John Thune

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 283.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Merkley amendment, at the desk, to the resolution be agreed to; that the resolution, as amended, be agreed to; that the preamble be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 15; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of Calendar No. 65, Luke Pettit, postcloture; further, that notwithstanding rule XXII, at 11:30 a.m., the Senate vote on confirmation of the Pettit nomination and if cloture is then invoked on Calendar No. 134, Anthony Tata, the Senate recess subject to the call of the Chair following the cloture vote to allow for the weekly conference meetings and the official Senate photograph; further, that when the Senate reconvenes, all postcloture time be expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the Tata nomination and if confirmed, the Senate then vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Calendar No. 184, Joseph Edlow; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Tuesday's session of the Senate, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. THUNE. For the information of the Senate, we will have two votes after the official photograph at 2:15 p.m. tomorrow.

Mr. THUNE

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, the appropriations process is officially underway here in the Senate. Last week, the Appropriations Committee held its first markup of appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026, and I am pleased to report that the committee referred two bills to the floor with bipartisan support. Today, I want to talk about one of the bills that came out of last week's markup, and that is the Agriculture appropriations bill. Agriculture is the lifeblood of our country, and in places like my home State of South Dakota, farming and ranching are a big part of our way of life. I know how hard American farmers and ranchers work to deliver food, fuel, and fiber to America and to the world, and I know this work can be challenging and, at times, unforgiving. In recent years, farmers and ranchers across the country have faced some pretty fierce headwinds. Higher input costs and depressed commodity prices strained their budgets, and higher interest rates made financing more difficult. Then there were the supply chain disruptions; natural disasters and drought; and things like bird flu, African swine fever, and the New World screwworm that threaten livestock. Just 2 weeks ago, Republicans passed a reconciliation bill that addresses many of the challenges head-on by bolstering programs that farmers and ranchers depend on. But as I said then, farmers' and ranchers' priorities are going to continue to be a priority here in the Senate, and the Agriculture appropriations bill is an example of that. Our colleagues on the Appropriations Committee have reported a bill that provides robust funding to support America's farmers and ranchers. It provides important funding to the Farm Service Agency, including support for $10.5 billion in capital access for farmers and ranchers. And it supports efforts to track foreign-owned land to prevent our adversaries like China from buying up America's farmland. It also makes investments in rural development programs at USDA. In South Dakota, that money goes far in supporting water programs, electricity, and broadband programs in rural areas. This bill also invests in conservation programs, and it advances efforts to help farmers and ranchers get their products to the market. I am glad to see support for processing capacity for meat, poultry, and egg products. And I am pleased that this bill also promotes programs that help State-inspected plants operate across State lines, which provides producers with more options for their products and supports smaller processors. The bill also includes funding for the Agricultural Marketing Service to help facilitate greater access to international markets for American agriculture products. And the updated market data that will result from investments in this bill will help farmers and ranchers make better decisions about their businesses. In just the past year, the threat to our food supply posed by diseases and pests has been national news. I am glad to see the Trump administration's actions to address bird flu and its effect on the egg supply have had a positive impact. And the Agriculture appropriations bill continues efforts to combat bird flu as well as other potentially devastating threats like chronic wasting disease and the New World screwworm. Nutrition is another important part of agriculture policy, and the bill that has been reported out provides robust funding for programs like WIC and SNAP, and I appreciate Senator Hoeven's work to find offsets for increased spending on these programs. The work of feeding America and the world isn't easy, but I know our farmers and ranchers take a lot of pride in what they do. They know they are not just working toward the next harvest; they are keeping a heritage alive, a way of life that none of us can live without. I appreciate the work the Appropriations Committee has put in to support our farmers and ranchers and, in particular, the leadership of Chair Collins and Senator Hoeven. And to America's farmers and ranchers, we will continue to have your back. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call with respect to the pending nomination be waived.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 89, S. 433.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee- reported amendment be agreed to and the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 86, S. 283.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, on Tuesday evening, I filed cloture on the nomination of Whitney Hermandorfer, of Tennessee, to be U.S. circuit judge for the Sixth Circuit, the first of President Trump's judicial nominees that we will consider this month. I am excited that the White House has started sending over judicial nominations and eager to get to floor confirmation of Trump's nominees. One of the great achievements of President Trump's first term was the confirmation of some 234 judges to the Federal bench. At the start of the first Trump administration, the President and Congress were faced with well over 100 openings in the judiciary, a daunting number but an incredible opportunity to shape the Federal bench. The administration got right to work on identifying good judicial candidates, and Leader McConnell determined that we were going to fill those slots and others that would open up--and not just fill them, of course. The President and Leader McConnell and then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley were determined to fill them with the right kind of judges, judges who would faithfully interpret the law, not attempt to legislate from the bench. Our interest was in putting judges on the bench who would look at the law, the Constitution, and the facts of the case and rule based on those criteria and nothing else. That might seem like an obvious goal for judicial nominations, but, unfortunately, that is not always the case. In fact, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle frequently seem to prefer another kind of judge, the kind of judge who will rule in line with Democrats' policy preferences, even when the law doesn't support them. You only have to look at Democrats' attempts to politicize and delegitimize the Supreme Court for daring to occasionally rule against Democrats' preferred outcomes to realize that Democrats aren't interested in judges who will rule according to law; they are interested in judges who will rule according to the platform of the Democratic Party. That is a very dangerous thing. Our system is based on a belief in the rule of law. In the American system, the law is supposed to be the final, impartial arbiter. Cases are to be decided based on what the law says, not on what a particular judge feels. Sure, it might seem nice when an activist judge goes outside the meaning of the law and rules for your preferred outcome. But what happens when that same judge reaches beyond the law to your detriment? What protection do you have if the law is no longer the highest authority? Equal justice under the law can only be maintained as long as judges actually rule based on the law and not on their personal feelings or political opinions. An activist judiciary is a threat to justice, it is a threat to the separation of powers, and it is a threat to individual liberty. And one of the things I am proudest of in the first Trump administration is the number of judges we put on the bench who understand this--who understand that our system depends on the rule of law, not the rule of unelected judges; who understand that their job is to interpret the law, not usurp the job of the people's elected representatives by legislating from the bench. We are not facing the number of judicial vacancies this Congress that we faced during President Trump's first term. There are currently only around 50 vacancies on the Federal bench. So our job now is to continue the good work that we began during the first Trump administration by filling those vacancies with more judges who understand the proper role of a judge, and that starts with confirming Ms. Hermandorfer. I am grateful to Leader McConnell and Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and to Lindsey Graham for their incredible efforts during President Trump's first term, and I am grateful to President Trump for the caliber of judges he has nominated and continues to nominate to the bench. I look forward to working with President Trump and Chairman Grassley to confirm more outstanding judges during this Congress. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative business and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I have two 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:

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 65.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 319, submitted earlier today.

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 134.