[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 9, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S4705]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              NOMINATIONS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, the Senate has continued to make 
headway in the personnel business. This week, we are confirming a 
number of President Trump's thoroughly qualified nominees to important 
vacancies in the Federal courts and in the administration.
  As I have said, it is unfortunate for this institution that our 
Democratic colleagues have made it their routine practice to require 
not just rollcall votes but cloture votes as well on noncontroversial 
nominees for lower profile positions--regular cloture votes on district 
judges, cloture votes on Assistant Secretaries, and, later this week, a 
cloture vote on an Assistant EPA Administrator.
  These are the sorts of important but lower profile positions the 
Senate used to quickly process on a voice vote. When these sorts of 
people were qualified, they were voice-voted by Senates of both parties 
for Presidents of both parties. That was the norm.
  New partisan hurdles will not deter the Senate from doing our job. We 
will continue to spend the time it takes to put impressive, impartial 
men and women on the Federal judiciary and give the President--more 
than 2 years into his administration--finally, more of his team in 
place in the executive branch.
  Yesterday afternoon, we voted to advance the nomination of Daniel 
Bress to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. 
Bress comes with strong credentials, the academic pedigree, the legal 
experience, and, most importantly, a demonstrated commitment to the 
rule of law.
  I am glad we voted to advance his nomination yesterday, and I urge 
our colleagues to confirm him later today.
  Next, we will consider three district court nominees: T. Kent 
Wetherell to the Northern District of Florida, Damon Leichty to the 
Northern District of Indiana, and Nicholas Ranjan to the Western 
District of Pennsylvania.
  After them, we will confirm several nominees to serve in the 
administration: Robert King to be Assistant Secretary of Education, 
John Pallasch to be Assistant Secretary of Labor, and Peter Wright to 
be Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
  In each of these cases, the President has presented us with 
thoroughly well-qualified individuals to serve the Nation in these very 
important roles. This week, the Senate will give them the 
straightforward consideration and confirmations they deserve.

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