serving. He also signed into law the historic VA MISSION Act to ensure our dedication to the men and women in uniform does not end when their tours conclude. So, clearly, the list of American accomplishments since 2016 is nearly endless. There are the many miles of new protections on our southern border. At one point, apprehensions at the border hit their lowest level since the 1970s. Essential causes, like religious liberty and the most vulnerable, the unborn, have had a champion in this administration instead of an adversary. There have been historic new steps to conserve our national treasures, like the Great American Outdoors Act. And perhaps most important of all, President Trump nominated--and this Senate confirmed--three outstanding Supreme Court Justices, along with more than 220 more article III Federal judges. These are brilliant, young, constitutionalist men and women in lifetime appointments who will renew the judiciary for a new generation--all because President Trump knows we need judges who respect the essential but limited job description the Framers wrote for our third branch of government. So as you can see, it would take far more than one speech to catalogue all the major wins the Trump administration has helped deliver for the American people. The outsider who swore he would shake up Washington and lead our country to new accomplishments both at home and abroad proceeded to do exactly that. President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence deserve our thanks and our gratitude for their tireless work and their essential roles in all of these victories and in many more.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 933.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I understand there is a bill at the desk due a second reading.

Mr. McCONNELL. In order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I would object to further proceedings.

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

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 4704 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Tuesday, December 15; 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 to resume consideration of the Kirsch nomination; further, that the Senate recess at 12:30 until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings; finally, that all time during recess, adjournment, leader remarks, and morning business count postcloture on the Kirsch nomination.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this past weekend, we saw that the historic nationwide effort to bring this pandemic to heel has begun a critical final chapter. After months of development, the first U.S. doses of COVID-19 vaccine rolled off the assembly line, bound for treatment facilities all across our country. I am particularly proud that an important waypoint on that journey is my hometown of Louisville, KY. Yesterday alone, Pfizer shipped 2.5 million vaccine doses, and less than an hour after their airlift began, shipments bound for the eastern United States were passing through the UPS Worldport logistics hub at Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville. In the days and weeks ahead, the hard work of Kentuckians at UPS's new healthcare command center in Louisville will play a critical role in finishing this fight. Already they have helped direct tens of thousands of doses to Kentucky hospitals, where they are being administered to the Commonwealth's healthcare workers and most at-risk residents. There is a historic success story being written today along the vaccine supply chain, from Missouri to Massachusetts, to Michigan, to Kentucky, to frontlines all across our country, and it is emblematic of an approach that has been helping our country since the earliest days of the crisis. From the personal precautions that helped save our health system to the bravery of the doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers who spent sleepless nights tending to victims of the virus, to the ingenuity of entrepreneurs who have spun out masks and sanitizer or kept serving their customers safely, to the patience of parents and school kids who have had to adapt in extraordinary ways, to our economic efforts to blunt the pain of a self-inflicted slowdown without precedent, all along the way, it has been a heroic, resilient American people fighting and winning this battle, with the government providing smart, targeted, and essential support to sustain them. It is the American people who have brought the light at the end of the tunnel within sight, but Washington has played a key role in creating the conditions for them to do it. That joint effort is how the unanimous, bipartisan CARES Act programs helped to sustain struggling families, prevented millions more layoffs, and gave Main Street a fighting chance. It is how Operation Warp Speed has helped to unleash private enterprise and the genius of researchers on a breakneck campaign for a cure that, just a few months ago, the mainstream media was lecturing President Trump would be impossible. At every step, the story of this year has been American workers and families digging deep, muscling through, and lending one another a helping hand, with an assist from those of us here in Congress. But there is a problem. The American people's work is not finished. The struggle continues every day. Cases and deaths are mounting. The commerce that sustains small businesses is still depressed. Working families are still trying to grind through, but recently Washington has not held up its end of the bargain. For months--literally months--both sides in Congress have known roughly what the shape of a compromise rescue package could look like. We know all the areas where we do not even disagree and should be able to make significant law. But, alas, partisan dynamics and political posturing have prevented us from getting more relief out the door, even in areas where nobody even claims to disagree. I don't want to relitigate the last weeks and months this afternoon. Anyone who wants to dole out blame has a clear record they can analyze. It is time for this body to collectively recognize that finger- pointing doesn't put food on the table for struggling families. Finger- pointing doesn't help people avoid having to choose between Christmas gifts and making rent. And finger-pointing does not do a darn thing to fund vaccine distribution so we can slam the door on this virus as fast as possible and maximize the number of lives we can save. That last point is a concern that State health officials across the country have raised repeatedly. Even with vaccines on the way, many are reporting that they don't have the funds to hire enough trained workers or purchase enough PPE to safely administer them as fast as possible. As one health observer put it, ``It would be a shame if all the effort on Warp Speed for development isn't warp speed for distribution.'' That is what we risk if Congress can't get our act together and supply the funds to deliver this literal shot in the arm to our people. This is the support that State and local governments need most urgently--not unfettered slush funds for non-COVID-related needs that predate the pandemic but incredibly urgent, targeted money to get citizens vaccinated right now and finish the fight. That isn't the only urgent priority that Congress must not leave behind. The same business owners and working families who relied on the Paycheck Protection Program to get them through the bleakest points of the spring and summer are, once again, facing tough choices. Renewed health restrictions and decreased demand mean that some American jobs that have been sustained all this period may not survive the last home stretch. So we can help. We can provide a second round of job-saving PPP tailored to those who need it most. And what about Americans who have already lost their jobs in the pandemic through no fault of their own? Several key unemployment programs are set to expire at the end of the month. This is not an outcome that struggling people deserve, least of all during the holiday. So we should act. We should act. The next several days are going to bring about one of two outcomes. Either 100 Senators will be here shaking our heads, slinging blame, and offering excuses about why we still have not been able to make a law, or we will break for the holidays having sent another huge dose of relief out the door for the people who need it. So, look, it is up to us. It is up to us. We decide. This is entirely within our control. I can speak for the Republican side: We want to make a law to agree where we can and help people who need it. I hope and believe that my Democratic colleagues will feel the same way. It is about time to get this done.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 934.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 935.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Executive Calendar Nos. 915, 916, 917, 918, 919, 920, 921, 922, 923, 924, 925, 926, 927, 928, 929, and all nominations on the Secretary's Desk in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force; that the nominations be confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate then resume legislative session.

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, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to consideration of Executive Calendar No. 907; that the nomination be confirmed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.