[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 218 (Friday, December 17, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9287-S9289]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Nominations

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about some 
nominees and how important it is to keep advancing nominees.
  A President should be able to have his Ambassadors in place so we can 
deal with the rest of the world, and we have key people who are still 
missing from Agencies, many of whom got through committees with strong 
bipartisan support. Let me start with one of them.
  Today, I rise to discuss the importance of the Senate swiftly 
confirming Alan Davidson, one of President Biden's very important 
nominees to the Department of Commerce. If confirmed, he will play a 
crucial role in the coming months and years in making sure every 
American has access to reliable, affordable internet.
  Mr. Davidson has been nominated to be the Assistant Secretary for 
Communications and Information at the Department of Commerce's National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration, NTIA. OK. That 
sounds like a lot of words, but what does it really mean?
  As head of the NTIA, Mr. Davidson will oversee the distribution of 
the $40 billion for broadband infrastructure funding coming out of our 
bipartisan infrastructure bill. So his job couldn't be more important 
as we look at providing high-speed internet to every corner of this 
country. He will also play an important role in expanding wireless 
internet networks, promoting fair competition in the digital sector, 
and ensuring every American has access to affordable and fast internet.

[[Page S9288]]

  As you know, after months of negotiations between Democrats and 
Republicans, this Senate came together to pass the President's 
bipartisan infrastructure law, making a once-in-a-generation investment 
to improve roads, rail systems, and public transit, address climate 
change by updating our power grid, and, yes, invest in high-speed 
internet.
  It is the largest investment our country has ever made in high-speed 
internet. I was proud to lead in the Senate the base bill--
Representative Clyburn led it in the House--to make this happen when it 
comes to broadband.
  Affordable and reliable internet access is more important now than 
ever as students and families rely on the internet to learn or work 
from home, access telehealth services, and stay connected to loved 
ones.
  As 42 million Americans, including 16 percent of households in rural 
Minnesota, lack reliable broadband access, the need to make the 
promises of this law a reality could not be more urgent. As head of the 
NTIA, Mr. Davidson will be responsible for overseeing the rollout of 
funding for broadband grants across the country. We don't want to wait. 
We need someone who knows what he is doing in place now.
  With more than two decades of experience in the public and private 
sector as an executive, someone who worked in technology, and as an 
attorney, it is clear Mr. Davidson is ready for this job.
  He served in the Department of Commerce during the Obama 
administration, where he was the Department's first Director of Digital 
Economy. His background in privacy and internet policy will be 
invaluable. I am confident he will protect consumers, promote 
competition, and make this historic law meaningful for everyday 
Americans.
  His nomination has earned support from a broad array of 
organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce, the National 
Consumers League, the Open Technology Institute, and more than 80 
others.
  I should also point out that eight former heads of the NTIA, 
Republicans and Democrats alike, have urged the Senate to confirm Mr. 
Davidson. And he did very well in the committee. He came out of the 
committee with bipartisan support.
  To me, this should just be done like this. We should just get it done 
through this Chamber, but we wait through this morass of rules. Instead 
of making the rules easier so we can restore the Senate so we 
can actually debate issues, we literally spend hours and hours and 
hours and hours on nominees who received Republican support in the 
committee because one person decides, well, I am going to hold that one 
up.

  We need to get this done now because while we wait, students, 
parents, and workers without high-speed internet are falling behind. I 
have heard too many stories, as I know every Senator in this chamber 
has heard, about people from our States who have jumped through hoops 
just to get online.
  One high school student in Otter Tail County, MN, had such weak 
internet at her house that she always had to drive to the parking lot 
of a liquor store to take her online biology quizzes. I met her mom. 
She told me the story herself. I have also heard from rural doctors who 
rely on the WiFi in McDonald's parking lots to read their patients' x 
rays when they are outside the office on weekends. That is just 
unacceptable. So we need to make sure that this historic broadband 
funding gets out the door and that we have someone in place to 
administer it.
  In addition to this hugely important work, Mr. Davidson will also be 
responsible for implementing upgrades to our 9-1-1 system. In a crisis, 
no one should be put in danger because of outdated 9-1-1 systems, and 
first responders, public safety officials, and law enforcement must be 
able to communicate seamlessly.
  As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and as one of the chairs 
of the Congressional Next Generation 9-1-1 Caucus, I know that these 
upgrades are urgently needed to help move the country's largely 
outdated 9-1-1 call centers and related technology into the digital 
age. We need to enable 9-1-1 call centers to handle text messages, 
pictures, videos, and other information sent by smartphones, tablets, 
and other devices when faced with an emergency. Mr. Davidson, with his 
vast array of experience, will help to bring our 9-1-1 systems into the 
21st century by providing State and local governments with the 
resources they need to update our emergency response networks and keep 
our communities safe.
  I urge my colleagues to support Mr. Davidson's nomination today to 
move our country and our economy forward. The stakes are too high to 
wait.
  Mr. President, I also come to the floor today to speak on the many 
Ambassador nominees who are ready for a vote but are being held up by 
some of our colleagues on the other side. I emphasize ``some'' because 
many of these nominees got strong bipartisan support.
  While I appreciate the progress we are now making on some of the 
nominees as we speak, many have been waiting months for a vote. When we 
finish today--at least tonight or when we finish in the next few days--
more, we know, will still be waiting because we have well over 100 
people who have been waiting for a vote, over 150 people waiting for a 
vote.
  This unnecessary delay is sabotaging our diplomatic efforts around 
the world. The State Department is made up of some of the best, the 
brightest, and the most patriotic citizens. By failing to confirm 
Ambassadors, whether to Iraq--we know how important that is--Equatorial 
Guinea, or Japan, we are hurting not only the nominees and our Foreign 
Service officers but also all those who look to America as a beacon of 
democracy.
  First, let's look at Elizabeth Moore Aubin, who was nominated to be 
Ambassador to Algeria in April and was reported out of the committee in 
June--June--the beginning of summer. We are now in the middle of 
winter.
  Algeria is an important partner in northern Africa when it comes to 
economic and strategic security issues. Aubin is clearly up to the 
task. She previously served as the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau 
of Near Eastern Affairs and served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in 
Algiers, Algeria, during a 2013 terrorist attack.
  Aubin knows from her years at the State Department and from her 
firsthand experience what it takes to keep Americans safe overseas. Yet 
she has been held up for 6 months. Americans and Americans in Algeria 
deserve better.
  Angola. Another Ambassador who has been waiting since June is 
Tulinabo Mushingi, who has been nominated to serve as Ambassador to 
Angola and several other islands off the coast of eastern Africa. He 
has already served as Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission to our 
Embassy in Ethiopia, so he will be ready to take on this role on day 1.
  Through our country's partnership with the Angolan Government, we 
have made significant progress in removing thousands of landmines and 
advancing economic growth in the region. The United States and Angola 
will be better served with an experienced Ambassador, and he should be 
confirmed promptly.
  Yet that is not all. We also must move forward with Claire Cronin, 
whom President Biden nominated to be the Ambassador to Ireland. Cronin 
was the first woman to serve as the Massachusetts House majority leader 
and the first woman to chair the Massachusetts House Judiciary 
Committee. President Biden nominated her in June, 6 months ago, and she 
advanced from committee nearly 2 months ago, in mid-October.

  Ireland is an economic partner, a security partner, and, of course, 
the United States is home to many proud Irish Americans.
  We need Ambassador Cronin to move forward.
  I know we are making progress, but I think of a country like Japan, 
where Rahm Emanuel has been nominated--Japan.
  My good friend, whom we lost this year, Vice President Mondale, was 
the Ambassador to Japan, and I remember how proud they were when he got 
voted through and went to Japan. They were so proud that the United 
States of America sent an ambassador to their country, someone of great 
experience.
  This is the case of all these Ambassador nominees. Our country 
deserves to have people over there representing our Nation. You think 
they don't notice, these countries?

[[Page S9289]]

  As I said, we are making progress. Today or tomorrow, we may vote to 
confirm Denise Campbell Bauer, President Biden's nominee to serve as 
Ambassador to France. Bauer was nominated in July, 5 months ago, and is 
only now coming to the floor for a vote. She served as Ambassador to 
Belgium, including during the 2016 terrorist attack in Brussels. She is 
well qualified for this role.
  France is our oldest ally and friend, and while we may be making 
progress, I am deeply concerned that our Republican colleagues have 
needlessly delayed this post.
  I urge my friends on the other side of the aisle to lift their hold 
on these Ambassadors and the dozens of other qualified, dedicated 
nominees.
  We know there are negotiations afoot that we can move forward. Let's 
get a bunch of these done.
  The United States must be able to have strong people in place for our 
allies to deal with problems overseas and to represent proudly the 
United States of America.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. King). The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Brown). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.