[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 183 (Thursday, November 9, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S7125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Recognition of the Majority Leader

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader is recognized.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this has been another important week 
here in the Senate. We are moving forward on multiple aspects of the 
President's agenda.
  Later today, the Senate Finance Committee will release its plan for 
tax reform. I will have more to say on this in a moment, but I would 
once again like to commend Chairman Hatch for his leadership to get us 
to this point.
  The Senate is also focusing on confirming the President's nominees so 
they can finally get to work. We have built strong momentum from last 
week, when we confirmed four circuit court nominees. This week we have 
confirmed nominees for the Department of Defense, the Department of 
Justice, and the National Labor Relations Board.
  Soon we will also confirm the head of a critical office at the EPA. 
William Wehrum will put his experience to good use as Assistant 
Administrator for the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. This office is 
one of the EPA's most important but, unfortunately, under the Obama 
administration, was also among the offices with the most significant 
overreach. Obviously it was in desperate need of new leadership from 
someone who understands how to implement clean air policies in a 
balanced way. That is William Wehrum. I look forward to advancing his 
nomination shortly.
  Confirming President Trump's talented nominees to the Federal 
Government will continue to be a priority of this Senate, and I look 
forward to working with my colleagues to get this done.