Harry Reid

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I now move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I now move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I now move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I move to proceed to consider calendar No. 450.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I now move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 358.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I now move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 349.

Mr. REID. I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Senators then should expect the first vote tomorrow at 10:15 a.m.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent it adjourn under the previous order, following the remarks of approximately one-half hour of Senator Lamar Alexander.

Mr. REID. Of course.

Mr. REID. We tried to do that. The distinguished Senator from Tennessee objected. The truth is that the Senate has gotten out of whack. If there was a controversy with one of these judges, then you could have some reason to stall. In years past, we have done it by unanimous consent. I think it is unfortunate that this Senate has come to this, but that is where we are. We could approve 14 of these by my friend not objecting to them. He is on the record as saying he doesn't think there should be judges who are objected to; district court judges should be filibustered. But here is the situation. During the entire time we have been a country, there have been 23 district court judges filibustered, in the entire time we have been a country. Twenty of them have been during the Obama administration. So this is a game Republicans have played to do everything they can to make Obama a failed President, and they are not doing it. He is a very successful President and has a long list of things he has done in spite of the Republicans. So I don't know the point my friend is trying to make, but let's approve all these. They are all going to get approved anyway. So what we are going to do is go through this process. I saw my friend, the Senator from Arkansas, come through here. He helped, along with this Senator whose idea it was, from Tennessee-- because Senator Frist was the leader and he backed off that and I understand why--where we had this nuclear option come up before, the Constitutional option, and there was an agreement made by my Republican colleagues that they would not filibuster a judge unless there were extraordinary circumstances. Does anyone understand--does anyone not understand why the whole country is upset about this? Extraordinary circumstances? Look at these circuit court judges. It is outrageous that they do not like them just because they do not like them. Their qualifications are superb. Their educational backgrounds? They went to the best law schools in America. They all have good work records. But they objected to them. My friend, for whom I have great admiration, the senior Senator from the State of Tennessee, has a stellar record. He has been Governor of a State, he has been a Cabinet Secretary, and he has been a very fine Senator. But in his heart he knows that what is going on here in the Senate has been wrong. He may criticize the majority leader for working to change the rules here, but they have been changed before, and they are going to be changed again. It simply is not working. Who can complain about a majority vote? Who can complain about that? Someone talks about this filibuster as if it is something engraven someplace along with the Ten Commandments, but it is not. It is not in the Constitution. It is something we have developed here in the Senate. It originally came about to help get legislation passed. But my friends, the Republicans, the last number of years have used it to defeat legislation. These nominations should have been approved. We should not have had to go through all this and we will not have to in the future.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, December 10; 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; that following any leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the Millett nomination under the previous order.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 243, S. 1356, the Workforce Investment Act of 2013.