[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 68 (Thursday, April 26, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2451-S2452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       The Appropriations Process

  Mr. ROBERTS. Madam President, I would like to make a very short 
comment with regard to the distinguished minority leader's remarks this 
morning.
  In the midst of his remarks, Mr. Schumer mentioned something that I 
think is terribly important. Yesterday, the Rules Committee--and the 
distinguished Senator used to be the chairman of the Rules Committee. I 
think I was ranking member at that particular time. He spoke of an 
agreement to move appropriations bills. I want to thank him for that, 
and also Senator Durbin, who indicated that as of yesterday.
  We did reach an agreement in a bipartisan way to do something about 
filing cloture 86 times and other things going on and reducing that 
time period. We will get to that.
  The breakthrough could be an agreement that Mr. Schumer has agreed to 
with regard to appropriations bills. If we can do that, we might be 
able to get back to the regular order that both of us experienced when 
we first came to the Senate. Many Members here have not experienced 
that.
  Mr. SCHUMER. The majority, I think.
  Mr. ROBERTS. Yes. Consequently, I want to thank you for that. And I 
know Senator Shelby is eager to do the 12 appropriations bills, and I 
know Senator Durbin is as well. I think that one statement in the midst 
of your comments, sir, is terribly important, and I want people to be 
aware of it, and I thank you.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Thank you. I appreciate very much the remarks of my 
friend from Kansas. I hope these sprouts of bipartisanship can grow 
into mighty oaks.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.
  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I take this time because I know that 
shortly we are going to be voting on Mr. Pompeo's nomination as 
Secretary of State, and I want to explain to my colleagues why I cannot 
support his nomination.
  As I said in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his 
nomination hearing, I appreciate Mr. Pompeo's public service throughout 
his career--his service in the military and his service in Congress and 
as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. I also appreciate the 
fact that he is willing to serve our Nation in this most important post 
as Secretary of State.
  In the United States, we urgently need a confirmed Secretary of 
State, but it is our responsibility in the U.S. Senate to advise and 
consent on the President's nominations and to act as an independent 
branch of government.
  I must state that we are in this urgent need because of Mr. Trump's 
abrupt dismissal of our former Secretary of State in the midst of many 
international challenges. In my view, though, Mr. Pompeo is not the 
right person. I reached that conclusion by his actions and his 
rhetoric.
  If Mr. Pompeo is confirmed, he will be the top diplomat for the 
United States. He must be an independent voice in the White House. I 
have questions as to whether he will be that independent voice. He 
needs to engage our allies. That is how our diplomacy works. He has to 
be the loudest voice for diplomacy in our national security, in the use 
of our tools, and the military needs to be a matter of last resort.
  I was reminded of this challenge for America when President Macron 
addressed the joint session of Congress yesterday. President Macron 
pointed out that the United States established multinational world 
order in the aftermath of World War II, which is embodied in the 
transatlantic partnership, and we, the United States, must lead in 
order to preserve that national security blanket. So it is incumbent 
upon the Secretary of State to work with our allies--particularly our 
European allies but all of our allies.
  As just one example, when I look at Mr. Pompeo's record in regard to 
the nuclear agreement with Iran, during that discussion as to whether 
we would have diplomacy, it was Mr. Pompeo who said that the solution 
rests with 2,000 sorties to destroy the Iran nuclear capacity. That is 
not diplomacy. That is not leading with diplomacy. Now he is espousing 
that, if necessary, we should pull out of the agreement if we can't 
change it, even though Iran is in compliance with the agreement. That 
is not diplomacy, and that is certainly not working with our European 
allies.
  Yesterday, we heard President Macron assert that it is critically 
important that that agreement move forward if Iran is in compliance. 
Yes, we can build on it, but to walk away from it would be wrong.
  Another example that gives me great concern is Mr. Pompeo's position 
in regard to the Paris climate talks. I know we all have different 
views about climate and what our individual policy should be in order 
to deal with the realities of climate change, but one thing should be 
clear: that we want to be in

[[Page S2452]]

the discussions with the international community.
  In regard to Iran, Mr. Pompeo would isolate us from our European 
allies, but in regard to withdrawing from the Paris climate talks, he 
would isolate America from every other nation in the world. We would be 
the only nation not a part of that discussion. Let me remind my 
colleagues that the commitments made in Paris are only enforceable by 
us. There is no international enforcement mechanism.
  Words matter. A top diplomat needs to engage a very diverse global 
community. Mr. Pompeo's words unfortunately make it very challenging 
for him to be able to have the confidence of the international 
community.
  He associated American Muslims with terrorism by stating that their 
perceived silence in condemning attacks ``has made these Islamic 
leaders across America potentially complicit.'' I know that after each 
of the horrible terrorist activities we have seen in America, Muslim 
leaders in Maryland and Muslim leaders around the world have stood up 
and said that they condemn in the strongest possible terms those 
terrorist acts.
  That should have no space. Unfortunately, those types of comments 
give space to those who are promoting a form of nationalism that allows 
for hate-mongering, and that cannot be tolerated in our country.
  The LGBTQ community is rightly concerned. I go to Mr. Pompeo citing 
verbatim the following passage from a sermon castrating members of the 
LGBTQ community.

       America has worshipped other gods and called it 
     multiculturalism. We have endorsed perversion and called it 
     an alternative lifestyle.

  That type of language should have no place for someone who wants to 
be the top diplomat of America.
  So I have come to the conclusion, based upon the necessity of the 
Secretary of State to engage the national community, to provide 
leadership and the use of diplomacy, that based upon those--my 
priorities, policy priorities, not politics or partisanship--that I 
cannot support Mr. Pompeo for Secretary of State.
  I want to conclude with this. I have had the chance to lead the 
Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I have been a 
member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee my entire 12 years in 
this institution. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee and its 
leaders have had a long tradition of bipartisanship, of recognizing the 
independent role of the legislative branch and the critical role played 
by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and we are always stronger 
when we act in unity.
  That is a tradition of our committee. I want to just point out that I 
don't question anyone's motives on how they vote on the nominee for the 
Secretary of State, but I have great confidence that we in the Senate 
Foreign Relations Committee will continue the great tradition we have 
established as an independent voice and as a voice that tries to work 
in unity in the best interest of our Nation.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.
  Mr. ROBERTS. Madam President, it was an honor for me to speak in 
front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this month in support 
of my Kansas friend and colleague, Mike Pompeo, as the President's 
nominee for Secretary of State. I come to the floor to urge all of my 
colleagues, despite the previous remarks, to vote in favor of this 
uniquely qualified nominee in such a vital role in our administration's 
Cabinet.
  The point I would like to make, as we go into the very important 
topics we have to discuss on an international basis, is that we need 
Mike Pompeo, and we need him now.
  As our Nation's most senior diplomat, Mike, I know, will be 
forthright, will be forceful and thoughtful and, yes, he will be 
diplomatic. He will give the President and the Congress very candid 
counsel. He is a man of his word.
  Now, I say all of this because I think I, at least, have the 
credentials to know Mike and to know who he is and what he is about 
because I have known him for more than a decade, first as a friend and 
a business leader, then as a congressional colleague, and most recently 
as a leader of our intelligence community. We had some long talks 
before he accepted that offer by the President, and I thought he was 
very well suited.
  Mike will represent American ideals and values backed by the strength 
of leadership of the free world--yes, the free world and the allies 
that have been referred to by my colleagues across the aisle. The point 
is, whenever there is a void, the world pays a price. That is why we 
need Mike, and that is why we need him now.
  I am going to again urge all of my colleagues--all of those who voted 
in support of his intelligence post last year and those who now have 
the opportunity to support this extremely qualified candidate--to vote 
yes and to send our senior diplomat to work on the many challenges that 
face our Nation.