[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 93 (Wednesday, June 6, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S3003]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Senate Schedule

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday I announced that the Senate's 
regularly scheduled August recess will not occur this year. Members 
will be able to meet with our constituents during a standard 1-week 
State work period at the beginning of the month, and then we will come 
right back here and get back to work.
  The reason is simple: We have too much left to do for the American 
people.
  Sixteen months into the Trump administration, Senate Democrats 
persist in their unprecedented campaign to obstruct the President's 
nominees for a wide array of executive and judicial positions.
  It is time for a little historic perspective.
  During President Obama's first 2 years, the Senate needed only 12 
cloture votes on nominations. In President George W. Bush's first 2 
years, there were four cloture votes on nominations and for President 
Clinton, just eight. But less than a year and a half into this 
administration, the Democratic minority has stalled progress through--
listen to this--101 cloture votes, and counting, on nominations--101 
cloture votes.
  This used to be a rare tool of last resort, used only in a tiny 
handful of cases. Well, not these days. In many cases, the nominees in 
question are completely without controversy. Not a single Senator in 
either party voted against confirming Robert Wier or Fernando Rodriguez 
to serve as district court judges just yesterday. They were both 
confirmed unanimously. So were Walter Counts and Karen Scholer, two 
more district judges we considered back in January. But Senate 
Democrats forced us to invoke cloture on each of these nominees and 
then made sure they soaked up Senate floor time, even though literally 
no Senator opposed them.
  This isn't due diligence. It certainly isn't good government. It is 
what happens when our friends across the aisle put political slogans 
about ``the resistance'' ahead of the country's needs.
  We have gotten a great deal done this Congress. We have bolstered our 
economy with historic tax reform and regulatory reform. We have 
delivered critical resources to communities afflicted by the opioid 
crisis, with more on the way. We have undone harmful spending caps to 
fully equip our military. We have taken action to combat human 
trafficking and school violence. We have repealed ObamaCare's 
individual mandate tax and its Independent Payment Advisory Board and 
delayed several other healthcare taxes.
  Republicans are still working to do more. We need to confirm more of 
the President's team and judicial nominees. We need to take up regular 
appropriations bills. We need to tackle legislative priorities like the 
water infrastructure bill, the farm bill, the Defense bill, and many 
others.
  So the Senate will remain in session in August. We will work on 
legislation. We will confirm more nominees.
  We will keep delivering on the agenda that has already done so much 
to make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous.