[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 59 (Thursday, April 12, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2084-S2085]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Recognition of the Majority Leader

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader is recognized.

[[Page S2085]]

  

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday, the Senate confirmed John 
Ring to the National Labor Relations Board. Now the NLRB is, once 
again, fully staffed and ready to call balls and strikes fairly for 
America's workers.
  This morning, we confirmed Patrick Pizzella, the President's highly 
qualified nominee, to fill the No. 2 job at the Department of Labor. 
Mr. Pizzella brings a sterling reputation and an impressive resume. It 
includes time at the GSA, the Small Business Administration, the 
Department of Education, the Federal Housing Finance Board, and OPM.
  Even with 8 years as the Assistant Secretary of Labor for 
Administration and Management and 4 years as a Senate-confirmed member 
of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, this dedicated public servant 
saw his confirmation process play out in a manner that has become all 
too familiar--months of waiting on the Senate calendar, months of 
obstruction by our Democratic colleagues, months of needless vacancy in 
this critical agency position. After this morning's vote, Mr. Pizzella 
can finally get to work, but the same story of obstruction applies to 
the next nomination on the slate as well.

  Andrew Wheeler is ready and waiting--and waiting and waiting--to 
clock in as Deputy Administrator of the EPA. His qualifications are 
beyond question. He has won the support of the American Farm Bureau 
Federation and has won praise from both sides of the aisle. Mr. 
Wheeler's former boss, our colleague Senator Inhofe, said, ``There is 
no one more qualified.'' Our former colleague, Senator Lieberman, 
called Mr. Wheeler ``fair and professional'' and said, ``I hope his 
nomination will receive . . . fair consideration by the Senate.''
  Delaying key executive nominees does not come cost-free to the 
country. The Deputy Administrator is the EPA's chief operating officer. 
He plays a major role in protecting America's air and water, while 
minimizing unnecessary obstacles for workers and job creators. The 
American people deserve to have him and other key officials in place.
  I mentioned yesterday that our Democratic colleagues are literally 
setting records. Just 15 months in, they have chosen to force--listen 
to this--84 cloture votes on President Trump's executive and judicial 
nominees. Eighty-four. That is more than three times as many nominee 
cloture votes as happened in the first 2 years of Presidents Obama, 
President Bush, and President Clinton combined. Combined, 84 cloture 
votes is more than 3 times as many cloture votes as happened in the 
first 2 years of President Obama, Bush, and Clinton altogether. Many of 
the nominees were then confirmed nearly unanimously.
  I hope these stalling tactics will end soon because the personnel 
business isn't going anywhere. Today, in fact, CIA Director Mike Pompeo 
is appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the 
first time as the President's nominee for Secretary of State. He is yet 
another qualified nominee who deserves fair and swift consideration for 
our country's sake.
  For now, I meant what I said on Monday. We will remain in session as 
long as it takes to process this week's slate of nominees. After Mr. 
Wheeler, we still have two judicial nominees: Rebecca Grady Jennings 
for the Western District of Kentucky and John Broomes for the District 
of Kansas. One way or another, the easy way or the hard way, this 
Senate will get the people's business done this week.