Harry Reid

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration S. Res. 472.

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 12, 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 11:30 a.m., with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees, with the Republicans controlling the first 30 minutes and the majority controlling the next 30 minutes; and that at 11:30 a.m., the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 523, as provided for under the previous order; further, that upon disposition of the Batta nomination, the Senate resume legislative session and be in a period of morning business until 1:45 p.m., with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees; that at 1:45 p.m., the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 769, as provided for under the previous order; finally, upon disposition of the Fischer nomination, the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, there will be a series of votes at noon tomorrow and another series at 1:45 p.m. tomorrow.

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 on Thursday-- that is tomorrow--June 12, at 1l:30 a.m., the Senate proceed to executive session and consideration of Calendar No. 523, under the previous order; further, that following the disposition of that nomination, the Senate proceed to consideration and vote on Calendar Nos. 710, 782, and 776; further, that if any nomination is confirmed, the motions 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 nominations; that any statements related to the nominations be printed in the Record; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 409, S. 2432, the Warren college affordability legislation.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, following my remarks and those of the Republican leader, if any, there will be a rollcall vote on the confirmation of Hannah Lauck, who will serve in the State of Virginia. Following that vote the time until noon will be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees. At noon there will be two rollcall votes on confirmations that come from the Judiciary Committee. One is a judge who will preside in Massachusetts by the name of Sorokin, and one will preside in the State of Nevada by the name of Boulware. Following the vote on the Boulware nomination, the Senate will recess until 2:15 p.m. for our weekly caucus meetings. At 2:30 p.m. there will be three cloture votes on Federal Reserve nominations: first, cloture on the nomination of Lael Brainard to be a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, then cloture on the nomination of Jerome H. Powell to be a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and finally, cloture on the nomination of Stanley Fischer, who is already a member of the Federal Reserve but he will be elevated to be Vice Chair of the Board of Governors. Measure Placed on the Calendar--S. 2450

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I understand S. 2450 is at the desk and due for a second reading.

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

Mr. REID. Mr. President, this is landmark legislation. I so compliment Senators Sanders and McCain for coming to this agreement. I hope we can move this bill expeditiously. Boulware Nomination Later today the Senate will vote to confirm a man by the name of Richard Boulware to be a district court trial judge for the State of Nevada. A remarkable man he is, extremely smart, and he is a very talented lawyer from Las Vegas. His father was the first neurologist to come to Las Vegas--a fine man--and his mom was very politically active in a lot of matters for so many years. Richard F. Boulware has impeccable credentials. He grew up in Las Vegas and attended Harvard University. He went out on his own after graduating from Harvard. He had a consultancy, and he was watching the impeachment proceeding that took place of President Clinton and he said to himself: I should be involved in understanding this stuff more. So he applied to Columbia. It wasn't a walk in the park for him to go. It was extremely expensive. But he is so smart. He got scholarships almost all the way. He graduated very high in his class at Columbia. Upon graduation, he worked at Covington & Burling in New York, one of the premier law firms in the country. He also became a Federal public defender in New York. Since 2007 he has been a Federal public defender in Nevada. If confirmed, Richard Boulware will become the first African American man to serve on the U.S. district court in Nevada. I had the pleasure and good fortune to put the first woman on the Federal bench in Nevada. She was a black woman. She was so good. Her name is Johnnie Rawlinson. She was so good that in a very short period of time she was elevated to become a member of the Ninth Circuit. During Obama's presidency, she has always been on the short list. Richard Boulware will be just as good as any member of that bench we have in Nevada. I am impressed with his dedication to the State of Nevada. He has already distinguished himself as a public servant. So I look forward to his confirmation today. Student Loans Mr. President, we have all seen the old cowboy western movies that saw some unfortunate character getting into quicksand--either pushed or fallen--and they try everything they can to get him out. It is always the same scene in the movies. An unsuspecting person winds up in quicksand, panics, flails around, and each time he does that he gets deeper and deeper into this earthy liquid. Fortunately, a hero always comes to the rescue. Sometimes it is with a rope or branch or something to pull him out of the quicksand to safety. That happens once in a while but not very often in real life. In America today millions of Americans are caught in financial quicksand and looking for a helping hand to pull them to safety. About 45 million Americans have student loans. As their debt mounts, they sink deeper and deeper into financial hardship. There is more student debt today than there is credit card debt. These Americans who have these loans are trying their best to make good on their student loans. They are working multiple jobs, pinching pennies. But even the slightest hiccup can plunge them into financial ruin. The Bank on Student Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, introduced by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Al Franken, is a lifeline. Just like people being stuck in the quicksand in those movies, people are stuck in the quicksand in real life with student debt. The bill would provide graduates who are now beholden to higher interest rates with a 2-year period to refinance current student loans at 3.86 percent. This legislation would allow more than 25 million Americans to refinance expensive student loans. In Nevada, more than 250,000 student loan borrowers would save thousands and thousands of dollars in interest rate fees by refinancing at current rates. But the problem of mounting student loans is not limited to individual borrowers. It is a problem that threatens our entire economy. I had a call yesterday with a bunch of college students in Nevada. They can't get married, they are living with their parents, and they are struggling. Is it worth it for me to go to college? I spent time trying to convince them that it was and it is. Student loan debt now exceeds far more than $1 trillion--approaching $1.3 trillion. That is more than credit card or auto loan debt. As of last September, 40 percent of student loan borrowers were in default, forbearance or deferment. Yet even as many Americans make loan payments on time, the staggering amount of those installments precludes young Americans from buying houses, beginning families or going into business. The legislation before the Senate will give borrowers a fair shot in investing in their families and their financial well-being. As young Americans are able to purchase new homes and invest in their futures, it will inject much-needed capital into our economy. Unfortunately, not all Senators agree that allowing borrowers to refinance their student loans is a good idea. I was disappointed to learn my colleague the Republican leader doesn't support this legislation. It wasn't long ago that he referred to this proposal we are taking up here today dealing with student loan debt--$1.2 trillion or $1.3 trillion debt and 45 million people it affects--he called it a fake fight. For 25 million Americans, or even more, who stand to benefit from this bill, I assure my friend there is nothing fake about helping working families pay off debt and save money. I so admire what the President did yesterday. He said that if you are continuing to refuse to legislate--and we know there has been obstruction after filibuster after obstruction after filibuster. The President said before the American people he was going to do everything he could administratively. Yesterday he did. What he did isn't as good as what we are doing, but he did what he could to help 5 million students with their debt. So to a single mother working two jobs just to take care of her family, make a student loan payment on time, this legislation is real. But instead, the Republican leader has reaffirmed his commitment to the status quo. Why reform today when he and his tea party-driven members said they will reform next year or maybe the next year? We Democrats aren't standing around waiting for a new year or a new Congress to tackle the problem of student loan debt. It is real. We are anxious to extend a helping hand to the more than 40 million Americans who are fighting to keep their heads above water, trying to get out of the quicksand. So let's come to the aid of those individuals struggling with student loan debt and keep them from sinking deeper and deeper into financial quicksand. Reservation of Leader Time Mr. President, would the Chair note the business of the day.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 409, the Warren college affordability legislation.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, following my remarks and those of the Republican leader, if any, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:30 p.m. this evening. At 5:30 there will be three cloture votes on nominations of U.S. district judges: Lauck of Virginia, Sorokin of Massachusetts, and Boulware of Nevada. (Ms. Hirono assumed the Chair.) Las Vegas Tragedy

Mr. REID. Madam President, it is with a lot of sadness that I come to the floor today following the tragic event that took place in Las Vegas yesterday. I spoke with Sheriff Gillespie this morning. Two police officers were having lunch in a pizza restaurant on Nellis Boulevard in Las Vegas, and two people walked in, shot them both and killed them, took their guns and their badges, put some kind of a flag over them representing whomever they were representing, and walked across the street to Wal-Mart and killed an innocent woman. Then they killed themselves. All the details are not available, but there is no question they were murdered in cold blood--for no reason other than the weirdness or craziness of this couple. So all of Nevada mourns the loss of our neighbors, our friends and, in the case of Officers Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo, our protectors. My sympathy goes to their family members and loved ones. This hits very close to home. Many years ago when I practiced law, I brought a fine young man into my law firm named Claude Zobell. Claude has been with me for all these years. He ran my Washington office. He went on to become dean of a law school, and he is now an attorney for a hotel chain in Tennessee. But he has helped me all these years fill out my financial disclosures. His nephew, his wife's mom's son, was one of the police officers killed. Anne, Claude Zobell's daughter, works for me here in Washington. I talked to him this morning. The cousin was killed. The pain that people go through in these unnecessary tragedies and senseless shootings is awful. No words can undo the unspeakable act which claimed the lives of these two men. They have families--wives, children. So that their families know, not only is Nevada grieving but all of America is grieving. My thanks go to the law enforcement officers who were called in after the killings to work at that scene and the scene across the street, putting their lives in peril every step of the way. It seems that our law enforcement officers respond to these scenes every day--in Santa Barbara, in Seattle, and on and on with the names of cities where people are shot. I so appreciate these law officers every day putting their lives on the line. We take for granted here in the Senate the people looking after us. There are people out there who are so evil, who try every day to do harm to not only the Presiding Officer, not only me, but to people who work in these buildings, the tourists that come to these buildings. So if there are any complaints about having too much security, come to me and I will try to explain why we need it. So without elaborating, my deepest sympathies are with the families of those who died. We in Congress have a duty to put in place legislation that helps prevent these deranged, weird, and evil people who carry out such savage acts of violence. A step in the right direction would be background checks so that people who are criminals, who are deranged, can't buy a gun. The American people are depending on us to pass legislation to prevent gun violence to safeguard our communities, schools, and families. There is not a single Senator I know of who says: Let's get rid of all the guns; let's make sure that people don't have guns. We are not saying that. Listen to what we are saying. Climate Change Madam President, we have a lot to do this week. We need to confirm some people as we are still way behind. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse--the junior Senator from Rhode Island has been a real trooper--has been so enthused and so invigorated; he has traveled the country alerting the American people to the dangers of what is happening to our world regarding climate. It has been a one-man show. Tonight he is going to work with a number of Senate Democrats in highlighting the need for congressional action to fight climate change. I applaud him for his work on this issue. He has focused like no other on our changing world. Veterans Health Care The care of our Nations' veterans is another issue we need to talk about, and we will talk about that today, also. Last Thursday Senator Bernie Sanders, Chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, and Senator John McCain announced a bipartisan agreement on legislation to address patient wait times at VA hospitals. The details of the agreement are not in writing yet. At least they weren't a few minutes ago. They are being drafted. The legislation is a comprehensive approach to ensure that veterans are getting the care they deserve. This agreement is very important to all Nevadans, to all Americans, and of course it is extremely important to countless veterans and their families. Recently, along with America and this body, I was shocked to learn that VA hospitals all over the country--and in Nevada in particular-- were affected by dangerous wait times for patients. That is unacceptable. This legislation worked on by Sanders and McCain is not going to solve all the problems that exist, but it is certainly putting the VA on the right track. This bipartisan agreement aims to improve accountability throughout the entire Veterans Affairs Administration, holding VA officials responsible for poor job performance. One of the things we learned is that they covered up wait times. Why? Because by doing that they would get bonuses at the end of the year. So that will stop. This legislation will also take big steps in addressing accessibility to health care at VA institutions nationwide. The agreement will allow veterans facing long delays to seek health care outside of the VA--in private doctors' offices, community health centers, military hospitals, and other places that Sanders and McCain are now working on. Their legislation will expedite the hiring for VA doctors and nurses and authorize 26 new medical facilities nationwide. In addition to improving access and accountability throughout the Veterans Administration, this bipartisan agreement addresses other important issues such as GI eligibility for surviving spouses and in- state tuition to veterans enrolling in colleges and universities. Much will depend on the details of the final bill, but Senators Sanders and McCain have put together an agreement which is good for American veterans and our country. I commend them. I commend especially Senator Sanders for his leadership in this issue since he has been working on veterans care. It is a clear indication how much he values this Nation's servicemembers. In John McCain we could not have a more exemplary person dealing with VA health care as a result of his having spent long periods of time in VA facilities around the country as he was recovering from his ordeal in Vietnam. So I appreciate him in many different ways, but today for his labors in bringing both sides to the table to get something done on behalf of our veterans. I look forward to this legislation coming before us, and I will be happy to schedule a vote on it as quickly as possible. America's veterans are depending on us to complete this legislation to ensure that our veterans get the care and resources they were promised by a grateful Nation. Reservation of Leader Time It appears there is no one rushing to the floor to speak, so I would ask unanimous consent that the Presiding Officer announce the business of the day.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I note the absence of a quorum.

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have a cloture motion that is at the desk. I ask that it be reported.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, we have filed, I am sorry to say, another cloture motion to get on a bill. We have more student loan debt in America today than we have credit card debt. I just had a conference call with some students from the State of Nevada. What is going on is really very unfortunate. Some of these students lamented the fact: You know, I am not sure I should be in school. I am borrowing money. Maybe I should do something else. I do not know how many times we have had to file cloture for the opportunity to get on a bill, but that is where we are. So we will have a cloture vote to see if they will let us on the bill on Wednesday.

Mr. REID. Yes.

Mr. REID. Through the Chair to my dear friend, that is what I am saying. What has happened around the country is not only in Nevada, it is all across the country, with rare exception. State legislatures don't support higher education. If you take an organization such as the Board of Regents of the State of Nevada, and they have a lump sum of money the legislature gives them, they have to figure out a way to keep kids in school. So in Nevada last Thursday they raised the tuition of our universities by 17 percent. What will happen? They will borrow more money. I told those young people when I started the conversation today, I worked hard but with a little scholarship here or there, I could work hard and put myself through school. I put myself through college and law school, and they can't do it now. There aren't enough hours in the day to pay for this tuition.

Mr. REID. I yield.

Mr. REID. We, the Senate, and the American people have waited for months, because we have done this time and time again. We have had to file cloture on just getting on a bill. The sad part about it, on many occasions on nominations--they also do the same on nominations; we have approximately 140 nominations held up--they vote for them. Bills they have supported, nominations they have supported, they still make us file cloture and waste the time of the American people. And I say months.

Mr. REID. The Senator is right. I suggest the absence of a quorum.