[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 88 (Monday, May 22, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S3054]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Recognition of the Majority Leader

  The majority leader is recognized.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, last week, we confirmed two well-
qualified nominees, Jeffrey Rosen as Deputy Secretary of Transportation 
and Rachel Brand as Associate Attorney General, and today we will have 
an opportunity to confirm another excellent nominee, Gov. Terry 
Branstad to be U.S. Ambassador to China.
  While I am pleased the Senate is working to fill these important 
positions, it has been disappointing to see so much pointless 
obstruction by our friends across the aisle. They have continuously 
forced procedural hurdles on nominees for no other reason than to stall 
confirmations, launching more filibusters against this President's 
Cabinet than any other in history. They have done so not to change the 
result but simply to eat up floor time that could be used for 
legislation to help our constituents.
  Take the floor vote they forced last week on the Branstad nomination. 
The Senate voted overwhelmingly, 86 to 12, on that motion, proving once 
again that our Democratic colleagues' tactics have little to do with 
the nominees themselves but are just delaying for delay's sake. It is 
really past time to stop the games.
  Once confirmed as Ambassador to China, Governor Branstad will be 
tasked with a portfolio that is important not only for our diplomatic 
relationship with China but also for our trade policies with that 
country. He has earned the support of Senators on both sides of the 
aisle and was reported out of the Foreign Relations Committee by a 
voice vote.
  Having served as the Governor of Iowa for more than two decades, 
Branstad has developed a strong understanding of agriculture, trade, 
and other key national interests. His experience on these issues will 
guide him as he works to strengthen our relationship with China and 
pursue trade policies that can benefit American workers and businesses. 
I look forward to confirming him as our Nation's next Ambassador to 
China so he can get started on the important tasks before him.