[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 17, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S331]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          CABINET NOMINATIONS

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, let me talk just a minute about the 
nominations process. In 2009, when President Obama was sworn into 
office, there were seven Cabinet members sworn in on his first day in 
office. That is a demonstration of the good faith and civility that 
ordinarily extends in the peaceful transition of power from one 
President to another. That doesn't mean we were excited on this side of 
the aisle about the fact that President Obama won as opposed to our 
preferred candidate, but we believed it was our responsibility to carry 
on this tradition of peaceful transition of power. The President, 
having won the election, was entitled to surround himself with his 
team, subject to the vetting and the confirmation process and the 
process known as advise and consent.
  I believe we need to see some cooperation from our colleagues across 
the aisle, including the confirmation of the next Attorney General of 
the United States, Senator Jeff Sessions. Our Senate colleagues know 
Jeff Sessions. They have worked alongside him. They don't need to read 
his resume, they don't need to know more about his record because they 
know his heart. They know Jeff to be an honorable and decent man who 
believes fervently in the rule of law and who will drain that swamp 
known as the Department of Justice, which has become an outpost of the 
political operation in the White House, and restore it to its rightful 
reputation as a Department of Justice that believes in equal justice 
under the law and doesn't play politics.
  I would also state that our colleagues across the aisle ought to work 
with us to confirm the next Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. Mr. 
Tillerson, I believe, is an inspired choice for Secretary of State. 
Some have wanted to say that the relationships he has developed around 
the world working on behalf of the shareholders of ExxonMobil are a 
liability. I actually view it as a spring. When you are talking to 
somebody, you are less likely to get involved in a fight or get 
involved in a misunderstanding that might lead to some unnecessary 
conflict. I don't have any doubts about his willingness and commitment 
to work on behalf of the United States and all of our people, just like 
he has worked on behalf of the shareholders of the business he has run 
for all these years.
  Finally, let me just say a word about the Secretary of Defense 
nominee, Gen. James Mattis. We overwhelmingly passed a waiver that 
would reduce the number of years a uniformed military officer had to be 
out of the military before they would be eligible for Secretary of 
Defense. I think the reason it passed by such a wide bipartisan 
majority is people realize there aren't many men or women in the world 
like Gen. James Mattis with the qualities that he brings to this 
important job. He is a real warrior statesman. Someone who has walked 
the walk and seen live combat during a 40-year career in the U.S. 
Marine Corps.
  During his hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee last 
week, all of us had a chance, along with our colleagues on the Armed 
Services Committee, to ask him how he would handle a host of foreign 
policy and national security issues. During the question-and-answer 
period, he mentioned the importance of preserving our country's 
military power, but he also noted that our Nation has historically held 
the power of inspiration by our example, inspiring others around the 
world with our democracy. That extends well beyond our uniformed 
military and the threat of military might. That is something that 
should be cultivated well beyond our military preparedness. The point 
is, with General Mattis, we have a strategic thinker who sees the big 
picture, and I am confident he will lead our military in a way that 
advances our interests around the world, and what I am particularly 
looking for are leaders in the Trump administration who will restore 
America's leadership role around the world wherever we go and wherever 
we look because I believe, in my heart of hearts, that one reason the 
world has become more dangerous and less stable is because many people 
around the world who are adversaries have viewed the Obama 
administration as retreating from America's traditional leadership role 
in the world, and believe me, there are plenty of countries--plenty of 
bad actors--that are willing to take advantage of that void when 
America retreats and doesn't demonstrate its historic leadership role.
  I hope all of our colleagues will join us in supporting not only 
General Mattis's confirmation but Secretary of State Tillerson's and 
all of the others, including the Attorney General nominee, Jeff 
Sessions, and all of the other nominees of President-Elect Trump. They 
have every right to a thorough vetting. They have every right to ask 
hard questions to get information to help them vet these nominees. That 
is our job. In the end, they should not delay for just delay's sake, 
which unfortunately some of them have threatened to do. That will not 
help anybody. It will not help this new administration, it will not 
make America a safer place, and it will make us more vulnerable to 
those around the world who want to disrupt the peaceful transition of 
power from one Presidency to the next.
  Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Rhode Island for his 
courtesy, and I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, the senior Senator from West Virginia 
has a very short time clock and has asked me to yield 2 minutes to him 
before I begin my remarks.
  I ask unanimous consent that that take place and that then I be 
recognized at the conclusion of his remarks to speak in morning 
business for the duration of my remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I thank my most generous friend from 
Rhode Island, Senator Whitehouse, for allowing me to speak for a few 
minutes.
  (The remarks of Mr. Manchin pertaining to the introduction of S. 175 
are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. MANCHIN. Again, I thank the Senator.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. My pleasure.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.

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