[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 46 (Thursday, March 11, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1484-S1488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Nomination of Debra Anne Haaland

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, on Monday, the Senate will vote on the 
nomination of Congresswoman Deb Haaland to serve as Secretary of the 
Interior. I have had a chance to vote on a number of nominations over 
the years. I want to tell the Senate that, on Monday, the Senate can 
make history.
  The Congresswoman--and she faced some strong questioning in the 
committee--understands that protecting public lands and boosting rural 
communities and jobs are two sides of the same coin. Too often, in the 
debates in Washington, DC, they really involve something resembling 
false choices. You can either be for jobs or you can be for protecting 
your treasures. The Congresswoman understands that those two are not 
mutually exclusive and that, in the West, particularly when you look at 
our exciting recreation economic engine, this is a chance to really 
generate more jobs, protect treasures, and enhance our quality of life.
  Now, I recognize that there have been powerful interest groups that 
try, for example, to protect the interests of big oil companies at 
taxpayer expense, at the expense of clean air and clean water, and, as 
I say, at the expense of everybody who wants to get outside. I know 
that part of the debate is propping up a dirty environmental policy and 
declining industry that, mostly, adds to the current climate crisis.
  In the long run, what we need to do is find fresh ways to bring 
Americans together around areas, particularly for rural communities, 
that are going to bridge the urban-rural divide, reduce

[[Page S1485]]

inequality in America, and be a long-term solution for rural economies. 
The Congresswoman, our nominee on Monday, knows that there is a better 
way to protect and create rural jobs, and I will give you just one 
example.
  Congressman Neguse and I have introduced a major piece of legislation 
to create the 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps. Our legislation 
would create thousands of jobs in rural America, and these workers 
would help to preserve public lands and prevent the kind of massive 
wildfires America has seen in recent years.
  What I can say to colleagues is that a major effort like this will 
create scores and scores of jobs for local businesses and local 
vendors. Certainly, we are talking about the local hardware store, 
chainsaw outlets, and those who sell logging equipment. There are going 
to be lots of opportunities for private sector employment stemming from 
the arrival of the 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps. We will 
also have a lot more opportunity for outdoor recreation, boosting 
tourism revenues, and fewer communities reduced to ash by wildfire--a 
win all around.
  Now, the Congresswoman also talked to us about another priority for 
rural America, and that is helping Native American Tribes across the 
country build and repair drinking water infrastructure and that she 
would make it a priority to help Tribes where there is a lack of 
drinking water, threatening the health of those Tribal members. This is 
especially a problem in Oregon, wherein the Warm Springs Tribe has 
burst pipes and regular ``boil water'' notices, but I will tell you 
that Warm Springs is not alone in this country, and the Congresswoman 
understands. She said: Water is a basic human right.
  The next point that I want to touch on with respect to this 
exceptional Member of Congress is that she really has a track record of 
bringing parties together with differing views. Now, I know some 
Members of the Senate have gone to great lengths to say: Oh, she is 
some kind of far-out radical.
  Colleagues, that just doesn't pass the smell test. She has been a 
leader in generating bipartisan support for efforts in the House. She 
has one of the most conservative Members of the House singing her 
praises in coming before the committee, and I went several times just 
because I wanted to hear the Congresswoman address this crucial issue 
of how important rural jobs are, how rural jobs and protecting the 
environment are not mutually exclusive, and how you can bring people 
together. On each of these points, she conveyed the kinds of views that 
make her an ideal choice for serving as the Secretary of the Interior.
  I was also interested in her thoughts on a major piece of legislation 
for rural Eastern Oregon. It is the Malheur County Owyhee legislation, 
which seeks to resolve differences in this extraordinary part of my 
State, the Owyhees--differences that have literally gone on for 
decades. We brought together ranchers and Tribes and environmental 
folks, and we said: Here again, what we can do is create rural 
employment. We can protect the ag economy and the farmer's way of life. 
We can also create great opportunities for recreation in that part of 
the State. The Congresswoman got it in a second. She said that is 
exactly what we need to do--build models that bring farmers and 
ranchers together with environmental folks and scientists who 
understand the nature of some of these challenges from a scientific and 
climate standpoint.
  I will tell you that I have gone to more than my share of nomination 
hearings, but what I saw was a nominee with exceptional backbone and 
decency, who was being clear, being straightforward. At times, it was a 
little hard to take because the questioning, I thought, was not just 
strong but over the line. At the same time, the Congresswoman showed 
her calm, her knowledge, and her perseverance in the face of this.
  I am just going to close with this.
  Colleagues, I have tried to kind of make my calling card a public 
service of bringing people together, finding fresh ideas, and the very 
kinds of approaches that the Congresswoman talked about during two, I 
felt, very draining kinds of sessions. My view is that it is critical 
for the Senate to be able to recognize there are going to be 
disagreements. The Senate is made up of a lot of people with very 
strong views, and what I believe we ought to insist on of all 
candidates is a level of decency and respect for all concerned. The 
Congresswoman showed that in the face of some very strong questioning.
  When I was done, I said: Not only am I going to support you because 
of your views on rural jobs and your recognizing that protecting jobs 
and the environment are not mutually exclusive--that we can do both--
but because of your track record of bipartisanship, featuring 
Congressman Young's coming here.
  Also, I come to the floor of the U.S. Senate to say that I was there 
for both sessions, and I saw an elected official, a Congresswoman, 
handle a lot of very tough, strong questions, and at every level, she 
tried to stick to the facts. She tried to make the case for what she 
thought was a great opportunity, especially in the West, but that she 
would be in all of the communities that the Department of the Interior 
is responsible for and that everyone would get a fair shake. Every 
Democrat and every Republican would get a fair shake.
  That is the kind of fundamental decency we want in a nominee.
  And I will close with this: It sure stands in sharp contrast to what 
we saw over the last 4 years, two Secretaries, essentially, infamous 
rather than famous, who too often were willing to set aside the science 
and support the powerful and those who were going to walk away making 
quick dollars at the expense of the environment.
  People of this country now have a chance, almost like you take a 
dilapidated stage out of an auditorium, and now we have got a chance to 
start anew. We have got a nominee who is qualified. She is fair. She is 
going to concentrate on bringing people together, and she is going to 
make history.
  It is long, long, long past time, colleagues, that this country had a 
Native American leading the Interior Department.
  So I pledge after that second hearing, I am going to come back on the 
floor and not just vote for her but speak for her because her decency, 
her thoughtfulness--I see my friend from New Mexico here--that sense of 
caring and that fairness in the face of some very, very aggressive 
questioning makes me feel that this is a very special sort of leader.
  Congresswoman Haaland has my full, unqualified support, and 
westerners are looking forward very much to working with her, get her 
to Oregon, and see what our challenges are.
  I urge all Members of the Senate on Monday to support the historic 
nomination of Congresswoman Haaland to head the Interior Department.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. King). The Senator from Wyoming.
  Mrs. LUMMIS. Mr. President, I thank Senator Daines for his leadership 
on this issue.
  The only thing the previous speaker and I have in common is agreeing 
that it is high time that we had a Native American woman to lead the 
Department of the Interior.
  On behalf of the people of Wyoming, I am opposing President Biden's 
nomination of Congresswoman Haaland to serve as Secretary of the 
Interior.
  As Secretary, she will continue the job-killing, anti-energy attack 
on Wyoming's livelihood that President Biden started during his first 
week in office.
  Let's recap just how bad President Biden's Executive actions are for 
my State.
  A University of Wyoming analysis found that Wyoming stands to lose 
nearly $13 billion in tax revenue if we don't lift the Biden ban on new 
oil and gas leasing and drilling on Federal lands. To put this in 
context, $13 billion in tax revenue would educate 60,000 Wyoming 
students from kindergarten through high school graduation. It would 
fund the University of Wyoming for the next 59 years. It would fund our 
public safety and corrections budget for the next 68 years. And it 
would fund the Wyoming Department of Health for the next 26 years. 
These are real numbers, and the Biden ban is having real consequences.
  In Wyoming, we put the tax revenue from Federal land leases to use 
educating our kids, caring for the sick, and funding public 
infrastructure.
  Maybe this sounds like my complaint is just with President Biden. 
That is

[[Page S1486]]

how Congresswoman Haaland would have you see it. Congresswoman Haaland 
says that she will simply be following the administration's orders and 
implementing its agenda at the Interior Department. This isn't exactly 
encouraging for a number of reasons.
  The White House's very first action in implementing their climate 
change agenda is on track to cost my home State a whopping $13 billion 
in revenue. I shudder to think what their next action will cost us, 
especially with Department heads committed to blindly enacting the 
Biden agenda without consideration for the extraordinary impacts it 
will continue to have on energy States like Wyoming.
  Second, Secretaries have an incredible amount of power to make 
decisions on how an administration's agenda gets implemented. Based on 
her own public statements and actions, Congresswoman Haaland is more 
radical in her positions than President Biden.
  None of these facts are particularly encouraging to folks in Wyoming 
and the West who will be devastated by the policies that Congresswoman 
Haaland plans to champion. What we need is a Secretary who understands 
the issues that westerners face. We need someone who knows the ways 
that States like Wyoming are contributing to America's energy 
independence and doing so in increasingly environmentally friendly 
ways. Banning permitting on Federal lands in Wyoming means banning 
access to 68 percent of Wyoming's minerals. For our State and our 
country to remain energy independent, we need someone at the Department 
of the Interior who recognizes that if we shut down producers at home, 
we are only increasing the power of polluters like Russia and China 
abroad.
  Conservatives are regularly attacked as anti-science and anti-
environment. This couldn't be further from the truth. I can tell you 
there are no greater stewards of our land than the people who actually 
work it, be it farmers, ranchers, or energy producers. We care more 
about the land and natural resources than just about anyone. It is our 
livelihood.
  But it is more than that. It is our way of life. We know that 
responsible care for the land means that we have to have a healthy 
give-and-take with the land.
  In Wyoming, we support both energy protection and conservation, 
fossil fuels and clean energy technologies. Wyoming leads the Nation as 
the biggest net energy supplier at the same time that we are driving 
the future of carbon capture and utilization technology.
  Representative Haaland and the Biden administration claim their ban 
on leases supports the environment, but this ban actually hurts 
environmental conservation efforts. Energy development on public lands 
helps to fund conservation, including the Land and Water Conservation 
Fund to the tune of billions of dollars.
  Additionally, since 2000, the United States has had the largest 
absolute decline in emissions of any country. We did this while at the 
same time rising to become the world's top energy producer. The truth 
of the matter is, you can be both environmentally friendly and energy 
friendly. In Wyoming, we are doing both. Under the Biden and Haaland 
administration, we will do neither.
  I want to add one more thing. I recognize the longstanding connection 
of Native Americans to the land. Representative Haaland has that 
connection, and I honor her heritage and appreciate how significant the 
nomination of a Native American to lead the Department of the Interior 
is to the Tribes and to indigenous people. But there is no connection 
between her heritage and her support of the Green New Deal and 
attacking oil and natural gas production as a means to address climate 
change. If our goal is to reduce emissions, then our focus should be on 
clean air, not attacking energy production.
  We can achieve our environmental goals through things like carbon 
capture while remaining energy independent.
  For these reasons, I urge my colleagues to oppose Representative 
Haaland's nomination to serve as Secretary of the Interior.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.
  Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, what is the status of the floor?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate is considering the Haaland 
nomination.
  Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, I rise today in support of my colleague 
in the New Mexico congressional delegation, my Representative in the 
House of Representatives, and President Joe Biden's nominee for 
Secretary of Interior, Congresswoman Deb Haaland.
  Congresswoman Haaland is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna. She is 
what we like to call in New Mexico a 35th-generation New Mexican.
  As many have noted, she will make history as the first-ever Native 
American Cabinet Secretary, something that, frankly, should have 
happened a long, long time ago in this country.
  Deb also has lived experience--as a single mother, as a small 
business owner, as a Tribal administrator--experiences that will serve 
her well and bring real representation to President Joe Biden's 
Cabinet.
  She grew up in a military family. Her father was a decorated Marine 
combat veteran, and her mother is a Navy veteran. She grew up like a 
lot of kids with parents in the military, moving frequently, actually 
attending 13 different public schools over the course of her childhood.
  Before being elected to Congress, she owned her own business, she was 
the chair of the board of a tribally owned business, and also served as 
Tribal administrator for the Pueblo of San Felipe.
  Thanks to all of that experience, Congresswoman Haaland knows 
firsthand how the decisions that we make here in Washington, and 
particularly in the Interior Department, affect communities across the 
country, especially in Tribal communities and rural Western States.
  As Representative of the First District of New Mexico, my former 
district, Congresswoman Haaland has served as vice chair of the House 
Committee on Natural Resources and the chair of the Subcommittee on 
National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, a position where she made us 
very proud.
  As a committee leader, she routinely demonstrated her commitment to 
working across party lines.
  Of all the Members of Congress newly elected in 2018, she introduced 
the most bills with bipartisan cosponsors. She has always shown the 
ability to bring people together, something evidenced by her 
introduction in our committee by Congressman   Don Young, Republican of 
Alaska.
  She has an open door. She has an open mind and will listen and 
consult with a diverse range of stakeholders to try and build real 
consensus.
  I am confident that she is the leader that we need at Interior to 
take on the important work of restoring our landscapes, opening up new 
outdoor recreation opportunities for all Americans, and putting our 
public lands to work in confronting the climate crisis that too many of 
our colleagues have long ignored.
  Americans want the Department of the Interior to create more 
equitable access to our public lands, to stand for environmental 
justice, to find real solutions for the climate crisis, to protect 
wildlife and clean water, and support rural economic development.
  Many of us here in this body--in the Senate--demonstrated just last 
year, when we passed the historic and bipartisan Great American 
Outdoors Act, that making conservation and outdoor recreation a key 
part of our national economic recovery is a goal that has the ability 
to unite us all, Republicans and Democrats.
  Implementation of that new law will allow us to put many Americans 
back to work repairing our campgrounds, repairing our trail systems, 
building new visitor centers, and Congresswoman Haaland is eager to 
lead that work.
  She is also uniquely qualified to help us restore the Department of 
the Interior's nation-to-nation relationship with Tribal nations and to 
help Indian Country recover and rebuild from COVID-19.
  The Interior Department will play a leading role in implementing 
President Biden's American Rescue Plan in Indian Country. That historic 
rescue package, which the Senate just passed over the weekend--and I 
would point out did not have a single Republican vote--includes more 
than $31 billion in emergency support for Indian Country.

[[Page S1487]]

  Let me put that in perspective. That represents the single greatest 
investment in Indian Country in American history--in American history.

  This emergency support is desperately needed in Tribal communities. 
Over the past year, American Indians and Alaska Natives infected by 
COVID-19 have been hospitalized at a rate four times higher than White 
Americans and have died from the disease at nearly twice the rate. That 
is not just some statistic. I know firsthand because of the people I 
know and have lost in Indian Country.
  On top of these unacceptable public health outcomes, Tribal 
communities have also been disproportionately impacted by the 
educational and economic devastation of this past year--the lack of 
broadband, for example.
  These disparities reflect the persistent inequities that are the 
direct result of decades of chronic underinvestment by Congress in 
Indian Country. That is why the American Rescue Plan includes $20 
billion in emergency funds for Tribal governments that have taken on 
enormous, unprecedented costs to protect the health and safety of their 
members. It also includes billions of dollars of investment in Indian 
Country to expand access to healthcare, education, transportation, 
housing, and even essentials that many of us just take for granted, 
things like broadband, like internet, like electricity or water.
  The Senate urgently needs to take up Congresswoman Haaland's 
nomination to lead the Department of the Interior so that Tribes will 
finally have the partner they need in effectively implementing the 
American Rescue Plan and to help them steer their communities out of 
this perilous moment.
  Finally, it is unfortunate, frankly, that this needs to be said, but 
I do need to take a moment to address characterizations of 
Congresswoman Haaland that were raised by some of my colleagues in the 
Energy and Natural Resources Committee that were neither accurate nor, 
frankly, appropriate to the kind of debate that we have in that 
committee.
  I was disappointed by the tenor of the debate in our committee, as 
some of my colleagues described Congresswoman Haaland as ``radical'' or 
as ``extreme'' for holding policy views that fall well within the 
mainstream and fairly represent many of her constituents--I would say 
the vast majority of her constituents.
  As a westerner, Congresswoman Haaland well understands that 
confronting the climate crisis, not denying it, and transforming our 
economy will not come without costs. We need to be honest about that. 
That is especially true for fossil fuel workers, including many of our 
fellow New Mexicans, who have long powered our economy and deserve our 
respect and support. But we need to be thorough on the details and 
thoughtful in preparing our traditional energy communities for a 
transition to the clean energy future that the market has already told 
us is coming--is here--and we need to be honest with them.
  I am absolutely certain that Congresswoman Haaland will be a true 
partner to Western States like New Mexico, Alaska, Colorado, Montana, 
and Wyoming as we navigate this challenging transition.
  As we confront the climate crisis that is already an existential 
threat to our land and water resources and the communities that depend 
on those resources in the West, we must diversify our economy. We must 
invest in those communities and remain a global leader in producing and 
exporting energy.
  Despite the objections that have been raised against her nomination 
and the holds that have unfairly held up her confirmation, I am 
confident in Congresswoman Haaland's commitment to work with every 
single one of us on these pressing challenges, and I am eager for the 
Senate to finally take up Congresswoman Haaland's confirmation so that 
she can get to work protecting our natural heritage for future 
generations.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.
  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, today the Senate is debating the 
nomination of Deb Haaland, a Member of Congress, to serve as Secretary 
of the Interior. If confirmed, she will be the first Native American 
Cabinet member in U.S. history. This is a historic moment, and it 
should be recognized.
  I want to be very clear with you. Representative Haaland's policy 
views and lack of substantive answers during her nomination hearing, in 
my opinion, disqualify her for this job.
  In May of 2019, Representative Haaland said unequivocally in an 
interview with The Guardian: ``I am wholeheartedly against fracking and 
drilling on public lands.'' On her campaign website, she stated she 
wanted to ``keep fossil fuels in the ground.'' On the same site, she 
pledged to ``vote against all new fossil fuel infrastructure,'' period.
  I, along with many western Senators, have consistently opposed 
nominees who hold such views, and in my opinion and the opinion of my 
constituents, these views are extreme.
  Representative Haaland's views aren't just statements; they are 
backed up by legislation that she has cosponsored. As a Member of 
Congress, she was a day-one cosponsor of the Green New Deal. Now we are 
talking about destructive legislation that would not just overhaul 
American energy but would impact almost every sector of society and 
cause great harm to America's economy. That bill was so extreme that 
when it was brought here to the Senate floor, it received no support. 
None.
  She also cosponsored legislation to provide permanent Federal 
protections for the grizzly bear. I believe that legislation is also 
extreme, and I will tell you why.
  The legislation that she proposed as a Member of the House completely 
disregards the scientific conclusions of the Bush administration, the 
Obama administration, and the Trump administration. How many things can 
we name that all three of those Presidents agreed upon? But the three 
of them did. They all concluded--the Obama administration, the Bush 
administration, and the Trump administration concluded that it was time 
to take the grizzly bear off the endangered species list.
  Both Democratic and Republican Interior Departments determined that 
the grizzly bear was fully recovered, but Representative Haaland has 
chosen instead to ignore the science and the scientists of the very 
Department that she is now nominated to lead. Representative Haaland's 
policy views are squarely at odds with the mission of the Department of 
the Interior. That mission includes taking species off of an endangered 
species list when they are recovered, and the grizzly bear is fully 
recovered.
  That Department also manages our Nation's oil, gas, and coal 
resources and does it in a responsible manner, not eliminating access 
to them completely.
  Just as troubling as her policy views were her answers to questions 
during the confirmation process. She struggled or refused to answer the 
basic questions any nominee for the Department of the Interior would be 
expected to know and answer. She was unwilling or unable to respond to 
questions about the Department, about resource policy, and about the 
laws that she was asked to implement.
  I asked her why the Biden administration wouldn't just let energy 
workers keep their jobs. She had no good answer.
  American jobs are being sacrificed in the name of the Biden agenda, 
and Representative Haaland wouldn't defend it--couldn't defend it. 
Senator Risch had to ask her multiple times if she supported shutting 
down the Keystone Pipeline before she admitted that she did. He then 
asked her multiple times why she thought that was a good idea, and she 
never really gave an answer.
  Her written answers to the questions for the record were equally 
vague and unacceptable. In one response to a question of mine, she 
refused to acknowledge that the United States has higher environmental 
standards for oil and for gas production than Russia or Nigeria--would 
not acknowledge that.
  The American people deserve straight answers from a potential 
Secretary about the law, about the rules, and about the regulations 
that are going to affect so many lives and livelihoods. She gave very 
few of those at her nominating hearing and in her written responses.
  Representative Haaland's extreme views, cosponsorship of catastrophic

[[Page S1488]]

legislation, and lack of responsiveness disqualify her from this 
important position as Secretary of the Interior. If she is allowed to 
implement her Green New Deal-inspired policies at the Department of the 
Interior, the results for America's energy supply and economy will be 
catastrophic.
  So I cannot support and will not support her nomination, and I urge 
other Senators also to vote against the nomination.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 3 
minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to speak today on the 
nomination of Representative Debra Haaland to be the Secretary of the 
Interior. Her nomination was carefully considered by the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources, which I am privileged to chair.
  Her hearing went well, and it went for 2 days. Every member of the 
committee questioned her. Most asked her two rounds of questions, and 
some asked three. We then asked her 70 pages of questions for the 
record--nearly 300 questions, many with multiple subparts.
  The committee questioned her closely on her beliefs, her opinions, 
the President's policies, and what she will do if confirmed. In the 
end, the committee voted to report her nomination favorably, 11 to 9. I 
am proud to have voted to report her nomination, and I am proud to 
speak in favor of her confirmation today.
  While I may not personally agree with some of Congresswoman Haaland's 
past statements and policy positions, as Secretary she will be carrying 
out President Biden's agenda, the agenda that the voters elected 
President Biden to pursue.
  At her hearing, she confirmed that she and the administration 
recognize that our country will remain dependent on fossil fuels for 
years to come, and a transition to a cleaner energy future must come 
through innovation, not elimination.
  She also affirmed her strong commitment to bipartisanship. She 
understands the need to work across the aisle to find the bipartisan 
solutions needed to address the diverse needs of our country and has 
demonstrated that she can do so effectively.
  I was also deeply impressed by the strong endorsement she received by 
Congressman   Don Young, for whom I have the utmost respect.   Don 
Young has been in Congress long enough to be able to read people and 
know their heart and soul. He took the time and trouble to appear 
before the committee and testified to the productive working 
relationship he has had with Congresswoman Haaland and her willingness 
to work with him on important issues. That meant a lot to me, and I 
hope it will also resonate with my colleagues.
  President Biden is in perhaps the most difficult position a modern-
day President has ever been in, bringing us back from the brink after 
January 6. That day changed me, and I feel strongly that with the deep 
divisions running through our country and the Halls of Congress today, 
we have to have people who have demonstrated they have the temperament 
and willingness to reach across the aisle. Congresswoman Haaland has 
demonstrated she does and she will.
  As the President works to bind together a nation split by deep 
political, racial, social, and economic divisions, he is also trying to 
assemble a Cabinet that reflects the rich diversity of our Nation, one 
that looks like America. And 230 years after Washington called his 
first Cabinet meeting, it is long past time to give a Native American 
woman a seat at the Cabinet table.
  For these reasons, I support Deb Haaland's nomination and will vote 
to report her and to support her, and I look forward to working with 
her to protect our public lands and ensure the responsible use of our 
natural resources in the most bipartisan manner. I strongly support her 
nomination. I urge all of my colleagues to vote to invoke cloture today 
and to confirm her nomination next week.