Harry Reid

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I would object to any further proceedings at this time.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, November 18, 2014; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that following any leader remarks, the Senate resume consideration of S. 2280, as provided under the previous order; and that the Senate then recess from 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. For the information of all Senators, if all debate time is used, there will be up to five rollcall votes at approximately 6:15 p.m. in relation to the Keystone XL Pipeline, confirmation of the Abrams, Cohen, and Ross nominations, and then 30 minutes of debate prior to a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the USA FREEDOM Act.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it adjourn under the provisions of S. Res. 579 as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Howard O. Greene, Jr.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. To the President pro tempore of the Senate, if the Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, brought up the bill that passed here in the Senate, it would pass overwhelmingly in the House. Virtually every Democrat would vote for it, and I suggest that probably half of the Republicans would vote for it. He won't allow a vote. What is this about? It is beyond my ability to comprehend how they are willing to do everything they can to stop this President from doing what Presidents have done since Dwight Eisenhower. I would also say this: We have gotten some judges done. That is because we changed the rules to do the outlandish thing of having a majority of the Senate determine whether someone should be confirmed. If we look at the Constitution of the United States, the people who drafted that Constitution were very smart. We know a number of them were geniuses. And they were very precise in what they wanted to have supermajority votes on. On judges they didn't want supermajority votes but a simple majority of this body, and that is what we did in changing the rules. But I say to my friend, in spite of that, we have been able to get a lot of judges done, we are going to wind up--by the time the Judiciary Committee continues to do the good work they do, we will probably have over 20 judges who need to be approved this Congress. Postcloture, under the rules we have, there is only 1 hour of time that can be used, so we can get through the judges very quickly. For sub-Cabinet officers it takes 8 hours, and we are normally willing to yield back our time, so 4 hours on every one of those. We have scores--we are approaching, counting judges and all of the nominations, well over 150 who have been held up, people who have been waiting and waiting. These are jobs that are needed in our country; these are not new positions we have created. So I would hope we can get past the bitterness that has been created in this body and get the nominations done. There is no reason a judge- to-be should have to wait for all this time, as the Senator from Vermont has indicated, just to get a vote. Whatever he is doing now has been put on hold, and this is throughout the whole government. So I would hope we can get a lot of these done. If not, we are going to have to spend a lot of time here because we cannot leave this Congress with all these things undone. I hope we can work together, as I have indicated.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, following the cloture vote on Executive Calendar No. 858, the Senate consider Calendar Nos. 1050, 898, 961, and 533--these are career ambassadors, in case anyone wants to know--that there be 2 minutes of debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees prior to each vote; that upon the use or yielding back of time the Senate proceed to vote without intervening action or debate on the nominations in the order listed; that any rollcall votes following the first in the series be 10 minutes in length; that if any nomination is confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to the nomination; that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the Record; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. REID. We expect these nominations to be approved by voice vote.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, very quickly, I ask unanimous consent that the next vote be 10 minutes in duration, and it will be the last vote prior to a 5:30 p.m. vote on Monday.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on November 13, 2014, at 11 a.m.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on November 13, 2014, at 3 p.m., room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on November 13, 2014, at 11:00 a.m., in room SD- 406 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled, ``Hearing on the nominations of Virginia T. Lodge and Ronald A. Walter to be Members of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority.''

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on November 13, 2014, at 3:30 p.m., room SD- 430 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Hearing on the nominations of P. David Lopez to serve as General Counsel and Charlotte Burrows to serve as a Member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.''

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on November 13, 2014, at 11 a.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled ``Nominations.''

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate, on November 13, 2014, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on November 13, 2014, at 2:30 p.m.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I understand H.R. 4 is at the desk and due for a second reading.

Mr. REID. I object to any further proceedings at this time on this legislation.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. There is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, as in executive session, I ask unanimous consent that the nomination of Sarah R. Saldana, to be Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security, reported by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Wednesday, November 12, 2014, now be referred to the Judiciary Committee no later than December 4, 2014; that if the Committee on the Judiciary has not reported by that date, then it be automatically discharged and placed on the Executive Calendar.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, there will be four rollcall votes at 5:30 p.m. on Monday on adoption of the motion to concur on the child care and development block grant bill and on cloture on the Adams, Cohen, and Ross nominations.

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 2 p.m. on Monday, November 17, 2014; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; that following any leader remarks, the Senate be in a period of morning business until 5:30 p.m., with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each and with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees; and that at 5:30 p.m. the Senate resume consideration of the motion to concur with respect to S. 1086 and vote on the motion, as provided for under the previous order.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at 5:30 p.m., Monday, November 17, all postcloture time be considered expired with respect to the House message to accompany S. 1086; that the motion to concur with amendment No. 3923 be withdrawn; and the Senate proceed to vote on the motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 1086; that upon the disposition of the House message, the Senate proceed to executive session and vote on cloture on Executive Calendar Nos. 856, Abrams; 857, Cohen; and 858, Ross; further, that if cloture is invoked on any of these nominations, that on Tuesday, November 18, following the Senate's action with respect to S. 2280, as provided under a previous order, the Senate proceed to executive session, that all postcloture time be considered expired, and the Senate proceed to vote on confirmation of the nominations in the order upon which cloture was invoked; further, with respect to the nominations in this agreement, that if any nomination is confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; that upon disposition of the Ross nomination, the Senate resume legislative session and the motion to proceed to S. 2685; that there be 30 minutes of debate equally divided between the two leaders or their designees on the motion to proceed; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 2685; further, that with any sequence of multiple votes there be 2 minutes for debate prior to each vote and all rollcall votes after the first vote in each sequence be 10 minutes in length; and, finally, that the time in opposition to S. 2280 be under the control of Senator Boxer or her designee.