[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 20, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S70-S71]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to executive session and the Intelligence Committee be 
discharged from further consideration of PN 78-10, the nomination of 
Avril Haines to be Director of National Intelligence; that the Senate 
proceed to its consideration; that there be 10 minutes of debate on the 
nomination equally divided in the usual form; that upon the use or 
yielding back of time, the Senate vote without intervening action or 
debate; and that, if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered 
made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified 
of the Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will read the nomination.
  The legislative clerk read the nomination of Avril Danica Haines, of 
New York, to be Director of National Intelligence.
  There being no objection, the committee was discharged and the Senate 
proceeded to consider the nomination.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I rise to support the nomination of 
Avril Haines to be the Director of National Intelligence. Ms. Haines is 
a historic nominee and would be the first woman to lead our 
intelligence community in this critical role. With a background at the 
Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Council, she 
understands the work of our intelligence professionals and the need to 
ensure a frank and nonpartisan process to deliver the information that 
underpins national security and foreign policy decisions.
  Ms. Haines has applied her keen intellect to a number of pursuits, 
even including running a bookstore in Baltimore and serving as a senior 
fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. She 
has a firm commitment to her country and to encouraging others to 
serve, including as a member of the National Commission on Military, 
National, and Public Service.
  After a tumultuous 4 years and a President who routinely scorned the 
work of our intelligence community, it is critical to restore 
professional leadership who will work with the administration and 
Congress, deliver honest assessments, and speak truth to power. Ms. 
Haines is the right woman for the job.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise in strong support of the nomination 
of Avril Haines to be Director of National Intelligence.
  Let me speak for a few moments, but I want to first of all thank 
members of particularly the Intelligence Committee on both sides of the 
aisle. My good friend, the Senator from Oregon, the Finance Committee 
chair, is someone who has deep and passionate concerns about the civil 
libertarian issues in our country. He is part of the yin; there is some 
yang on that committee. He raised I think important questions with the 
nominee, and I appreciate his courtesy in allowing this to move 
forward.
  But I also want to thank, at least until tomorrow, the chairman of 
the committee, Senator Rubio, and my Republican colleagues as well. 
When we discussed moving on this nomination in a very timely manner, 
the good Chairman Rubio and Senator Burr worked with all the members of 
the committee. I thank my friend, the Senator from Idaho, for his 
courtesy as well.
  I am very proud of the fact that the first nomination to be 
considered under the Biden administration is going to be Ms. Haines. I 
think that reflects the approach of the Intelligence Committee, and 
again, I see the chair of the committee on the floor now, and I want to 
thank him personally--Senator Rubio--while he is on the floor for that 
courtesy.
  I think part of the reason we were able to move so quickly is because 
this position is of such critical importance to the country that it is 
only appropriate that it be the first nomination to be confirmed by the 
Senate.
  Avril is extraordinarily qualified for the role, having worked in 
national security for most of the last two decades. After working for 
several years at the State Department, Ms. Haines came here to the 
Senate, where she worked on the Foreign Relations Committee as a deputy 
chief counsel. Following another stint at State, Ms. Haines moved to 
the White House, where she served 3 years as a Deputy Assistant to the 
President and Deputy Counsel for National Security.
  In June of 2013, President Obama chose Ms. Haines to serve as the 
Deputy Director of the CIA, making her

[[Page S71]]

the first woman to hold that office. Ms. Haines served with the Agency 
until 2015, at which point she moved to academia and the private 
sector. She was a senior researcher at Columbia University, a senior 
fellow at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, and a member of the 
National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service.
  Avril Haines has all the qualifications we would want for a DNI. But 
more than that, I believe she is firmly committed to rebuilding the 
office of the Director of National Intelligence and reestablishing the 
role of that office as not only the coordinator of our Nation's 
intelligence community but as an adviser to the President and Congress 
that will not shy away from telling the hard truths.
  Since Ms. Haines was nominated for this role by President Biden, I 
spent a fair amount of time talking to her about her future as the 
Director of National Intelligence and the enormous job that she will be 
taking on.
  In our conversations and in her confirmation hearings, Ms. Haines was 
strong and thoughtful about the future challenges our country will 
face. My first question to her was about China. Her answer was equally 
clear-eyed, pointing out the many ways in which China is an adversary 
to our Nation by stealing IP or hacking our systems and undermining our 
security, while also pointing out that there are many places where we 
will have to engage with China as a partner, like on tackling climate 
change.
  She had equally focused answers about the role of Iran as a state 
sponsor of terror and the need to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear 
weapon.
  For every question she was asked by my colleagues on the committee, 
she demonstrated that she understood not only the challenges of the 
coming future but the IC's role in understanding those issues and 
meeting them head on.
  I have also been impressed from the beginning--and continue to be 
impressed--by her understanding of the important role of the DNI and 
the IC and her commitment to making sure that the IC tells policymakers 
what they need to hear, not only what they want to hear.
  The last 4 years have been hard on the intelligence community. You 
only have to read a newspaper or turn on a TV at some point to know 
that. Since the 2016 election, the IC has faced false accusations of 
trying to undermine the then-President and seen many of their leaders 
fired for simply doing the right thing, speaking truth to power. It 
should surprise no one that all of this has led to some damage within 
the IC, particularly to morale.
  I believe that Avril Haines is the right nominee to repair this 
damage. She will support the men and women of the IC and protect them 
from political pressure. She will insist that they tell us their best 
analysis and not shy away from telling decision makers that their 
cherished beliefs are wrong. She will insist on telling truth to power.
  Ultimately, this is why I urge my colleagues to send a strong message 
of support for the men and women of the IC and to support Avril Haines 
for DNI. She is capable, qualified, and will undertake the serious 
responsibilities with a clear-eyed sense of promise.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to yield back all 
time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.