Harry Reid

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the next two votes be 10 minutes in duration.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Will the Senator from Rhode Island withhold for just a moment.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I express my appreciation to my friend from Rhode Island, who is so courteous to everyone, and I appreciate it.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that on Tuesday, June 10, following disposition of Executive Calendar No. 734, the Lauck nomination, the time until 12 noon be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees and the Senate proceed to vote as under the previous order; further, that following disposition of Calendar No. 736, the Sorokin nomination, and Calendar No. 739, the Boulware nomination, the Senate stand in recess until 2:15 p.m.; that at 2:15 p.m. the time until 2:30 p.m. be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees and at 2:30 p.m. the Senate proceed to vote on cloture on Calendar No. 769, the Brainard nomination, Calendar No. 771, the Powell nomination, and Calendar No. 767, the Fischer nomination; further, that if cloture is invoked on any of these nominations, all postcloture time be expired and the Senate proceed to vote on confirmation of the nominations on Thursday, June 12, 2014, at 1:45 p.m.; further, that any rollcall vote after the first in each sequence be 10 minutes in length; 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. With this agreement, there will be one rollcall vote at approximately 10 a.m. tomorrow, two rollcall votes at 12 noon, and three additional rollcall votes beginning at 2:30 p.m. We had to move these votes around for a lot of reasons. One is there that is a bill signing, another is that there is a funeral, and another is that one of our Senators wants to attend his son's graduation. So we will wind up at the same place--even though it won't be as orderly--at the end of the week. Thank you again, my friend from Rhode Island.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Madam President, I have to be honest. Last night I was flipping around--the NBA, the game of the week, the Red Sox playing Detroit, and the Tony awards. But also, Miss USA was going on. I have to acknowledge, I watched a little bit but not a lot of each. But I watched them all. I am disappointed that I caved in and watched the final of the Miss USA contest, because Miss Nevada won, and I would have liked to have seen that. I placed a call to her, and I will talk to her as soon as she gets out of the clouds, where I am sure she is now. But I congratulate the newly crowned Miss USA, Nevada's own Nia Sanchez. What a story she has. This woman was homeless and spent a good part of her young days in a shelter. She is an exceptional Nevadan. She is gifted beyond her physical beauty. She holds a fourth-degree black belt in tae kwon do and is a certified instructor in the martial arts. When she is not practicing tae kwon do in her own studio, she is fighting on behalf of abused women. She volunteers at Shade Tree, a shelter for abused women. We are proud of Shade Tree. So I, along with all Nevadans, congratulate Miss USA Nia Sanchez on her well-deserved victory. I wish her the very best as she pursues the crown of Miss Universe and undertakes her duties as a global ambassador.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the joint resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on June 9, 2014, at 3:30 p.m. to conduct a hearing entitled ``Border Security: Examining the Implications of S. 1691, The Border Patrol Pay Reform Act of 2013.''

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Kristie Johnson, an intern in Senator Heinrich's office, be granted privileges of the floor for today's session.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the joint resolution be printed in the Record.

Mr. REID

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I now move to proceed to Calendar No. 384, S. 2363, the Hagan sportsmen's legislation.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, following my remarks and those of the Republican leader, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 1:45 p.m., with the majority controlling the first 30 minutes and the Republicans controlling the next 30 minutes. At 1:45 p.m. the Senate will proceed to executive session for at least one rollcall vote. First, there will be a vote on the confirmation of Sylvia Burwell to be Secretary of Health and Human Services and then a vote on the confirmation of Carolyn Hessler Radelet to be Director of the Peace Corps. We hope to confirm the Radelet nomination by voice vote. Measure Placed on the Calendar--S. 2432

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I understand S. 2432 is at the desk and due for a second reading.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I would object to any further proceedings with respect to the legislation at this time.

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I am aware of the remarks I am about to make in recognition of the Presiding Officer who has, prior to coming to this body, led hundreds of troops into Iraq during some of the most difficult combat that any soldiers faced during that conflict. When I first came to the Senate, we had many combat veterans, but that has changed over the years, quite remarkably. We all look to Senator McCain as someone who certainly understands what it means to be in a conflict in war, but things have changed since we lost Medal of Honor winners: Dan Inouye on his passing; Bob Kerrey as a result of his retiring; Fritz Hollings, a Silver Star winner, combat veteran of World War II; Ted Stevens flying airplanes into the Far East, a dedicated heroic pilot; and many other people, so there aren't many left anymore. That is why I focus attention on the Presiding Officer today, because he is representative of the best of people who fight for freedom. On June 6, 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt began his national radio address in a very unusual way, one not entirely common then or now, because the Commander in Chief, the President of the United States, asked the American people to join him in prayer. Why did he do that? His prayer was not for himself but for the 156,000 allied soldiers who, as he spoke, were fighting their way onto the beaches of Normandy. As he implored the American people on behalf of those soldiers, he said: They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violence of war. For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. That was part of his request, that the American people pray for these valiant soldiers. Of course, while this battle for Europe was going on throughout the South Pacific, people were dying as he spoke. Virtually all of the troops who stormed the beaches of France that day were not professional soldiers. They were schoolteachers, farmers, ranchers, mechanics, and clerks. These fathers, husbands, sons, and brothers were pulled away from their peaceful lives and instead were sent to liberate an entire continent. They fought courageously for liberty. They hurtled themselves into the line of fire to defeat tyranny. We can probably all look back at people who fought in World War II. They were our relatives, our neighbors, and I mentioned a few whom I served with in the Senate. From the little town I come from in Nevada, Searchlight, there was a man there named Junior Cree. His name was Junior Cree. That was his given name. I grew up there as a little boy. He had a service station, a little bar, and did a number of different things. He was an entrepreneur, as was his dad. Many years after I was no longer a little boy, he came to my home in Searchlight and wanted to see my new home. Junior and I sat and talked with his daughter Sandy. I had asked him: Junior, what did you do in the invasion of Normandy? He proceeded to tell me. Yet at this time he was an 80-year-old man. He told me he had fought in the North African conflict first. He was in the infantry. He was not in the first wave to go onto the beaches, but he was in one of the first, in one of the amphibious vehicles. There were about 35 or 40 people on one of those. His job--he had his rifle of course but his job was to carry signs-- he was a big man--into the water onto the beaches, and he had instructions on what to do with the signs, to designate who they were and what they were supposed to do. The water was much deeper than anyone said. Well, this man, who was well over 6 foot, went right to the bottom and nearly drowned because these signs were so heavy. He made it onto the beach and found security under a damaged half-track, I think he called it. He was shot in the rear end, and that ended his military adventures during World War II. These people were everyplace. Junior Cree was one of 156,000 people on those beaches. They were all heroes. They were all people just like Junior Cree. They fought courageously for liberty. As I have indicated, they hurtled themselves into the line of fire. Can you imagine going onto the beach with the machine gun fire coming down on top of you. Tomorrow is the 70th anniversary of D-day. On that day 156,000 heroic soldiers turned the tide against Adolf Hitler's savagery and unshackled the nations of Europe. This afternoon there are about 10 or 11 Senators who are going to go to that 70th anniversary which is being held on the beaches of Normandy. President Obama will be there, world leaders will be there, and I appreciate very much those Senators going and representing the Senate, as well as the Presiding Officer. Proof of these soldiers' bravery can be seen in faraway France today, every day, not just for the celebration that is going to take place recognizing the 70th anniversary of this conflict--every day--because there are massive graves there, all over Europe. These seemingly endless rows of white headstones testify to their valor. Crosses and Stars of David are reminders of the debt we owe to those who refused to balk in the face of the evil, and that was Hitler. Adolf Hitler's Nazis were evil. May we always honor their sacrifice and never forget the price they paid to protect, not only this Nation but the entire world. Honoring Veterans One of the ways in which we honor soldiers in our democracy is to care for our veterans. As we celebrate the 70th anniversary of D-day, it is fitting that Members of this body are working on a bipartisan basis to ensure that American veterans get the help they need and deserve. In light of the disturbing reports of the practices of the Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals and other facilities, chairman Bernie Sanders, of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, is leading the effort to craft a bill to improve care at VA hospitals. I applaud his efforts. I applaud the efforts of Senator McCain. As we speak, they are meeting to try to come up with some bipartisan solution to the problems of wait times at VA facilities. I am hopeful an agreement will be reached that guarantees American veterans are receiving the care we as a grateful nation have promised. It is the least we can do for these gallant men and women who have fought to protect our great country. Recognition of the Minority Leader

Mr. REID

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

Mr. REID. As we leave for the week, I wanted to say something on the record regarding the pages. They are going to graduate tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. I look forward to these graduations every year. These are fine young men and women who come here and spend a semester of school with us. This is a tradition we have been doing for a long time. Two of my grandchildren were pages, and even though my family has been involved in government through me for all these many years, they were never exposed to it like coming here and being pages. It really changed their lives, and I am sure some of these young men and women's lives have been changed also. I can remember when I was about their age and I went to Boys State and the friends I made at that weeklong program--friends I still have. These young men and women--friends they make here, they will have for the rest of their lives. These boys and girls are not the summer pages. We have two classes of summer pages, and they are here for a month, and that is it. These young men and women are here for a semester, and the school is hard. It is not some kind of a lark back in Washington. They studied hard. We look for good students, and that is what we get. They get up early in the morning, they go to school, and they come here and try to learn more about government. They really get to know us, personalities. Some of us are nicer to them than others. They recognize that. I congratulate these pages because they are an integral part of what goes on around here. They really do things that are hard. We don't ask them to write dissertations, at least here in the Senate; for the school, they do that. But they run bills around the Capitol Complex, and they help us on some of the more mundane things we take for granted. I really look forward to meeting them. I try to meet all the pages every year. Sometimes I don't get to meet all of the Republican pages, but I try. I want them to know that even though they won't hear from every one of us, we all very much appreciate what they do. Today is their last day here, as I mentioned. I thank them for their service, and I hope their slight glance into the government will be something that will cause them to be involved in government. As for young men and women, the Presiding Officer in this body has had a great political career. She has held a number of statewide offices in the State of North Dakota. In all of what we do in life, there are disappointments that come. She would have been the Governor of the State of North Dakota, but she was stricken with breast cancer, which, I understand, messed up her campaign. But she came back and as a real underdog decided to run for the Senate, and she won. She has made a tremendous difference in this body. I hope each of you can look around here and see people, such as the Presiding Officer, whom you would like to be like someday. When I first came to this body--I say to these young women especially--Barbara Mikulski was a Senator from Maryland. I came with her to the Senate, and she was the woman. That was it. And now, I couldn't help but smile earlier this week because a number of women-- seven or eight women--had congregated here, and one of the Senators said to me--a female Senator said: Look, many of us wore turquoise today. And it was so bright and the clothes looked so vibrant and added so much to this body. So it used to be boys, that the Senators we had here, with rare exception, were men, but that is not the way it is anymore. And I can speak from experience--the Senate is a much better place because of the input of women. Men and women are different. They have different views and outlooks on life. As a result of that, this is a much better place. I can remember a number of years ago when I looked here on the floor--I was whip at that time, taking care of the floor--it was stunning to me, on the military construction bill, appropriations bill, two women were running it. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Republican from Texas, was the ranking member, and Dianne Feinstein from California was the chair of that committee, determining billions of dollars for construction of military facilities around the world. So things have changed a great deal. You have been part of watching this great change take place, young men and women. Thank you for your service here, and I hope someday some of you will be serving in this august body.

Mr. REID

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

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

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. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum under rule XXII be waived.

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