[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 107 (Thursday, June 22, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3712-S3713]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Nomination of Kristine Svinicki

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to speak in 
support of President Trump's nomination of Kristine Svinicki to 
continue serving as a nuclear safety regulator.
  Ms. Svinicki has served as a member of the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission for more than 9 years. In January, President Trump 
designated Ms. Svinicki as the Chair of the Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission. She is well qualified. In her time in office, she has 
proven to be knowledgeable, dedicated, and an outstanding public 
servant.
  She also has been very responsive to Congress. Since becoming a 
Commissioner, she has testified 18 times before the Senate Environment 
and Public Works Committee. Before becoming a member of the NRC, she 
served as staff in the U.S. Senate, as a nuclear engineer at the 
Department of Energy, and as an energy engineer for the Wisconsin 
Public Service Commission.
  She has already been confirmed twice to serve on the NRC. In both 
2008 and 2012, her nomination was approved by the Environment and 
Public Works Committee and by the full Senate, each time by voice vote. 
Earlier this month, the Environment and Public Works Committee approved 
her nomination for a third time, again by voice vote.
  Her nomination has garnered support from groups like Third Way, which 
is a think tank once labeled as ``radical centrists'' by the New York 
Times. Josh Freed, who is the vice president of the Clean Energy 
Program at Third Way, said this: ``Svinicki's work at the NRC has 
resulted in improved readiness to regulate small modular and advanced 
reactors that could provide enormous benefits for climate, American 
leadership, and domestic job creation.'' He went on to say that 
Chairman Svinicki's continued leadership at the NRC is needed now more 
than ever.
  The Senate must act quickly to confirm Ms. Svinicki. Unless she is 
confirmed by June 30, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will no longer 
have a quorum of its members. We can't let that happen. The NRC has an 
important mission of regulating America's nuclear industry. The 
Commission serves to protect public health and the environment. The 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission needs a quorum of its members in office 
to meet its mission.
  We need to confirm Kristine Svinicki, and I urge all Senators to vote 
yes on her nomination.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I yield back all time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Under the previous order, all postcloture time is expired and the 
question occurs on the Billingslea nomination.
  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the 
Billingslea nomination?
  Mr. BARRASSO. 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 bill clerk called the roll.
  The result was announced--yeas 65, nays 35, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 152 Ex.]

                                YEAS--65

     Alexander
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Bennet
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Burr
     Capito
     Cassidy
     Cochran
     Collins
     Coons
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Cotton
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Donnelly
     Duckworth
     Enzi
     Ernst
     Fischer
     Flake
     Gardner
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johnson
     Kaine
     Kennedy
     King
     Lankford
     Lee
     Manchin
     McCain
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Nelson
     Paul
     Perdue
     Portman
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Sasse
     Scott
     Shelby
     Strange
     Sullivan
     Tester
     Thune
     Tillis
     Toomey
     Warner
     Wicker
     Young

                                NAYS--35

     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Cortez Masto
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Harris
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Hirono
     Klobuchar
     Leahy
     Markey
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Murphy
     Murray
     Peters
     Reed
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen

[[Page S3713]]


     Stabenow
     Udall
     Van Hollen
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden
  The nomination was confirmed.

                          ____________________