[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 174 (Tuesday, December 10, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8584-S8586]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  NOMINATION OF MELVIN L. WATT TO BE DIRECTOR OF THE FEDERAL HOUSING 
                   FINANCE AGENCY--MOTION TO PROCEED

  Mr. REID. I move to proceed to reconsider the vote by which cloture 
was not invoked on the Watt nomination.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion.
  Mr. HATCH. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Coons) is 
necessarily absent.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Johnson), and the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Kirk).
  Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Johnson) would have voted ``nay.''
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Schatz). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 54, nays 42, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 248 Ex.]

                                YEAS--54

     Baldwin
     Baucus
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Boxer
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Hirono
     Johnson (SD)
     Kaine
     King
     Klobuchar
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Levin
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCaskill
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Rockefeller
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                                NAYS--42

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Barrasso
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Burr

[[Page S8585]]


     Chambliss
     Coats
     Coburn
     Cochran
     Collins
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     Enzi
     Fischer
     Flake
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Lee
     McCain
     McConnell
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Paul
     Portman
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rubio
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Thune
     Toomey
     Vitter
     Wicker

                             NOT VOTING--4

     Coons
     Cruz
     Johnson (WI)
     Kirk
  The motion was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. REID. I move to reconsider the vote by which cloture was not 
invoked on the Watt nomination.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion.
  Mr. PORTMAN. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second. The clerk will call the 
roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Coons) is 
necessarily absent.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necesarrily absent: the 
Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Johnson), and the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Kirk).
  Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Johnson) would have voted ``nay.''
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 54, nays 42, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 249 Ex.]

                                YEAS--54

     Baldwin
     Baucus
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Boxer
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Hirono
     Johnson (SD)
     Kaine
     King
     Klobuchar
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Levin
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCaskill
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Rockefeller
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                                NAYS--42

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Barrasso
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Burr
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Coburn
     Cochran
     Collins
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     Enzi
     Fischer
     Flake
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Lee
     McCain
     McConnell
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Paul
     Portman
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rubio
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Thune
     Toomey
     Vitter
     Wicker

                             NOT VOTING--4

     Coons
     Cruz
     Johnson (WI)
     Kirk
  The motion was agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader is recognized.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, what is the question now before the Senate?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question will be on the cloture vote upon 
reconsideration.
  The Senate will be in order.
  The Republican leader.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I make a point of order that 
nominations are fully debatable under the rules of the Senate unless 
three-fifths of Senators chosen and sworn have voted to bring debate to 
a close.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the precedent set by the Senate on 
November 21, 2013, cloture on nominations other than those to the 
Supreme Court of the United States is invoked by a majority vote.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I appeal the ruling of the Chair and 
ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The question is, Shall the decision of the Chair stand as the 
judgment of the Senate?
  The yeas and nays have been ordered.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Coons) is 
necessarily absent.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Kirk), 
and the Senator from Wisconsin (Mr. Johnson).
  Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Johnson) would have voted ``nay.''
  The result was announced--yeas 51, nays 45, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 250 Ex.]

                                YEAS--51

     Baldwin
     Baucus
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Boxer
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Hirono
     Johnson (SD)
     Kaine
     King
     Klobuchar
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Markey
     McCaskill
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Reed
     Reid
     Rockefeller
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                                NAYS--45

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Barrasso
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Burr
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Coburn
     Cochran
     Collins
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     Enzi
     Fischer
     Flake
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Lee
     Levin
     Manchin
     McCain
     McConnell
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Paul
     Portman
     Pryor
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rubio
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Thune
     Toomey
     Vitter
     Wicker

                             NOT VOTING--4

     Coons
     Cruz
     Johnson (WI)
     Kirk
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate sustains the decision of the Chair.


                             Cloture Motion

  Under the previous order, pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays 
before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will 
state.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

                             Cloture Motion

       We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the 
     provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, 
     hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of 
     Melvin L. Watt, of North Carolina, to be Director of the 
     Federal Housing Finance Agency.
         Harry Reid, Tim Johnson, Mark Begich, Patrick J. Leahy, 
           Christopher A. Coons, Martin Heinrich, Patty Murray, 
           Bernard Sanders, Jeanne Shaheen, Benjamin L. Cardin, Al 
           Franken, Sherrod Brown, Tom Harkin, Jack Reed, Thomas 
           R. Carper, Sheldon Whitehouse, Bill Nelson, Charles E. 
           Schumer.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum 
call has been waived.
  The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on the 
nomination of Melvin L. Watt, of North Carolina, to be Director of the 
Federal Housing Finance Agency for a term of 5 years, shall be brought 
to a close, upon reconsideration?
  The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk called the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Johnson), and the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Kirk).
  Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Johnson) would have voted ``nay.''
  The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 57, nays 40, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 251 Ex.]

                                YEAS--57

     Baldwin
     Baucus
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Boxer
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Coons
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Hirono
     Johnson (SD)
     Kaine
     King
     Klobuchar
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Levin
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCaskill
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Portman
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Rockefeller
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                                NAYS--40

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Barrasso
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Coburn
     Cochran
     Collins
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     Enzi
     Fischer

[[Page S8586]]


     Flake
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Lee
     McCain
     McConnell
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Paul
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rubio
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Thune
     Toomey
     Vitter
     Wicker

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Cruz
     Johnson (WI)
     Kirk
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Heitkamp). Upon reconsideration, the 
motion is agreed to.

                          ____________________