[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 156 (Thursday, September 28, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S6201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Nomination of Ajit Pai

  Madam President, on another matter, the Senate is considering two 
qualified nominees today. One is the sitting Chairman of the FCC, Ajit 
Pai.
  Chairman Pai has led a fascinating life, one punctuated by hard work 
and success. It had its beginnings in Buffalo. It traced a line through 
Canada. It unfolded in the small town of Parsons, KS, where Chairman 
Pai grew up with his parents, first-generation immigrants from Southern 
India. It was on to Harvard after that and then the University of 
Chicago for his law degree.
  Pai's resume prior to his appointment as a member of the FCC is as 
varied as it is impressive. He clerked for a Federal judge. He worked 
in the Justice Department's Antitrust and Legal Policy Divisions. He 
gained practical experience in the private sector. He served here in 
the Senate as committee staff. He even won a Marshall fellowship. He 
also worked in several positions within the FCC itself.
  When President Obama nominated Pai to serve as an FCC Commissioner 
back in 2011, the Senate confirmed him by a voice vote.
  When the Senate considers his nomination again today, I hope Senators 
will come together to give him strong support one more time. After all, 
it is no wonder why President Trump chose to elevate him to FCC 
Chairman earlier this year. He understands the communications industry 
from nearly every angle, considering his impressive resume. He 
understands the needs of rural communities in States like Kentucky, 
thanks to his own rural background. His dedication to bringing more 
openness and accountability to an agency that is too often known for 
secrecy is commendable. The same can be said of his advocacy for 
Americans' First Amendment rights.
  I look forward to advancing and then confirming his nomination to a 
new term.
  Madam President, one other nominee we are considering today is 
district judge Ralph Erickson of North Dakota, who is the nominee 
before us to fill a vacant seat on the Eighth Circuit. He is clearly 
qualified. He deeply respects the rule of law. He was confirmed by the 
Senate to his district judgeship by a voice vote. He enjoys the support 
of both of his home State Senators, Republican Senator Hoeven and 
Democratic Senator Heitkamp.
  When his nomination came before the Judiciary Committee recently, 
every single member of the committee voted to approve him--every single 
Republican, every single Democrat. This includes the top Democrat, 
Senator Feinstein, and the Democratic leadership's second-ranking 
officer, Senator Durbin. So you would think his nomination would be as 
noncontroversial as it gets. You would be right.
  Yet Democrats still chose to erect another pointless procedural 
hurdle before we can actually confirm him. We will probably do so 
overwhelmingly, given that the Senate just voted 95 to 1 on this 
pointless cloture motion--a pointless cloture motion on a nominee who 
nobody opposes.
  Until now, our friends across the aisle have thrown up one 
unnecessary procedural hurdle after the next on even the most 
uncontroversial of nominees. As I have noted before, the opposition 
they have shown to these nominees most of the time seems to have little 
to do with the nominees themselves nor whether Democrats even support 
them. Our Democratic colleagues actually do support the nominees, just 
as they do now.
  This really has to stop. It is time to end these silly games. It is 
time to confirm Judge Erickson, a dedicated jurist who is going to make 
a great addition to the Eighth Circuit.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.