[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 30, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1857-S1858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, I rise today in support of Jerry Kang, 
President Biden's nominee to serve on the National Foundation on the 
Arts and Humanities.
  As you know, the foundation serves sectors of our economy that 
continue to face tremendous need and uncertainty in the wake of the 
pandemic.
  During this trying time, it is critically important that we confirm 
qualified individuals who are eager to serve and support.
  This nomination has been reviewed by the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions on a bipartisan basis, and we are 
waiting on the Senate to confirm him so he can get to work.
  It is past time that we confirm qualified nominees so that the 
Federal Government has a team in place--the team that it needs to 
operate and support our constituents.
  As an ex-officio member of the National Council on the Arts, I ask 
unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nomination: 
Calendar No. 729, Jerry Kang, of California, to be a Member of the 
National Council on the Humanities for a term expiring January 26, 
2026; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action 
or debate; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid 
upon the table; and that any statements related to the nomination be 
printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Florida.
  Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I 
guess this is a crazy idea, but I believe that Americans should not be 
judged by the color of their skin but, rather, by the content of their 
character. I believe that every person is made in the image of God, and 
that to judge a person simply based on the color of their skin is 
wrong.
  Unfortunately, across the country, politicians and universities are 
trying to divide people by race, skin color, ethnicity, or country of 
origin. It is immoral and a corrosive habit of the woke crowd.
  Unfortunately, the professional career of this nominee is entirely 
wrapped up in promoting critical race theory and dividing people along 
color lines. His focus at the university where he works is to teach 
kids about how to divide one another into what Karl Marx referred to as 
the oppressed and the oppressors.
  I am sick of this disgusting ideology, and Americans are sick of it 
too. Just look at all the Americans who are rejecting it through local 
elections and protests at school boards.
  We shouldn't be elevating people who divide Americans. We should be 
working with those who want to unite us around our founding principles 
that made our Nation the greatest country on Earth.
  Therefore, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Wisconsin.
  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, not only did Jerry Kang get recommended 
by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on a 
bipartisan basis, but he is a scholar and has a very important 
reputation.

[[Page S1858]]

  Half of his work deals with communication and the internet on matters 
such as privacy and pervasive computing and virtual communities. The 
other half, by his own description, deals with civil rights and race. 
And he is probably best known for his works on implicit bias.
  These are critical topics, and we should be eager to have somebody of 
Professor Kang's caliber and commitment on the Foundation on the Arts 
and Humanities, and so I am certainly disappointed to hear the 
objection from the Republican side.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin.

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