[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 165 (Thursday, September 23, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S6632]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Nominations

  Mr. President, on nominations. Now, on the activity happening on the 
floor today, thanks to the political stunts and a handful of 
obstructionist Republicans, the Senate is going to spend a lot of extra 
time today on something that is generally a routine process: confirming 
uncontroversial but critical nominees to the Department of State and 
other important Agencies.
  Of all the mandates of the government, there is one that holds 
importance above all others: keeping the American people safe from all 
threats, foreign and domestic.
  To fulfill this responsibility, the President relies on a vast army 
of dedicated public servants across the government. They are the expert 
diplomats, Under Secretaries, and Assistant Secretaries whom we rarely 
hear of in the news, but they play an indispensable role in keeping 
America safe. Oftentimes they are quiet heroes.
  But, today, an alarming number of posts essential for our national 
security remain vacant because a handful of Republicans have decided to 
hijack the confirmation process and put a hold on not just a few but on 
many critical nominees.
  As a result, today, we are going to have to take the long way to move 
forward with seven of the nominees currently on hold. We need to get 
these confirmed as soon as possible. And if the irrational stonewalling 
by Republicans of these noncontroversial nominees continues, we may 
need to take this tedious exercise again in a greater magnitude.
  The Republicans responsible for holding up these confirmations are 
deliberately making the American people less safe in a vain and futile 
effort to enhance their own political fortunes. Every single one of 
these nominees was reported out of committee with bipartisan support. 
There is no rational basis for their delay. The fleeting gain these 
Republicans receive will pale in comparison to the damage they are 
causing to our country.
  It is not just an issue of a few nominees here and there. This is 
scores of diplomats and other public servants who are unable to get to 
work because a few Members of this body are holding everything up. It 
is intentional sabotage of this Chamber's operation, and it is going to 
hurt our government's ability to respond to crises around the world.
  Imagine if you dial 911, but nobody has been hired to pick up the 
phone on the other side. That is more or less what these Republicans 
are doing to many of our diplomats, who are often the first line of 
defense when an international crisis breaks out.
  Of course, this Chamber, under this leadership, is not going to 
tolerate a few Members who want to muck up the confirmation process to 
make a scene. It will just take a little longer to get them done--maybe 
nights, maybe weekends.
  We will focus today on pushing these nominees through for the sake of 
our national security.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Peters). The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.