[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 197 (Monday, December 4, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7817-S7818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Nomination of Joseph Balash

  I want to talk about someone I know really well who is part of this 
partisan logjam. He is an Alaskan. His name is Joe Balash. I am a 
little biased here; he was my former chief of staff in the Senate. But 
Joe is also the former commissioner of the Department of Natural 
Resources in Alaska; he was the deputy commissioner. What is the 
position he has been nominated for? To be the next Assistant Secretary 
of the Interior for Lands and Minerals--essentially, the Federal 
official who would be working with Secretary Zinke at the Department of 
the Interior to oversee Federal lands--minerals, mining, oil, gas, 
onshore, offshore--for the country. It is a really big job in Alaska; 
66 percent of our lands are Federal. But this is a huge job for the 
country and a really important job, as we are trying to take advantage 
of this new energy renaissance in our Nation, which is great for the 
Nation, great for jobs, great for foreign policy, great for energy 
security.
  Joe Balash comes super well qualified. The DNR commissioner in Alaska 
manages one of the largest portfolios of land, oil, gas, water, 
minerals, and timber of anyplace in the world--in the world.
  Nobody doubts that Joe is very well qualified for this position. As a 
matter of fact, on September 19, Joe's nomination was voted out of the 
Energy and Natural Resources Committee by voice vote, which means 
unanimously, with the exception of one Senator who said that he wanted 
to vote no. Every other Senator--it was very bipartisan.
  We might not fully agree with all the policies he wants. I was 
talking earlier about opening the coastal region of the Arctic Slope, 
the North Slope, in Alaska, which we voted on last week in the Senate. 
Certainly, Joe Balash is supportive of that as an Alaskan. If someone 
doesn't like that, they should just come down here and vote against 
him, but he has been put on hold. I have been trying for weeks to 
figure out why. Who has a hold on him?
  I want to compliment the Democratic whip from Illinois, Senator 
Durbin. I reached out to him several weeks ago. He mentioned to me that 
he had a hold on him. He said that there were certain things he wanted 
to get from the Secretary of Interior in some meetings. So I worked 
with Senator Durbin and Secretary Zinke, and after those meetings it 
looked as if it was all good. The Senator from Illinois said to me: We 
are ready to move forward with him. So I appreciated that; it was very 
constructive.
  As I mentioned, I am not opposed to holds. Sometimes it is important 
to put holds on administration officials. I did it in the Obama 
administration. I have done it even for some Trump administration 
nominees. But what is going on here, after working with the Democratic 
whip, seemingly clearing out everything--and he thought we were, too--
getting ready to move Joe Balash. No, all of a sudden, there is a 
``secret hold''--a secret hold on Joe Balash. He is very qualified for 
the job, but somebody has a secret hold.
  My colleagues on the other side talk a lot about transparency, but 
this has been months now. Working with the Democratic whip--again, in 
good faith, and he worked hard and I am complimenting him as much as I 
can on this. Then someone else decides: No, I am going to keep holding. 
But I am not going to come down here and say who it is or why or how 
long they want or what else they want out of the administration or 
maybe it is a question for Mr. Balash.
  My point is, if Senators want to vote down or oppose a nominee, they 
should make their opposition known and transparent.
  We are going to have a vote here in a couple of minutes. After the 
vote, I am going to come back to the floor. I could do it right now, 
but I am trying to be respectful to my colleagues on the other side of 
the aisle, even the secret holder, whoever he or she is. But I am going 
to come down and make a unanimous request to move Joe Balash forward. 
We have been waiting for months.
  Maybe they don't want to show who the secret holder is, but I really 
hope my colleagues will come down and will not object. We are going to 
do this in a little bit, and I am going to essentially try to free Joe 
Balash. I am hopeful that we can agree on that and move this very well-
qualified candidate forward. Maybe there is going to be an objection. 
We will see. I am going to ask for this in about half an hour. But if 
there is an objection, I certainly hope the secret holder is going to 
come to the Senate floor, speak to the American people, and say: Here 
is why I am secretly holding this guy, even though he is very well 
qualified, even though

[[Page S7818]]

unleashing the American energy renaissance for the country is great for 
everybody.
  I am hopeful that whoever it is can show a little transparency. 
Hopefully, they will agree, but if they don't, come on down. Tell us 
who you are; tell us what the problem is.
  We need to put good people in government, whether Democrat or 
Republican. Keeping people out of the government is not helping the 
American people. That is what is happening here, and, unfortunately, 
the other side is getting away with it. The media will not write about 
it, but it is a big problem, and people should be concerned.
  Finally, in a couple of minutes, we are going to be voting on 
Kirstjen Nielsen for a really important job: the Secretary of Homeland 
Security. It goes without saying how important this job is. Every day, 
every minute of the day, that Department is trying to protect the 
American people, and we don't have a Secretary there right now.
  I believe she is very well qualified. A number of people have spoken 
about her qualifications. I had a very good meeting with her on a whole 
host of issues. I certainly hope my colleagues will vote to move her 
nomination forward. If they don't like her, if they want to vote 
against her, great; vote against her. But we need good people in 
government, and there is no more important position right now in 
America than the Secretary of Homeland Security.
  I encourage my colleagues to please vote to move her nomination and 
confirmation forward--but no more secret holds. If you have a problem, 
let us know what it is.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin.
  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed 
to finish my remarks before the vote begins.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I am pleased to speak today in support of 
Kirstjen Nielsen in her nomination to be the sixth Secretary of the 
Department of Homeland Security.
  The challenges facing the next Secretary of the Department of 
Homeland Security are daunting. Our national debt exceeds $20 trillion, 
and there is, unfortunately, no serious effort to reduce the 30-year 
projected deficits, which exceed more than $100 trillion.
  In the last few months, we have experienced unprecedented destruction 
from natural disasters, stressing the budgets of both HHS and FEMA. Our 
borders are not secure, allowing illegal immigration to persist, 
illicit drugs to flow unabated, and making us vulnerable to external 
forces. Meanwhile, our enemies are emboldened.
  The threat of Islamist terrorism has evolved, metastasized, and 
spread throughout the world, even reaching our homeland. We see 
increased stress from cyber attacks, hacking, and social media-inspired 
acts of terrorism. We face perhaps the greatest danger from enemies 
within. In the past 5 years, 262 Americans have been killed and over 
1,000 injured from acts of evil committed here at home. These are some 
of the challenges awaiting the next Secretary of Homeland Security.
  The Secretary oversees a department that is composed of 22 separate 
agencies, each with a diverse mission. It employs 240,000 people, with 
a budget of $66 billion. It faces challenges with unity of effort and 
habitually low morale.
  President Trump nominated Ms. Nielsen to lead DHS, and she is ready 
to answer this call of duty. She has been working in and around the 
Department since its creation. Ms. Nielsen brings valuable, practical 
experience to DHS. She is an expert in risk management, with a focus on 
cyber security, emergency management, and critical infrastructure.
  In the aftermath of 9/11, Ms. Nielsen served as the Director of the 
Office of Legislative Policy at TSA. She then moved to the White House 
Homeland Security Council as Special Assistant to the President for 
Homeland Security and Senior Director for Prevention, Preparedness, and 
Response.
  Before rejoining DHS earlier this year, Ms. Nielsen founded a risk 
and security management consulting firm.
  Ms. Nielsen served as DHS Chief of Staff under then-Secretary Kelly, 
witnessing firsthand how the right leadership and support can quickly 
and dramatically improve agency morale.
  General Kelly calls Ms. Nielsen a superstar. In a letter supporting 
her swift confirmation, he wrote: ``What truly sets Kirstjen apart is 
her integrity, sense of service to our nation, and dedication to the 
men and women who risk their lives serving our great country every 
day.''
  Former Secretaries Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff have also voiced 
their support, as have more than 40 former senior homeland security and 
intelligence officials from both parties. Secretaries Ridge and 
Chertoff wrote of Ms. Nielsen:

       Ms. Nielsen is a homeland security leader for our times. 
     More than any previous Secretary, she understands the 21st 
     Century challenges of the borderless cyber domain and has 
     worked in both the public and private sectors to address this 
     deeply interconnected and consequential risk to America's 
     national security and economic stability.
       Kirstjen Nielsen offers our nation the credentials required 
     of the Secretary of Homeland Security in today's environment: 
     expertise in homeland security policy and operations; 
     national and international perspective; and public and 
     private sector experience.

  I do want to thank my colleagues on the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs for their support and cooperation in 
moving this nomination quickly through committee and to the floor vote 
that we are about to undertake.
  To my colleagues, I just want to say that we are fortunate to have a 
nominee with such experience and dedication to the mission of the 
Department of Homeland Security, and I urge all of you to support her 
confirmation.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.