[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.
____________________