[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 212 (Wednesday, December 8, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9018-S9019]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



             Unanimous Consent Request--Executive Calendar

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I am here on the floor today to urge 
the Senate to move immediately to vote on the confirmation of Dr. 
Laurie Locascio to be the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and 
Technology at the Department of Commerce and--this is a double-headed 
position--as the Director of the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology.
  As of today, we have 156 pending nominations on the executive 
calendar. These include Ambassadorial nominations to important 
countries like China, Japan, and others all around the world. It is 
harming our national security. We should be moving forward with them 
urgently. Then there are a whole number of nominations that relate to 
very important U.S. domestic Agencies, and one of them is this 
appointment at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
  Look, many Americans are aware of the NIH, the National Institutes of 
Health. They know that that Institute does very important medical 
research that helps save lives and that it develops treatments to help 
Americans and others around the world. In fact, they have played a key 
role in the development of the vaccines against COVID-19.
  Less well-known but also very important is the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, which plays a key role in supporting American 
economic competitiveness and supporting innovation for Americans and 
American companies around the world. They also play an important role 
in the supply chain effort of the United States. That, of course, has 
taken on added significance in recent months as we experience 
bottlenecks.
  So we are only hurting ourselves, and we are only hurting our country 
by refusing to allow this body to move forward on a vote on her 
nomination. We are essentially saying to this very important institute, 
this important government entity: We are not going to vote on your 
leader. So it is time to move forward on this.
  Now, I want to talk a little bit about why Dr. Locascio is an 
exceptional choice for this role. It is not only because she hails from 
the great State of Maryland; it is not only because she is a graduate 
of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and that she has been

[[Page S9019]]

a leader of the University of Maryland's research endeavors since 2017; 
but it is also--and most importantly--because she brings to this 
position three decades of experience in working at all levels at NIST, 
the institute to which she has been nominated to lead.
  She began her time at the Agency as a research staffer and rose to 
become the Acting Principal Deputy Director and Associate Director for 
Laboratory Programs. She was responsible for directing the Material 
Measurement Laboratory, which is one of NIST's largest laboratories. 
She also has very intimate knowledge of NIST from her other years of 
experience there, and she has really touched upon every area of 
endeavor within the NIST portfolio.

  As I indicated, this appointment would be important at any time, but 
it is especially important at this moment as we grapple with supply 
chain issues and as we try to bolster U.S. manufacturing and try to 
make sure that we manufacture here, in the United States, essential 
products that we need.
  This body, in addition to focusing on the manufacturing side of the 
ledger, also understands the importance of investment in vital research 
and materials science, in things like quantum computing and artificial 
intelligence. We passed, with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 68 to 
32, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, and NIST has very 
important responsibilities in those areas. What NIST does there is very 
important in our maintaining and sharpening our position in the world, 
especially as we address the growing challenge of China.
  I also want to mention the Manufacturing Extension Partnership that 
is run out of NIST, which plays a very important role right now as we 
work to fight these supply chain blockages and also accelerate the 
production of personal protective equipment--N95 masks and ventilators. 
That push was fueled, largely, by the $50 million that this body helped 
to appropriate for the MEP program in the CARES Act. Again, that is a 
program housed in NIST that is helping to deal with supply chain 
bottlenecks when it comes to essential protections from the pandemic.
  So there is no justification for blocking this nomination. In fact, 
all we are doing is tying our hands behind our backs by depriving this 
important institute of their top leader at a time when we face national 
challenges on supply chain issues and at a time when we understand we 
have got to be at the top of our game when it comes to innovation and 
cutting-edge technologies in so many areas where it is essential to 
meet the challenge of China and others around the world in global 
competition. So I would really urge my colleagues to allow this 
nomination to proceed. It is the right thing to do for our country.
  Mr. President, at this point in time, I ask unanimous consent that, 
notwithstanding rule XXII, the Senate consider the following 
nomination: Executive Calendar No. 551, Department of Commerce, Laurie 
E. Locascio, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for 
Standards and Technology; that the nomination be confirmed; that the 
motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no 
intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order on 
the nomination; and that the President be immediately notified of the 
Senate's action.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Florida.
  Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, reserving the right to object.
  First, I want to acknowledge my colleague's interest in the nominee 
for the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
  I am not sure if my colleague is aware, but, last month, I sent a 
letter to the Commerce Committee, informing them that I would be 
holding all Department of Transportation and Department of Commerce 
nominees until the committee hears testimony from Secretary Raimondo 
and Secretary Buttigieg about the supply chain crisis.
  Right now, there are nearly 100 ships waiting to dock in California 
ports to unload their goods, but they are unable to do so because of 
President Biden's supply chain crisis. Christmas is just a couple of 
weeks away, and families and businesses are facing empty shelves, 
shortages on goods, and higher prices. So far, as far as I can tell, I 
have only seen Secretary Buttigieg and Secretary Raimondo play TV 
commentator rather than actually go out to California and solve the 
problems.
  It is long past time for the Biden administration to tell us exactly 
what they are doing to solve this crisis and help American families. 
Until we hear from Secretary Buttigieg and Secretary Raimondo in the 
Commerce Committee, I will be objecting to all Commerce and 
Transportation nominees going through an expedited process here in the 
Senate.
  This isn't personal. It is about accountability. I look forward to 
hearing from Secretary Raimondo and Secretary Buttigieg and then going 
forward with these nominees.
  Therefore, Mr. President, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Maryland.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I would just ask my colleague, in the 
coming days, before the end of the year, to reconsider his position.
  He is a member of the Commerce Committee, and he knows well that 
there have been three hearings on supply chain issues, one on May 11 
regarding ``Freight Mobility: Strengthening America's Supply''; on July 
15, ``Implementing Supply Chain Resiliency''; and on December 7, 
``Unchartered Waters: Challenges Posed by Ocean Shipping Supply 
Chains,'' where the committee discussed a whole range of supply chain 
issues.
  Moreover, responding to these issues, if we are really serious about 
addressing our supply chain issues, how does it help to deny us the 
opportunity to vote and put in place the Director of an Agency that is 
supposed to help relieve the supply chain bottlenecks?
  I know the Senator from Florida had to leave, but it is a very simple 
question. If there is a genuine interest in addressing supply chain 
bottlenecks and addressing the cost pressures, how does denying NIST a 
leader help advance that agenda? Clearly, it does not. Clearly, this is 
harming the U.S. markets at this important time. Clearly, it is harming 
our supply chain efforts. Clearly, it is harming U.S. competitiveness.
  So I urge my colleagues to move forward on this nomination. 
Apparently not today because of the objection, but let's get it done 
before the end of this year.
  I am not going to ask for a quorum call. Thank you. That is it.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin.