Mitch McConnell

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. 339.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls 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, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration of PN1709 and the Senate proceed to consideration of that nomination.

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate vote on the nomination with no intervening action or debate; 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.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of all nominations on the Secretary's desk for the Coast Guard, that the nominations be confirmed, and motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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. Mr. President, I have 5 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 Armed Services The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 07, 2020, at 9:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing following nominations: Kenneth H. Braithwaite to be Secretary of Navy, James H. Anderson to be Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, and General Charles Q. Brown Jr. to be Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 07, 2020, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing. committee on Rules and Administration The Committee on Rules and Administration is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, May 07, 2020, at 10:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to consideration of S. Res. 565 submitted earlier today.

Mr. McCONNELL. I know of no further debate on the measure.

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

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 when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 3 p.m., Monday, May 11; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time of the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, I ask that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the Montgomery nomination. Finally, I ask that notwithstanding rule XXII, the cloture vote on the Montgomery nomination occur at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, the United States is battling the worst pandemic in 100 years. Our Nation has poured unprecedented resources into defending Americans' health and blunting the damage to our economy. The Senate will continue to work on this front. We will find more ways to keep strengthening our healthcare response and pivot the Nation toward recovery. That will include strong legal protections to defend healthcare workers, small businesses, and other institutions against the trial lawyer feeding frenzy as they work hard to keep serving their neighbors.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the core business of our Nation does not stop while we fight the coronavirus. This week, Senate committees are conducting oversight and holding hearings. Members are tracking the implementation of the CARES Act. We are discussing how Congress could do everything from further strengthening the health response to ensuring that a second epidemic of frivolous lawsuits does not redirect the national recovery into a trial lawyer bonanza. Here on the floor, we are filling major vacancies in the Federal Government. Today, we will confirm Bill Evanina to lead the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. As our Nation grapples with challenges at home, it is critically important that a full complement of skilled professionals keep a close watch on our foes, adversaries, and competitors. Mr. Evanina's nomination will make him the first Senate-confirmed Director of the NCSC. This role represents our government's senior-most expert in counterintelligence. Fortunately, this nominee has served for 3 decades as special agent with the FBI, as chief of the CIA's Counterespionage Group, and as one of the principal advisers to the Director of National Intelligence. Mr. Evanina's long professional experience has given him a well- trained eye. He has made clear he is focused on the most serious espionage threats facing our country today: China's insidious efforts to steal our industrial, governmental, technological, and political secrets and Russia's continuing efforts to meddle in our democracy. We have a qualified professional who is tailor-made for an important job. Our colleagues on the Intelligence Committee have reported him out on a unanimous bipartisan basis twice. The vice chairman, Senator Warner, said: ``Bill Evanina should be confirmed without further delay.'' But even still, our Democratic colleagues chose to obstruct his nomination on the floor this week and require a full day of floor time to confirm. Ironically, at the same time, we have also heard some of our Democratic colleagues complain that we spend too much time voting on nominations. It is bad enough to spend 3 years delaying nominations to a historic degree and deliberately making the process painful, but it reached a new level of irony for our Democratic friends to do all that and then complain that their own strategy is inconveniencing their schedules. Essential matters of government do not cease because of the coronavirus. They do not cease because of partisanship either. As long as Senate Democrats continue to make incredibly qualified nominees travel the hard way, including someone whom their own Democratic ranking member openly praised, then, I will assure them they will need to continue to show up and cast votes. The country's business will not go undone.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the veto message on S.J. Res. 68 be considered as having been read, that it be printed in the Record, and spread in full upon the Journal.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that at 1:30 tomorrow, the Senate vote on passage of S.J. Res. 68, notwithstanding the objections of the President to the contrary.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Con. Res. 38, submitted earlier today.

Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to and that 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 Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 562, submitted earlier today.

Mr. McCONNELL. 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 with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Now, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Thursday, May 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; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate resume consideration of the veto message on S.J. Res. 68, under the previous order.