Mitch McConnell

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute 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. Madam President, on another matter, while our committees are working, the full Senate is keeping busy with one of the core constitutional responsibilities we have: continuing to confirm well-qualified men and women to lifetime appointments to the Federal judiciary. Yesterday, we voted to advance the nomination of Kristi Haskins Johnson, the current solicitor general of Mississippi, with multiple impressive clerkships under her belt, to serve as a district judge for the Southern District of Mississippi. She will make history as the first woman to join the bench in that district. This is just the first of several nominations we will consider this week. We will also vote on Benjamin Beaton, a Kentuckian who has been nominated to be a district judge for the Western District of Kentucky. This Paducah native is yet another outstanding choice by President Trump. Mr. Beaton received a first-rate education from Kentucky's Centre College and then Columbia Law School, where he edited the law review. He clerked on the DC Circuit and on the Supreme Court for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Since then, Mr. Beaton has excelled at some of the country's top law firms. He has also undertaken a substantial pro bono caseload and shown a dedication to community service. At each step, the nominee has demonstrated a firm commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law. The American Bar Association has confirmed what Kentuckians already knew--Mr. Beaton is well qualified to serve as a district judge. Last month, our colleagues on the Judiciary Committee advanced this brilliant nominee with no Members voting in opposition. I urge all my colleagues to join me in voting to confirm him later today and our other impressive nominees this week. Now, this week's nominees are only the latest example of the incredible qualifications that have characterized President Trump's nominees. Take the metric that our Democratic colleagues have called the ``gold standard,'' the ratings of the left-leaning American Bar Association. As of a few months ago, across all the people that President Trump had nominated to the Federal District Courts, 68.8 percent had earned the ABA's top rating--top rating--of ``well qualified.'' If you look back over the last seven Presidential administrations, only one--Bush 43--has managed to post a higher average rating for judicial nominations. Even then, it was only higher by just a hair-- just a hair. Even the Democrats' own supposed ``gold standard'' destroys the talking point that President Trump's nominees have been less thoroughly qualified. It is just not factual. It is not true. Earlier this year, looking at clerkships and professional experience, one liberal commentator admitted that ``the average Trump appointee has a far more impressive resume than any past president's nominees.'' Let me say that again. This is a liberal commentator who follows these things and admitted that ``the average Trump appointee has a far more impressive resume than any past president's nominees.'' So it is pretty hard to argue that these haven't been extraordinary additions to our Federal courts. This is a tremendous accomplishment. These are judges who will serve our Nation honorably for generations to come. Our colleagues here in the Senate should be rightly proud to have confirmed them, and we are going to continue doing just that. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Beaton nomination be waived.

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I enter a motion to reconsider the vote.

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Crouse nomination be waived.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, there is significant outstanding business that Congress needs to complete before the end of the year. My Republican colleagues and I have stated over and over that we still want to pass more coronavirus relief for the American people. Senate Republicans have voted multiple times to send hundreds of billions of dollars to schools, small businesses, healthcare, and laid- off workers. If Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer had not made the calculation to block it, that money could have been out the door many weeks ago. Instead, our Democratic colleagues have spent months--literally months--holding all of that urgent help hostage over unrelated, leftwing wish list items. Their so-called ``Heroes'' proposal is so unrealistic and poorly targeted that Speaker Pelosi's own moderate Democrats ridiculed the bill the instant she put it out and said it will never become law. It includes things like a massive tax cut for wealthy people in blue States and huge sums of money for State and city governments with no linkage to demonstrated COVID needs. Some blue States, including New York and California, have actually seen higher State income tax revenues this autumn than they saw during the same months last year, in part, because they are taxing a chunk out of vulnerable people's unemployment benefits. They are receiving more tax revenue now than they did in 2019. Some of these blue States are receiving more revenue now than they did in 2019. But, alas, Democrats still want coronavirus relief for the entire country held hostage over a massive slush fund for their own use. Well, even if our Democratic colleagues continue to block any bipartisan pandemic relief from becoming law, there are other responsibilities we still need to tackle together. The Federal Government is currently funded through December 11. The next few days will tell us a lot about whether Congress can pull off the bipartisan, bicameral appropriations process that I believe both sides would like to deliver. Last week, our colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee released all 12 bills for fiscal year 2021. The bills would fully fund all kinds of crucial priorities, from securing our border to caring for our veterans, to supporting public health at this particularly critical time. What needs to happen now is quite simple. Our colleagues on the committee and their counterparts in the House need to continue their bicameral discussions and settle on topline dollar amounts for each separate bill. I hope they will be able to reach this broad agreement by the end of this very week. That would help keep us on course to deliver full-year funding legislation, which helps our Armed Forces and all Federal agencies plan and get ahead of the curve by the December deadline. For nearly 2 years now, we have avoided the drama that has become a Washington routine and funded our government on a bipartisan basis. Last August, we passed a 2-year bipartisan funding agreement that let our committees do their work even amid this divided government. When both sides have honored the agreement and kept bills clean of poison pills, Chairman Shelby has been able to deliver full-year bills without drama. I hope we can replicate that successful pattern this year. Congress should also reach a bipartisan, bicameral compromise on the National Defense Authorization Act and pass a conference report before the end of the year. Our men and women in uniform need every tool and resource to confront the great-power competitors, rogue states, and terrorists who wish us harm. Congress should be an asset to our own servicemembers, not a liability This year would make the 60th consecutive year Congress will have passed an NDAA. This is no time to break that streak and leave our forces in the lurch. Let's get this done and pass a conference report through both Chambers this year.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the Inhofe substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to and that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time.

Mr. McCONNELL. I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

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

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 505, H.R. 6395.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, the postcloture time on the Johnson nomination expire at 11 a.m. tomorrow and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination. I further ask that if cloture is invoked on the Beaton nomination, the postcloture time expire at 2:15 p.m. tomorrow and the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination. Finally, if any of the nominations are confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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, November 17; 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, following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Johnson nomination under the previous order. Finally, I ask that the Senate recess following the cloture vote on the Beaton nomination until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, once again, this morning brought two different sets of headlines on the pandemic we have been battling for the last 9 months. On one hand, rates of infection and hospitalization are rising rapidly nationwide. We must all continue taking smart precautions, such as wearing masks and practicing social distancing. But at the same time, we continue to receive hopeful signs that victory may actually be on the horizon. This morning, the American biotech firm Moderna and our National Institutes of Health announced that early trials suggest the vaccine they are jointly developing may be both safe and more than 94 percent effective. This follows Pfizer's similar announcement last week. As former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb summed it up this morning, ``when the full data comes out, we may have two highly effective vaccines against COVID.'' If these results hold, we are told the first doses of a vaccine could be administered to certain vulnerable people as soon as next month, with wider distribution by next spring. This is a remarkable testament to American ingenuity: to bright researchers and brave test participants, to bold commitments from the private sector, and historic support from smart public policy like Operation Warp Speed from the Trump administration and from this Senate. As Moderna's CEO said this morning, ``I want to thank our partners at BARDA and Operation Warp Speed who have been instrumental in accelerating our progress to this point.'' Operation Warp Speed spent billions in funding to expedite research and development. It provided a streamlined regulatory environment and prepurchase agreements to reduce risk. It has mobilized the compilation of the basic supplies--things like needles and swabs--that need to travel with the vaccine itself. We have every indication that this historic public-private partnership is on track to deliver a scientific miracle and help us defeat the virus in the months ahead. Certainly there is no time to waste. Kentucky just announced our highest ever weekly count of new positive cases. The numbers are troubling in places all across our country. So, for now, our job is to continue doing all we can to stay safe and slow the spread.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on a totally different matter, the last several days have brought renewed speculation about the prospect of rapidly withdrawing all U.S. military forces from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Here in Congress, a small minority in both parties seem to think it is in America's power to unilaterally remove conflicts by simply walking away from them. Let me say that again. A small minority in both parties seem to think it is in America's power to unilaterally resolve conflicts by simply walking away from them. Of course all wars must end. The question is now how they end and whether the terms on which they end are favorable or unfavorable to the security and interests of the United States. And nothing about the circumstances we face today suggests that if we lose resolve, the terrorists will simply leave us alone. Over the last 4 years, the Trump administration has made tremendous headway in creating the conditions that will secure the enduring defeat of the terrorists. This President and his policies have strengthened America's hand in multiple Middle East conflicts while reducing the risks and costs to our country. The ISIS caliphate has been shattered, and millions have been liberated from their brutal rule. We have removed master terrorists like al-Baghdadi, Soleimani, and senior al- Qaida and ISIS leaders from the battlefield. The Trump administration has brokered diplomatic successes that should help bring long-term stability and more economic opportunity to a troubled region. The Abraham Accords are a geostrategic game changer. The last 4 years have also brought increased skin in the game from our allies and our partners. Our friends in Europe and elsewhere have a shared interest in stopping safe havens for terror. Today, in Africa, our limited American presence supports a multinational initiative led by France to combat radical Islamic terrorists. Likewise, in places where American forces continue to play roles in ongoing conflicts across the broader Middle East, Secretaries Mattis and Esper worked hard and successfully to secure renewed contributions from European partners and to transition our posture more and more toward a supporting role. Our local partners are demonstrably shouldering the lion's share of the burden in the fight. In neither Afghanistan nor Iraq nor Syria are American combat forces playing a primary role. We have scored major battlefield successes by supporting and working with and through local partners, such as the Afghan National Security Forces, the elite Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service, and the local Kurdish and Arab fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces. So the situation we face today is totally different than what we faced 10 years ago. We do not have hundreds of thousands of soldiers engaged in combat abroad. We do not have hundreds of thousands of soldiers engaged in combat abroad. We are not an occupying force. Today, our limited American military presence in the Middle East is supporting local forces and enabling multinational efforts. We are playing a limited--limited but important role in defending American national security and American interests against terrorists who would like nothing more than for the most powerful force for good in the world to simply pick up our ball and go home. They would love that. That is why, last year, 70 Senators--a bipartisan supermajority--voted for an amendment I authored that acknowledged the progress made in Syria and Afghanistan, identified the risks that remain, and cautioned that precipitous withdrawal would create vacuums that Iran, Russia, and the terrorists would be delighted--delighted--to fill. There is no American who does not wish the war in Afghanistan against terrorists and their enablers had already been conclusively won. But that does not change the actual choice before us now. A rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan now would hurt our allies and delight--delight--the people who wish us harm. Violence affecting Afghans is still rampant. The Taliban is not abiding by the conditions of the so-called peace deal. The consequences of a premature American exit would likely be even worse than President Obama's withdrawal from Iraq back in 2011, which fueled--fueled--the rise of ISIS and a new round of global terrorism. It would be reminiscent of the humiliating American departure from Saigon in 1975. We would be abandoning our partners in Afghanistan, the brave Afghans who are fighting the terrorists and destroying the government's leverage in their talks with the Taliban that are designed to end the fighting. Our retreat would embolden the Taliban, especially the deadly Haqqani wing, and risk plunging Afghan women and girls back into what they experienced back in the 1990s. It would hand a weakened and scattered al-Qaida a big, big propaganda victory and a renewed safe haven for plotting attacks against America. And it would be welcome news to Iran, which has long provided arms and support to the Taliban and explicitly seeks our retreat from the Middle East. A disorganized retreat would jeopardize the track record of major successes this administration has worked hard to compile. A number of former officials and Ambassadors recently stated: ``The spectacle of U.S. troops abandoning facilities and equipment, leaving the field in Afghanistan to the Taliban and ISIS, would be broadcast around the world as a symbol of U.S. defeat and humiliation, and a victory for Islamist extremism.'' President Trump deserves major credit--major credit--for reducing U.S. forces in Afghanistan to a sustainable level, scoring major victories against terrorists across the region, and ensuring the Afghans themselves are at the front of the fight. That same successful approach should continue until the conditions for the long-term defeat of ISIS and al-Qaida have been achieved.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session and 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, 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 Senator Brown.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, last week, the country and the world received some really great news that we have longed for quite a while to hear. A major American drug company, together with its German partner, announced that their candidate for a COVID-19 vaccine appears to be at least 90 percent effective in trials. That is 90 percent--nine zero. Dr. Fauci called these preliminary results extraordinary. Another expert called the news ``as good as you could hope for.'' Of course, tests and trials are ongoing. The FDA will perform its own thorough review, which will include analyzing months of safety data. The American people should rest assured there are appropriate and necessary measures to ensure the safety and efficacy of any vaccine before it is rolled out to the American people, but this will proceed with the lifesaving urgency that is called for. Right now, COVID-19 is continuing to spread across the country at rates that are not sustainable and which we must try to slow. Yesterday, my home State of Kentucky just logged its highest ever daily total--2,700 new cases. The positivity rate of our tests is the highest since early May. It is urgent that all Americans continue the smart steps that have gotten us this far: wearing masks, social distancing, adapting our plans and routines. This virus is not going to magically leave us alone if we decide we are fed up with taking precautions, but thank God and thanks to the brilliant scientists, we may look back on this hopeful announcement as the beginning of the end of this terrible ordeal. I said back in March that our country was about to meet a whole lot of brandnew heroes. Many were going to be doctors and nurses. Others were going to be essential workers who kept society going. Some were going to be the men and women who worked like crazy in labs and research centers until we had this virus beaten. But every single American has a role. As cases continue to climb, the simple advice--wear a mask, practice social distancing, wash your hands--is now just as important as ever. So, of course, discovering the vaccine will only be a part of the battle. Once one or more candidates have been proven effective and safe, it will be a second Herculean undertaking to scale up production and distribute doses of the vaccine throughout our country. This is why this Senate and the Trump administration have been on the case for months. As part of the historic CARES Act, we created Operation Warp Speed--a historic effort that combined interagency government work with public- private partnerships. This was a 21st-century Manhattan Project for a COVID vaccine. We helped fund research and development for several firms. We committed billions of dollars in advance purchase agreements. We flattened regulatory barriers to speed the process. We provided backing so that companies could begin mass-producing vaccine doses before clinical trials had fully concluded so we would have a head start on whichever ones wound up working. If things stay on track, we hope to have a safe and effective vaccine in a timeframe that will be absolutely historic. President Trump's administration and this Congress should take huge pride in the groundwork we laid. Now, strangely enough, some are finding it challenging to simply applaud this unambiguous good news. The Democratic Governor of New York opined a few days ago that it was ``bad news'' that a vaccine breakthrough may have been reached, because President Trump is still in office. Now, I understand Governor Cuomo has found the time during this pandemic to write and publish a self-congratulatory book on leadership--this, notwithstanding that his own State has been absolutely pummeled by the disease and his own administration intentionally sent thousands of COVID-19 positive patients into vulnerable nursing homes. The Governor has the temerity to say this vaccine breakthrough is partially ``bad news''--partially ``bad news''?--because it occurred under the Trump administration. He gestured vaguely toward unspecified concerns about distribution. I guess he would have preferred the lifesaving breakthroughs to have been delayed longer, with more American deaths in the meantime. The irony, as our colleague the Senator from Tennessee has pointed out, is that the plans that are in place put States in the driver's seat for arranging distribution and making sure the most vulnerable citizens receive access. The Federal Government is there to provide guidance and support. As Senator Alexander said, the Governor of New York might want to devote more time and attention to developing this crucial plan rather than undermining public confidence for the sake of politics. Sadly, this isn't anything new. Just a few weeks ago, the Democratic Governors of both New York and California both began openly second- guessing the Food and Drug Administration and doubting its ability to assess the safety of a vaccine. There were suggestions that blue States may set up their own State review boards and then withhold lifesaving vaccines from their own people for who knows how long until this extra obstacle had been hurdled. This is where they are. Vaccines aren't vaccines if a Republican is President until New York and California reinvent their own miniature FDAs. To be clear, Americans purchase nearly 4 billion prescriptions every single year--4 billion prescriptions--trusting the expertise and professionalism of the FDA. That is the trusted authority. Nobody is crying out for liberal Governors to add their own Good Housekeeping seal of approval, let alone potentially delaying the end of COVID-19 to do so. If this vaccine proves to be the one, citizens in New York and California should not have it withheld from them because their Governors care more about performatively opposing President Trump than about hard science. This reminds me of when the junior Senator from California declared back in September, during her Vice Presidential campaign, that she might hesitate to trust a vaccine. The whole country understands that our Democratic friends are not charter members of the Donald Trump fan club. We know that. They do not need to dabble in the early stages of anti-vax conspiracy theories to prove it. In fact, for the sake of public health and public confidence and saving lives, they have a moral obligation to stop. If a vaccine has been found and distribution can begin soon, that is good news, not bad news. It would be a major victory for our country and the world, fueled by American innovation and aided by Operation Warp Speed, thanks to this Senate and the Trump administration. It would save thousands and thousands of American lives, and public confidence will be essential. So this is where we are. Leaders on all sides have a duty to act accordingly.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

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. 862.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 892.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

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