[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 114 (Wednesday, July 10, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4315-S4323]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      WELCOMING THE GUEST CHAPLAIN

  Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I rise to say a few words about the 
tradition of spiritual leadership of the Chaplains of the Senate, a 
decades-old--a centuries-old, actually--tradition of this body, rooted 
in the fact that those who were the Framers of our Constitution and the 
Founders of our Nation understood that, although we are a nation 
committed to the separation of church and State, we are also a nation 
that is guided--that is guided by spiritual force, by deep beliefs, by 
diversity of religions, but also by a profound humility on the part of 
those of us who serve.
  Our Chaplain, RADM Barry Black, has served for many, many years, and 
I have had the great blessing of hearing from him at Bible study and at 
the weekly Prayer Breakfast in a way that has helped bring Senators 
together and that has made a difference in the functioning and the 
foundation of this important body in our constitutional order.
  Today, we have a guest Chaplain from my home church, First & Central 
Presbyterian in Wilmington, DE. She is my home pastor. Pastor Laura has 
served our congregation since July, 2 years ago.
  A native of Arkansas, raised in Texas in the Disciples of Christ, 
Pastor Laura felt a calling to the ministry at the very earliest age 
but told God to just hold that thought for a moment. Two decades later, 
he called Pastor Laura again, more forcefully this time, and through my 
denomination, the Presbyterian Church, United States of America--or 
PCUSA.
  After completing seminary in Iowa and serving three other ministry 
calls, Pastor Laura is now at our faith community in downtown 
Wilmington, doing God's work at a church without walls that welcomes 
without limits. Her humor, her hermeneutics, her exegesis, her 
homiletics--all the good stuff that a pastor does--help hold us 
together and inspire us to mission at a time that is almost uniquely 
challenging in my life.
  I am so grateful for her wisdom and guidance at home in Delaware, and 
I thank Pastor Laura for her ministry today to this body, to our 
congregation at home, and throughout the arc of her life.
  With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor.

[[Page S4316]]

  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant executive 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.


                   Recognition of the Minority Leader

  The Republican leader is recognized.


                      Remembering James M. Inhofe

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday morning, the Senate was 
greeted by some sad news. A longtime former colleague and dear friend 
of many of us, Jim Inhofe, passed away.
  As many of our colleagues are familiar, Jim's path to the Senate was 
an adventure on its own: honorable service in the Army, small business 
success, undergraduate degree by way of nine different schools, and, by 
one account, even some prospecting on rare earth minerals.
  But what came to define his time in this body was more than his sheer 
confidence and experience on such a dizzying array of topics, more than 
his dogged determination on issues from infrastructure to the Armed 
Forces to African development. What I suspect so many of our colleagues 
will remember most about Jim was his honesty, his decency, and his deep 
faith; his love of God, love of country, and love of neighbor.
  It would be difficult for anyone to hope for a richer legacy than 
that.
  So this week, I know the Senate is keeping Jim's wife Kay and the 
whole Inhofe family in our prayers as they mourn a great man.


                                  NATO

  Mr. President, as I said yesterday, NATO members have taken some 
promising steps toward making the alliance fit for purpose. But now is 
not the time to get complacent. The threats we face are grave and 
growing. How we meet them will determine the future of the order that 
has underpinned the free world's peace and prosperity for decades.
  Our greatest adversaries are not beating around the bush. PRC 
officials are stepping up their pressure against Taiwan. Standing on 
NATO soil, China's Ambassador to France suggested recently that China's 
civil war ``has not yet ended'' and threatened that the mainland could 
expel the ``rebel regime'' in Taiwan ``at any time.''
  This comes from the same revisionist power that has succeeded for too 
long in infiltrating our economies, supply chains, and critical 
infrastructure with the promise of quick investments and easy profits. 
Not long ago, it was America falling prey to this alluring promise, but 
it is past time for European allies to learn from our experience. And 
it is time for America to correct our lingering mistakes as well.
  We cannot continue to stand by as Chinese military modernization 
outpaces our own. We cannot abide defense budget requests that fail to 
even keep pace with inflation.
  The cold truth for all of us is this: Those who fail to take hard 
power seriously will learn that fighting wars is vastly--vastly--more 
expensive than deterring them.
  Just consider the neo-Soviet imperialist with whom the PRC has struck 
up an ``unlimited partnership.'' The West's weakness and hesitation 
didn't just fail to deter Putin's escalation in Ukraine, it actually 
invited a longer, costlier, and bloodier conflict. And Putin's brutal 
aggression, his reckless nuclear saber-rattling, his militarization of 
space, his weaponization of energy, his repression of Christians at 
home and in an occupied Ukraine, his coldblooded targeting of 
civilians, including a missile strike on Ukraine's largest children's 
hospital earlier this week--all of this is facilitated by China's 
support.
  Of course, firmly knit into this same web of aggression is Iran, 
perhaps the most notorious enabler of terrorist child murder in the 
world, the architect of slaughter across the Middle East, the 
mastermind of Houthi threats to international trade, and the world's 
most active state sponsor of terrorism.
  Iran continues to make determined progress toward a nuclear weapons 
capability. As the Biden administration's Director of National 
Intelligence acknowledged just yesterday, the regime is also stoking 
aggressive and anti-Semitic demonstrations on our soil--U.S. soil--
against Israel's response to the horrific attacks that Tehran enabled.
  Our European allies, of course, are reckoning with a persistent 
strain of anti-Semitism in their own politics. Serious allies ought to 
dispense with any wishful thinking about the prospects of rapprochement 
under Iran's newest President.
  So make no mistake, the transatlantic alliance is growing stronger, 
larger, and more committed through the shared responsibilities of 
collective defense. And on the whole, we are staring down those 
connected threats with clearer eyes.
  But the alliance is only as strong as its weakest link. And today, it 
almost appears that one weak link in NATO's chain wants to break it.
  Last week, without coordinating with Ukraine, NATO, or the EU, 
Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban showed up in Moscow on a self-
aggrandizing ``peace mission,'' giving Putin a chance to counterbalance 
the diplomatic pressure he is otherwise feeling.
  Then he took to the pages of Newsweek to accuse the alliance of 
``seeking conflict'' rather than resolving it. How insidious. Hungary 
knows what Soviet repression feels like. How in the world its leader 
could mistake NATO's efforts to help Ukraine defend itself against 
Russian aggression for ``the pursuit of war'' is beyond me.
  Neither Ukraine nor NATO provoked Russia into invading Ukraine in 
2014. Neither Ukraine nor NATO provoked Russia into escalating its 
conflict in 2022. As I have said, it was the West's failure to meet 
Russian aggression with strength that emboldened Putin.
  Unfortunately, Mr. Orban's curious soft spot for authoritarians isn't 
limited to the aggressor that, ironically, drove Hungary to join NATO 
in the first place.
  This week, he also found time to visit Beijing to reinforce what both 
Hungary and the PRC call ``an all-weather comprehensive strategic 
partnership.''
  Well, Republicans in Washington who fashion themselves both 
``national conservatives'' and China hawks should pay more attention to 
Mr. Orban's actions and ask themselves if they are consistent with 
American interests.
  It is certainly difficult to explain away the data. Three years ago, 
Hungary accounted for less than 1 percent--1 percent--of Chinese 
investment in Europe. Last year, it received more than 44 percent.
  With an economy smaller than Kentucky, Hungary attracted more Chinese 
foreign direct investment than Europe's top three economies combined. I 
thought America and our allies were supposed to be reducing our 
reliance on the PRC. Money talks.
  So perhaps it is not surprising that Orban finds time to confer with 
President Xi, but his government has gone out of its way to slow-walk 
European assistance to Ukraine. And it has chased deeper trade ties 
with Iran.
  Budapest publicized a call between Hungary's Foreign Minister and his 
new Iranian counterpart with not a word of criticism for Iran's support 
for terrorism, malign activities across the Middle East, or support for 
Russia's war of aggression.
  So much for Orban's pursuit of peace. The most successful military 
alliance in human history didn't get this way by letting dictators and 
theocrats eat our lunch.
  China hawks should be the first to discourage the expansion of PRC 
tools like Huawei on European soil. Friends of Israel should have no 
time for myths of constructive engagement with an Iranian regime that 
underwrites the slaughter of Jews.
  NATO members ought to know better--and many do--but, clearly, we have 
a lot of work still ahead of us.


                        Student Loan Forgiveness

  Mr. President, last month, two judges approved by President Obama 
ruled against one of President Biden's cornerstone efforts to buy 
votes: the so-called SAVE plan. By one estimate, this iteration of the 
Biden administration's student loan socialism scheme would transfer 
about half a trillion dollars from borrowers to taxpayers by 
arbitrarily lowering payments for those who borrowed less than $12,000.
  Now, as I mentioned before, the policy is not just costly, it is 
profoundly--profoundly--unfair. Working taxpayers

[[Page S4317]]

who opted not to attend college, folks who worked their way through 
college to avoid taking out loans, and families who sacrificed and 
saved for their children's education are all now on the hook to pay 
somebody else's bills. Even left-leaning scholars have noted that this 
policy is regressive.
  By one analysis, nearly one-third of all the student debt is held by 
the highest earning fifth of American households. Meanwhile, the lowest 
earning fifth of households hold only 8 percent of the debt. Just last 
month, one Congressional staffer earning more than $80,000 thanked 
President Biden publicly on social media for forgiving his $8,000 
student loan.
  Working families are struggling with high prices and high interest 
rates--the direct and predictable result of the Biden administration's 
runaway spending spree. But now Washington Democrats expect them to pay 
the bills of some of the highest earning elites? Talk about adding 
insult to injury.
  Even Obama-appointed judges are now agreeing with Republicans that 
the policy is illegal. Last month's ruling confirmed that the President 
does not have the authority to wave a magic wand and lower student loan 
payments.
  Washington Democrats love to crow about how the Federal judiciary has 
been co-opted by shadowy rightwing extremists. They have gone to 
shameful lengths to degrade the legitimacy of the institution of the 
Supreme Court.
  But when even judges appointed by a Democratic President are siding 
with the Republicans, it might be time for our colleagues to look in 
the mirror and ask who the extremists really are.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                   Recognition of the Majority Leader

  The majority leader is recognized.


                                  NATO

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, this week, the city of Washington becomes 
the command post of liberal democracy. It was my great honor to join, 
earlier this morning, with Leader McConnell and with my Democratic and 
Republican colleagues welcoming to the Senate the Secretary General of 
NATO, as well as the leaders of the U.K., Germany, Sweden, and Finland. 
For the first time ever, we were proud to welcome the leaders of NATO's 
two newest members, Sweden and Finland. Standing in the same room with 
NATO's newest members, Sweden and Finland, was a proud moment for us 
Senators. It was a culmination of the work that began 2 years ago when 
the Senate, in a bipartisan way, overwhelmingly approved their 
accession to the alliance.
  I told the leaders of NATO that America will never turn its back on 
the alliance. I told them the Senate will always hold up its end of the 
bargain to support NATO and ensure we have the tools to keep the free 
world safe; and I urged everyone in the room to continue standing 
firmly with Ukraine.
  I applaud the members of NATO for their major announcement of a new 
round of aid that will help soldiers on the battlefield, brave 
Ukrainian soldiers.


                                Ukraine

  Mr. President, later today, I will also meet with Ukrainian President 
Zelenskyy at a bipartisan meeting of Senators, and we will affirm yet 
again that the United States stands with them until the job is done.
  A few months ago, the Senate showed what leadership looks like by 
passing a sweeping supplemental package that delivered weapons and ammo 
and air defenses and missiles for Ukrainian soldiers.
  Unfortunately, sadly, many extremists on the hard right led by Donald 
Trump didn't want to send so much as a nickel to help Ukraine. They 
would have preferred to let Putin have his way in Europe.
  The hard right's softness towards Putin is a prime example of why 
they cannot be trusted to protect America on the world stage. I am glad 
their opposition to Ukraine aid was ultimately unsuccessful. But a 
majority of Republicans in this Chamber voted against that aid.
  And what really bothered me was so many of the Republican--the 
Republican party has been a strong, anticommunist, hawkish party since 
the days of Ronald Reagan, maybe earlier. And all of a sudden, when 
Donald Trump, whose knowledge of foreign policy is negligible--to put 
it kindly; it is often wrong--they turn around and do 180 degrees and 
oppose giving aid to Ukraine and, instead, start to smile upon Putin.
  That, my fellow Americans, is a warning of what a Republican-
controlled Senate would do if, God forbid, Trump becomes President. 
They would turn around on all their principles. Donald Trump could, on 
a whim, say something, and all of a sudden: Yes, sir. They will march 
in line with him. This Ukrainian example was a sad one.
  So this week, we saw why the supplemental was so important and why 
America must stand with the Ukrainian people after Putin's forces 
obliterated an entire wing of the largest children's hospital in Kyiv. 
I mentioned this to our NATO leaders and the heads of Sweden and 
Finland and Germany and Britain who were at our meeting.
  What a vicious man Putin is. A children's hospital? You see the 
pictures of these children who were trying to survive cancer--you know, 
when you see pictures of children like that, many with their shaved 
heads--and Putin bombs the hospital? What a despicable man. What a 
brute. That is who we are dealing with, world. That is who we are 
dealing with, America, when it comes to Vladimir Putin. His savagery is 
an example of why Donald Trump's vision is so dangerous at this moment, 
because a Trump administration would make a Putin victory far more 
likely.
  Thankfully, that is not the case. Instead of breaking NATO, Putin's 
war has made NATO even stronger and must continue to be that way until 
the Ukrainian people see victory and peace is restored to Eastern 
Europe.


                   Reproductive Freedom For Women Act

  Mr. President, now on choice, today the Senate will vote on the 
Reproductive Freedom For Women Act. Senate Republicans must answer a 
very simple question: Do they believe that women should be trusted to 
make their own healthcare choices? Yes or no? Will Republicans stand 
with the majority of Americans, stand with the mainstream, and stand 
against Donald Trump by affirming a woman's fundamental right to 
choose? Will Republicans show courage and declare, as most people in 
this country prefer, that the basic protections of Roe v. Wade should 
be the law of the land?
  I want to thank Senator Murray from the great State of Washington for 
leading this bill and every single female Senator on our side of the 
aisle for cosponsoring it.

  Today's vote will not be the end of the struggle to secure 
reproductive freedoms, but it is an important step forward. Americans 
want to see where their Senators stand. By voting on these bills on 
women's health, we are moving the issue forward, because it is very 
important and very reasonable for members to be called on to take a 
position on a vital issue.
  Of course, many Republicans would rather sweep reproductive health 
under the rug, saying it is political. But this is not political. This 
is the essence of what elected government is like. We all know these 
issues are deeply personal to so many people, and Americans ought to be 
able to see how their Senators vote.
  All year long, Senate Republicans have shown everyone just how out of 
touch they are with the mainstream. When Senators blocked Federal 
protections for contraceptions, when they blocked protections for IVF, 
they chose MAGA extremism over the American people.
  When Donald Trump pushed not one, not two, but three radical Justices 
to the Supreme Court with the explicit goal of overturning Roe, Senate 
Republicans confirmed them without question.
  It was Trump who said:

       If we put another two or . . . three justices on [the 
     Court] . . . that will happen.

  Every time Senate Republicans have gotten a chance to do the right 
thing this year, they have consistently doubled down on their anti-
woman agenda. Just yesterday, Senate Republicans again and again came 
to the floor to block commonsense legislation to protect women's 
reproductive freedoms.

[[Page S4318]]

  Of course, if my Republican colleagues take issue for being called 
out for their bad record on women's issues, they have another option. 
They should vote yes today. Maybe it will happen. Unlikely, but you 
always hope.
  If Republicans don't think women, on the other hand, are second-class 
citizens, they should vote yes. If Republicans don't think women are 
second-class citizens, they should vote yes. If Republicans do, in 
fact, trust women to make their own reproductive choices, they should 
vote yes.
  I urge them: Do the right thing. And I remind them: America is 
watching.


                       Steel and Aluminum Tariffs

  Mr. President, now on the U.S.-Mexico steel announcement, this 
morning the Biden administration announced new joint actions with 
Mexico to prevent China and other countries from evading tariffs on 
steel and aluminum imported through Mexico.
  For years, America's steel and aluminum industry has been harmed by 
the Chinese Communist Party's schemes to flood markets with products 
that are artificially cheapened thanks to subsidies from the Chinese 
Communist Party. One of the most common ways the CCP avoids tariffs and 
launders its steel into the U.S. market is through Mexico.
  Earlier this year, I visited a steel producer in central New York, 
Nucor Steel in Auburn, NY--many good paying jobs in that beautiful 
plant. I visited the plant to bring attention to a dangerous pattern in 
our steel industry.
  I called then on the administration to take action to stop the steel 
surge from China by preventing the CCP from using Mexico as a backdoor 
entrance into the United States.
  I am glad to see this morning that the Biden administration responded 
to my concern by taking action to strengthen U.S. steel and aluminum. 
We have some very fine aluminum plants in Upstate New York as well.
  This announcement is a major step towards protecting U.S. markets 
from being flooded with cheap, Chinese-made steel and aluminum imported 
through Mexico. The Chinese Communist Party's unfair trade practices 
have devastated companies and union steel workers across the United 
States, and especially in industrial places, places like Auburn in 
central New York, Massena in the north country, who simply aren't 
competing on a level playing field.
  The CCP's behavior also endangers our national security because it 
weakens our domestic supply chains used by our military and 
transportation systems.
  So the administration's action is great news for America's safety and 
for communities and States like New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and 
others who know the grief of watching manufacturing jobs leaving for 
China.
  I applaud the administration for taking action to stop the Chinese 
Communist Party's unfair trade practices, and we will keep working to 
make sure American workers, manufacturers, and industrial regions are 
not left on the world stage.
  And just one other note, upstate New York has a major role in 
convincing America and their Senator about China's unfair practices. 
When I visited Crucible steel up in Syracuse in 2003, the owner said to 
me: China is manipulating its currency. It makes it much harder for me 
to sell steel abroad, and it makes it easier for China to compete with 
me here in America.
  Lindsey Graham and I, actually--Senator Graham and I back then teamed 
up and worked and worked and worked to see that this manipulation of 
currency, which affected steel, was put an end to, and we have made 
some significant progress. There is still more to make even now.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Rhode Island.


                      Remembering James M. Inhofe

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a great 
gentleman, a dear friend, a colleague, and in many cases a battle 
buddy, Senator Jim Inhofe.
  He was an extraordinary gentleman. And you can't say ``gentleman'' 
enough when it came to Jim Inhofe. He was a man of humility, of 
decency, and of kindness, and he touched everyone he met with those 
qualities.
  He was also a man of deep principle. But what made him a great 
Senator--in fact, one of the best that served in this body--is that he 
was always looking for principled compromise. He was always trying to 
reach across the aisle and see if he could, working with others, find a 
way forward that would be better for the country. So I was terribly 
saddened when I learned yesterday of Jim's passing. He was a leader. He 
was a gentleman. He was all that we expect a Senator to be and much 
more.
  I was honored to serve alongside Jim. For three decades, he served on 
the Armed Services Committee in both the House and the Senate. I had 
the privilege to serve with him as a member of the Senate Armed 
Services Committee. We were, in turn, both chairman and ranking 
member--both the senior Republican and the senior Democrat--on the 
committee for many years, and we produced nearly two dozen National 
Defense Authorization Acts. We traveled to combat zones and military 
posts around the world and worked to support our men and women in 
uniform. As I said before, there were many issues we disagreed upon, 
but we were able, in many, many--if not most--cases, to find a way 
forward.
  One of the issues that I think is so compelling in Jim's life is that 
as a young man, he was in the Army, and he knew what it was like to 
serve and sacrifice and dedicate yourself to a cause beyond personal 
ambition and personal aggrandizement. He learned also something that 
was profound and reflected in all of his work on the committee--that 
the decisions we make here ultimately affect the lives of young 
Americans in uniform across the globe. He knew that. He understood 
that. So he was not sitting back here thinking about, well, how will 
this affect this company and that company? It was, are we doing the 
best for the young men and women who have dedicated themselves to this 
country and would sacrifice even their lives for this country? Are we 
doing as much as we can for the families that are serving with them? 
That profound sense of service that he incubated as a young Army 
soldier he carried through his Senate career.
  He always insisted on speaking to the junior NCOs and junior 
servicemembers. You know, up here we all get briefings from generals 
saying ``Here is the situation, sir,'' but he wanted to get down and 
talk to privates and specialists and seamen and airmen and say: What is 
going on? How are things going? Is this working from your perspective?
  Again, adding to the quality of his service was his sensitivity. He 
truly understood the people who serve in uniform in the United States, 
and he made sure to support those troops. He sponsored critical 
legislation to improve their lives, whether by overhauling barracks or 
creating new benefits for military families. He and I worked together 
on countless efforts to provide better pay and healthcare and equipment 
to our service men and women.
  This Nation and our military are stronger today because of Jim Inhofe 
and safer today because of Jim Inhofe.
  He had a way of looking ahead. I remember when I was serving as the 
ranking member with John McCain and we were thinking about what would 
face us in the future, and Jim was there with us, talking about the 
Pacific Deterrence Initiative, how we have to begin to put more 
resources in the Pacific, and then, before the invasion of Ukraine, the 
European Deterrence Initiative. I mean, we have to be able to be 
flexible and to counter the thrust of a potential outbreak of war. We 
were positioned in Europe to help the Ukrainians because of Jim 
Inhofe's work over many, many years.
  I am especially proud that the Armed Service Committee voted to name 
the fiscal year 2023 Defense bill the ``James M. Inhofe National 
Defense Authorization Act.'' It was a fitting tribute and honor.
  Again, he was an extraordinary leader with legislative skills, the 
capacity for hard work, always placing the troops and his fellow 
Oklahomans first. He never forgot about Oklahoma. He

[[Page S4319]]

never forgot about their needs. He was in there fighting every step of 
the way.
  I am very, very grateful for the kindness he extended to me. He was 
just an amazing gentleman. I think I speak for the Senate Armed 
Services Committee and I think I speak for all of the Senate: We will 
miss him dearly.
  I want to express my deepest sympathies to Kay, his wife, and his 
wonderful family. He would admit without any reservation that he was 
able to do his job because of the love and support of Kay and his 
family. They were there with him every step of the way. In their moment 
of sorrow and sadness, I offer my sincerest condolences.

  May we all strive for the wisdom, courage, and humility that Senator 
Jim Inhofe imparted upon this great Nation and this Senate.
  I also want to salute my colleagues today--Senator Lankford, who is 
carrying on that tradition of integrity and decency, as are Senator 
Thune, Senator Cornyn--and to thank them for letting me say a few words 
about my friend Jim Inhofe.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Hickenlooper). The Republican whip.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I want to join with Senator Reed and so 
many of my colleagues today as we express our great sorrow in learning 
about the death of Senator Jim Inhofe.
  Jim was an icon here in the Senate. He was a personal inspiration to 
me. When I first got here, he was the chairman of the Environment and 
Public Works Committee in the Senate and worked with me. My first 
legislative accomplishments came as a result of him and his staff 
working with me to help me establish myself as a new Senator and to do 
the work that the people of South Dakota sent me here to do. And he 
made that possible because of just the way that he led the committee 
and his understanding of what it takes to get things accomplished here 
in the U.S. Senate.
  And I am grateful for his legislative prowess, for his leadership as 
a chairman of not only that committee but later the Senate Armed 
Services Committee. And I am grateful for his tireless work ethic. I 
have learned a lot.
  My first trip actually, as a Senator, abroad was to Iraq, and I went 
with Senator Inhofe. And I can tell you from traveling with him--and I 
know that anybody who has traveled with Senator Inhofe knew--that he 
had boundless energy and an ability to work people half his age under 
the table. He was truly a remarkably durable and passionate advocate 
for this country, a man of deep convictions, and--as was pointed out by 
Mr. Reed--somebody who had a connection with the rank-and-file military 
because of his military background. And in every place that we went, we 
would meet with soldiers who respected him for that--the connection 
that he had and also for the leadership that he provided for our 
country when it came to important national security matters.
  I also had the opportunity in Oklahoma to visit and to travel the 
State a little bit with him. I flew in an airplane with Senator Inhofe, 
and he was a renowned pilot. I think everybody knew that was one of his 
great passions in life. But there wasn't anybody who was around him 
ever who had the opportunity to interact or work with Senator Inhofe 
who wasn't impressed by that powerful work ethic that he brought for 
the people of Oklahoma and for the people of this country.
  And I know that, in traveling abroad with him, I saw that firsthand. 
I know of his many trips to the continent of Africa, oftentimes to war-
torn countries where he built relationships, advocated for American 
ideals, and was a tremendous example and witness on those trips. And I 
am grateful for his leadership in so many ways and for the impact that 
he had not only to the people of Oklahoma and to the people of this 
country but people all over the world whom he touched by his work, by 
his efforts, and by his character.
  And I also want to say, finally--and probably most importantly--above 
all, I am grateful for his Christian witness. Jim was a man of deep and 
profound faith, and it showed up literally, as I mentioned, in every 
aspect of his life.
  For many years, he hosted Chaplain Black's Bible study in his office, 
providing a place for Senators from both parties to gather for prayer 
and study. I don't think--and I think Chaplain Black would probably 
validate this--that Jim ever missed a session of that Bible study. And 
while the Bible study has continued without him--and is still, I would 
argue, one of the most significant hours that we spend here each week--
I know that all of us miss being welcomed into Jim's office, which Jim 
made easy for us to find by hanging the ichthys symbol outside of the 
door.
  My thoughts and prayers today are with Jim's wife Kay and with his 
family. Jim will be sorely missed. But in the midst of the sorrow, I am 
also comforted by these words from the Apostle Paul, and these are 
words Jim deeply believed:

       Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed 
     about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve 
     like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe 
     that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God 
     will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 
     . . . For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, 
     with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and 
     with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will 
     rise first. . . . And so we will be with the Lord forever. 
     Therefore encourage one another with these words.

  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I want to join with my colleagues and say 
a few words celebrating the tremendous life and times of James Mountain 
Inhofe. He had a great name, and it seemed to fit him amazingly well.
  My memories of Senator Inhofe were similar to those that Senator 
Thune mentioned. When I came to the Senate, he was the chairman or 
ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee. I 
remember him telling me one time: I am a true conservative. I believe 
in a strong national security, lower taxes, and infrastructure.
  And, of course, the job of the Environment and Public Works Committee 
was largely to handle the regular highway bill reauthorization and 
funding. And he was true to his word. He believed, as a true 
conservative, in those three important things, and, he said: Pretty 
much everything else we do is way down the list in terms of priorities.
  But perhaps the time I remember the most is working with him when he 
was leading the Armed Services Committee. I know he believed that there 
was no more important job for us to do--those of us who have the 
privilege of serving in the U.S. Senate or in the Congress--than to 
defend and protect our country and our way of life. And he believed 
that with all of his heart and all of his mind.
  And so the exercise that we do every year, which is called the 
National Defense Authorization Act--which we have done, I think, now 63 
years in a row--he was passionate about making sure that we did that on 
time and got it done because of his commitment not only to our national 
security but to the men and women who serve our country in uniform and 
the families who love and support them. And he was passionate about 
making sure we did our work and supported them and kept our country 
safe and our way of life protected.
  His physical stamina was legendary. We have already heard some of our 
colleagues talk about some of his trips around the world. Some of our 
colleagues, when they travel, believe in what I would call almost a 
``death march'' pace. And, certainly, Senator Inhofe believed in making 
the most of his overseas travel, but, frankly, most of them were 
focused on either supporting our men and women in uniform, most 
recently in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also making sure that he got the 
most out of those trips. So if you agreed to go with him, chances are 
you wouldn't get much sleep, but you would get a chance to see and do a 
lot. He would regularly make his trips to Africa, where he would reach 
out to leaders through a common belief and a common faith.

  He was very active in the National Prayer Breakfast. I remember, on 
most Wednesday mornings here in the Senate, he would almost always be 
at the Senate Prayer Breakfast. For those of us who can attend from 
time to time, it is one of the times where we sort of take our masks 
off--where we are not Republicans or Democrats and where we share a 
common faith. This is something that I know was very important in his 
life.

[[Page S4320]]

  Certainly, he was a wonderful example and exemplar for the rest of us 
in how to be a whole person, not just a political animal coming here or 
maybe a performance artist but somebody who was a genuine human being, 
who had a strong foundation in his faith and strong beliefs and 
convictions about what he was here to do.
  One of the things I will never forget is his annual quail hunt in 
Altus, TX--excuse me--Altus, OK. I said Altus, TX. We call Oklahoma 
``North Texas'' sometimes, and they call Texas ``South Oklahoma,'' but 
we share a common border and a lot of common interests. One of those 
was the annual quail hunt in Altus, and it was a great community event. 
They are primarily connected with the airbase and trying to make sure 
that community support is strong for that airbase in Altus. I would go 
up to his each year, and then he would come down to one that I have in 
Hondo, TX, outside of San Antonio.
  The other thing I remember--and Senator Lankford, I know, has carried 
on this great tradition--is that they would have their annual quail 
breakfast here in DC. It is not something you would ordinarily find at 
your breakfast table here in Washington, DC, but they would have an 
annual quail breakfast with the Altus delegation each year.
  I just think we have lost a great man, a great Senator, a great human 
being, a great friend.
  I wanted to come to the floor to express my condolences to Kay and 
his wonderful family--who meant everything to him--for their loss. We 
share in their sense of loss, but we also share in their celebration of 
a great life lived.
  He had a good run. There is not a lot you can complain about in terms 
of living to 89 years old and having the sort of fulfilling life and 
accomplishments he had in his life. So we do want to send our 
condolences to the family because we know they are grieving now, but we 
also want to hold up Jim Inhofe as an example of what we should all 
aspire to as Senators--a great representative of his State, a great 
human being, and a great, great friend.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska.
  Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
following Senators be allowed to complete their remarks prior to the 
scheduled rollcall votes: myself, Senator Lankford, and Senator Rounds.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, my colleagues and I are here today to 
honor the life of our former colleague, Senator Jim Inhofe.
  Jim was a longtime legislator, a public servant, and a conservative 
champion. He was many things to many people. To me, Jim was a dear 
friend.
  Jim and I are both from the heartland, so we shared a similar world 
view as well as a commitment to similar people--the humble, hard-
working Americans from the center of this country.
  Jim was fierce in his convictions. Jim was serious in his work. He 
was also kind-spirited, with a deep compassion for others. But perhaps 
more than all of these things, Jim was a visionary who used his 
positions in public life to build a better future for his State and for 
this country. He recognized the profound importance of public 
infrastructure investment. From highways, to airports, to levees and 
much more, Jim's legacy can be felt all across America's heartland.
  Jim and I worked together on the Senate's Armed Services Committee. A 
veteran himself and an avid pilot, Jim was a fighter for the members of 
our military. All of our Senate colleagues knew that if Jim was leading 
an international trip to visit with servicemembers across the globe or 
to meet with America's allies that that trip would be all business. We 
would sleep on the plane, and we would be in a different country every 
single day.
  I remember that, on one trip, we were forced to slow down a little 
bit when we lost a plane engine. You heard that right. We lost a plane 
engine, so we needed to stay in a country an extra day while the 
repairs were going to be made. That didn't mean we had a vacation. What 
Jim did is he found ways that he could be relentlessly efficient with 
all of our time, and his energy and his motivation to do the people's 
work was infectious.
  Near the end of his Senate career, Jim served as the ranking member 
on the Armed Services Committee. He was one of the first Members of the 
Senate to recognize how seriously the world had shifted since the Cold 
War and how desperately we needed to rebuild our military in response 
to that. He had a very clear view of the global threats that America 
faces, both present and future, and he led accordingly.
  Jim respected the design of the Senate as a place where every State's 
needs should be considered. He valued cooperation, he valued 
collaboration, and he wanted our annual Defense bill to reflect the 
concerns of all of the committee members.

  He was resolute in his views and fierce in their defense, but he was 
always kind and caring. He built strong friendships with all of his 
colleagues, and despite many disagreements, he would have these 
relationships, so much so that a close Democrat colleague once 
described him as a brother to her.
  Of course, you cannot speak of Jim without speaking of his family. 
Anyone who knew him knew how much he loved his wife Kay. He was a 
devoted husband, father, and grandfather. The only thing that convinced 
him to leave decades of public service to the people of Oklahoma was 
his desire to care for his wife.
  My heart goes out to Kay and to his three surviving children, Molly, 
Jimmy, and Katy. May God comfort them in their sorrow, and may Jim's 
long life of love and service be a balm to their grief.
  America knew Jim. America will remember him as a principled man, 
deeply committed to his values. The people of Oklahoma knew exactly who 
he was, and that is why they reelected him to the U.S. Senate five 
times.
  His legacy will live on as a friend, as a husband and father, as a 
veteran, as an Oklahoman, as a U.S. Senator, and as a very good man.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Dakota.
  Mr. ROUNDS. Mr. President, I think many of us come down here to the 
floor with prepared remarks because we want to be precise in what we 
say, but after listening to my friend from Nebraska and her remarks, I 
have to admit that some of the memories she has of Jim Inhofe are very 
similar to the memories I have of Jim.
  Before I go into fully prepared remarks, I just want to share with 
you that I don't know that anybody else has the record that Jim had of 
the number of snowballs that have been tossed on the floor of the 
Senate. Jim is one of those guys who could get away with coming in with 
a snowball and then looking at a young page and saying, ``Be ready to 
catch this when I throw it at you,'' and then, in the middle of talking 
about climate change and the fact that he disagreed with a lot of the 
new ideas, he would pick up a snowball, show it to everybody, and then 
toss it over to one young page, who I am sure will never forget that 
for as long as he lives.
  Jim made friends everyplace he went. Now, he had his own ideas about 
what things should look like and about how things should proceed--and I 
have to tell you that I think, in the vast majority of cases, he was 
right--but he also wanted to have a discussion with other people. He 
liked to have debate. They were friends as far as he was concerned. And 
you could have disagreements among one another, and you could still be 
friends. Jim was one of those guys who truly believed that, if you were 
his friend and you agreed with him 80 percent of the time, you were 
never going to be an enemy; you were always going to be a friend.
  I traveled the world with Jim on more than one occasion, and no 
matter where he went, he went in what he called the spirit of Jesus. He 
believed that the Christian value he had was the conduit between people 
from all different faiths and that, in his opinion and as long as he 
was prepared to share his faith, he was going to be welcomed, and he 
was.
  I don't think people realize that this guy from the middle part of 
the United States of America was a guy who later on could say that he 
was a man who shared a prayer with Muammar Qadhafi in Qadhafi's tent, 
but he did that because he thought it was the right thing to do.

[[Page S4321]]

  Jim was my friend, he was a mentor and the way that he treated other 
people is the way that I think all the rest of us should treat people.
  Jim's wife Kay became a very special friend to both myself and my 
late wife Jean. She treated both of us with that respect and acceptance 
that you don't always get; yet you see it as being very, very sincere. 
We became part of their family, and we will never forget that.
  You see, Jim Inhofe was a true ambassador for his State, his country, 
and most importantly, Jesus. Whether he was in another country or 
attending our weekly Senate Prayer Breakfasts, he loved sharing his 
faith with others.
  Jim and I traveled the world together, and we shared a love for 
aviation. He was one of my best friends in the U.S. Senate.
  Jim often said that real friendship did exist in the Senate even if 
the news wouldn't necessarily show it. To Jim, it didn't matter if 
someone was a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent; he put 
political parties aside to get things done and trusted and respected 
the colleagues he worked with. Many of us in this Chamber are lucky to 
have worked with Jim and to have called him a friend.
  I especially appreciated his leadership and partnership while working 
together on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Jim worked tirelessly 
each year to make sure that the Senate passed legislation providing for 
our national security and for our servicemembers through the National 
Defense Authorization Act. It was fitting and well-deserved as a 
tribute to have the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act 
for the fiscal year 2023 signed into law.
  He made many contributions on the national and international stage, 
including his deep love and appreciation for the people of Africa, 
particularly Ethiopia. He developed meaningful relationships across the 
world through a shared love of Jesus, and our world is better off 
because of it.
  My thoughts and my prayers go out to Jim's wife Kay and to their 
family.
  Jim has slipped the surly bonds of Earth. Now he can put out his hand 
and touch the face of God.
  I will miss my friend Jim.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, in honor of Jim Inhofe, I would like to 
ask unanimous consent to speak as long as I so desire.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. President, I am standing today at not my desk 
location; I am standing at my senior Senator's desk location. This was 
the location for Jim Inhofe's desk 2 years ago when he retired from the 
Senate. And as you have heard from multiple different Members today, he 
will be deeply missed.
  I still have a moment every time someone says ``the senior Senator 
from Oklahoma''--and they are speaking to me--that I turn around and 
look for Jim. He will be sorely missed.
  Jim was my friend. He was my colleague. He was a mentor. He was a 
person to be able to work side by side with. Our staffs worked very 
well together because we chose to work well together and to be able to 
get things done for our State of Oklahoma.
  My task today is to tell a little bit of his story. I can't do that 
in a few minutes, but I am going to try to give as much as I can.
  James Mountain Inhofe--and everyone loved that middle name of his. 
James Mountain Inhofe was actually born in Iowa in 1934. His parents: 
Perry Dyson Inhofe and his mom, Blanche Phoebe Mountain. That is where 
the ``Mountain'' came from. Most folks don't even know.
  But the Nation and our State was forever changed when, at 8 years 
old, their family moved from Iowa to Tulsa, OK. They stayed, and he 
graduated from Central High School in 1953, later graduating from the 
University of Tulsa but actually attending classes all over the place 
to be able to get to that graduation.
  He served in the U.S. Army from 1957 to 1958, stationed in Fort Lee, 
VA. He became a licensed pilot in 1958, and that was one of the loves 
of his life. But the real love of his life was his relationship with 
Jesus and his beautiful wife Kay, whom he married in 1959.
  He was first elected to public office in Oklahoma at 32 years old, 
actually. He served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, sat on 
multiple committees, and then was elected to be the mayor of Tulsa in 
1978. He loved Tulsa, OK.
  He later served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987 to 
1994, and then was elected, in a special election, into this body in 
1994. He was sworn in on November 17, actually, 1994, on his 60th 
birthday. He then served five terms after that, serving the U.S. 
Senate, serving as chairman of Environment and Public Works; serving as 
chairman of Armed Services; serving on multiple different committees, 
including the Intelligence Committee, Indian Affairs Committee, 
Committee on Foreign Relations, Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation, Committee on Small Business. He was engaged in this 
body and worked to be able to find ways to be able to make a difference 
for our State of Oklahoma and for the Nation.
  He loved flying and had over 11,000 flight hours. In fact, he did a 
crazy thing. He did multiple crazy things, but he did a crazy thing in 
that he replicated--I should say recreated--Oklahoman Wiley Post's 
historic flight around the world when he got in a twin-engine Cessna 
and flew from DC to Iceland to Berlin to Moscow, all the way back 
around to Alaska so he could circumnavigate the globe, following after 
Wiley Post, the famous Oklahoman's circumnavigation of the globe as 
well.
  He was passionate about infrastructure, which has been mentioned 
often. He would often say, as a conservative, he was passionate about 
national defense and about infrastructure, and those were 
constitutional responsibilities. And he fulfilled that well.
  He was passionate about trying to find ways to be able to help 
veterans and those who were serving in our military and to be able to 
maintain energy.
  There is a great story of a debate that he held about energy taxes on 
the floor of the Senate here, and it was a full-on debate, which rarely 
occurs in this body very often. But it was led by Senator Inhofe on 
this side of the aisle and by Senator Bernie Sanders on the other side. 
And they had an hourslong debate between the two of them about energy 
taxation. And at the end of that, there was a vote, and Senator Inhofe 
won that vote 2 to 1. At the end of it, Senator Sanders came to him and 
said: We don't do that often enough. We should do that more.

  Senator Inhofe never hesitated to be able to talk about the hard 
issues with the people he disagreed with and to be able to say: Let's 
figure it out.
  When I attended Dianne Feinstein's funeral not that long ago, Senator 
Barbara Boxer from California immediately found me at the funeral and 
said: How is my friend Jim? A very conservative Oklahoman had a 
longstanding friendship with a very liberal Californian, and they found 
ways to be able to work together.
  As Jack Reed mentioned earlier, a Democrat from Rhode Island and a 
Republican from Oklahoma worked very hard on national defense and found 
their common ground together.
  Though there are many things that Jim Inhofe will be recognized for, 
he will be remembered for his work in Africa. Jim Inhofe conducted 172 
African country visits in the time he served in the Senate, more than 
any other Senator in the history of the Senate, he spent in Africa. He 
visited leaders over and over and over again in Africa, developing deep 
relationships and friendships.
  Every time I meet an African leader here in Washington, DC, and they 
hear that I am from Oklahoma, either the first or second thing that 
they will say to me is: Do you know my friend Jim Inhofe? And I will 
proudly say: Yes. And that African leader will say: He has been my 
friend for years--because Jim Inhofe intentionally went to Africa, 
developing relationships.
  The reason we have an AFRICOM military focus in that area is because 
of Jim Inhofe. There are relationships that he built across the years 
there that brought down violence in Africa--because when violence began 
to erupt in some countries, Jim would get on a plane and would fly and 
would get the two leaders who were in conflict--because he knew them 
both--together and say: We are going to pray together, and we are going 
to resolve this right now. And he did.

[[Page S4322]]

  And while most of the world doesn't know what Jim Inhofe did in 
Africa, he will be long remembered for his faith, his love for his 
family, and for what he did over and over again for the people of 
Oklahoma and for Africa.
  He was the longest serving Senator for the State of Oklahoma, and he 
will be long remembered and appreciated in my great State. He will be 
appreciated by many of the staff members who worked alongside of him, I 
can assure you of that. He had 34 staff members who worked for him for 
more than 10 years.
  Now, for anyone in this body, we know how rare that is because staff 
members tend to come and go. But for Jim, he wanted to be able to build 
camaraderie among his team. He wanted to be able to do serious, hard 
things, but he often did it among his staff in a nonserious way. He was 
notorious for the way, quite frankly, he tormented his staff, bugged 
them, hazed them, and challenged them to be able to step up and to be 
able to do hard things and figure out how to be able to get things 
done.
  Ryan Jackson--who was his future chief of staff--on his first day on 
the job as a young campaign staffer, Jim Inhofe picked him up in 
Oklahoma City. They drove out for a campaign event in Western Oklahoma 
for that event, and then Jim went back to Tulsa not through Oklahoma 
City and told Ryan: Figure out how to get home--which he did to 
multiple staff members over the years because he wanted to be able to 
push them and to say: Figure it out. That was always his challenge to 
his staff: Figure it out. By the way, that didn't scare Ryan off. He 
stayed with him 18 years, and that young campaign staff member later 
became his chief of staff.
  He had many rules, but the top rule that he had was, on his airplane, 
no one touch the door of his airplane but him. That was a fireable 
offense for any staff member that wanted to be able to touch the 
airplane door except for him.
  He also had a book that he would pass out to his staff all the time 
called ``Message to Garcia.'' Many of us know that book. That book is a 
story about a young soldier who was given a task by a general and was 
basically told he has to be able to figure things out. So he would hand 
that book to staff members and would say: Read this. You need to be 
able to know this.
  And a staff member on his team, when he turned a memo in to Jim 
Inhofe and it wasn't sufficient, would get just the message ``MTG'' 
written on it; in other words, ``Message to Garcia,'' go figure this 
out, and come back and tell me what needs to be done.
  He was also, as has been mentioned by multiple of my colleagues, an 
extremely hard worker. His staff often said they only worked half a day 
for Jim; that is, from 7:30 in the morning until 7:30 in the evening; 
that they would just work half-days. In Jim Inhofe's office, if you 
arrived at 8:30, he would greet you with a ``good afternoon'' statement 
to you to be able to welcome you in.
  He had, as I mentioned, many opportunities to be able to do ministry 
and challenges to people in Africa, and there was a deep love for him 
in multiple countries, but probably no more so than in Western Sahara, 
where he fought tenaciously for the independence of those individuals 
in Western Sahara with Morocco--in fact, so much so that Western Sahara 
officials gave him a camel, which, obviously, he couldn't accept nor 
bring home; and so he told them: Just hang onto it; I can't actually 
accept this camel and take it home.

  So when he visited Western Sahara, every time, they would bring the 
camel back to the airport to show him they are still hanging onto his 
camel; they still have it.
  I have to say, there are a million stories about his leadership and 
his interaction, but his staff tells great stories about their 
friendships and relationships.
  I have been to many a place where Jim would turn and look into the 
crowd and would identify what he called the ``has-beens'' that were in 
the crowd. Those were the staff that were his former staff that showed 
up at just about every event he would go to because of their deep love 
for him, even though they had left the staff.
  Wendi Price, when she first got her job as scheduler, was put on 
probation because Jim felt she was too young. She stayed on probation 
for 20 years and would still be working with him today if he hadn't 
retired.
  I have to tell you, there are a lot of caricatures about Jim Inhofe, 
and I have read some of the stories in the newspaper of things that 
some of the press writes about him. I can only read those stories and 
shake my head and say: Jim would have loved that--because he didn't 
allow liberal press to be able to define him.
  He worked across the aisle. He worked to get things done. And he 
spent time doing the things that needed to be done for the future of 
the country, including at a moment when President Trump was elected and 
many of Jim Inhofe's staff were actually put into the EPA. And it drove 
the Washington Post crazy that many of Jim Inhofe's staff with the EPW 
went to the EPA. And the Washington Post wrote a blistering story about 
it.
  Jim Inhofe bought a ton of the copies of that Washington Post and 
then just started handing it out to people so that they would all read 
and would know he is fully aware of what people say but he is going to 
work to get stuff done for the country.
  I will miss my friend. And I will continue to pray for Kay and for 
his family as they grieve.
  And I say to them, Psalm 34:18:

       The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and He saves those 
     who are crushed in spirit.

  They grieve for their husband, their dad, their grandfather. Many of 
us grieve for our friend. But this Senate will miss Jim Inhofe. So will 
our Nation.
  With that, I yield the floor.


                     Vote on Willoughby Nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the question is, 
Will the Senate advise and consent to the Willoughby nomination?
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Coons), 
the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey), the Senator from New 
Jersey (Mr. Menendez), and the Senator from Arizona (Ms. Sinema) are 
necessarily absent.
  Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Romney), and the 
Senator from Florida (Mr. Scott).
  Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Florida (Mr. Scott) 
would have voted ``nay.''
  The result was announced--yeas 50, nays 43, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 208 Ex.]

                                YEAS--50

     Baldwin
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Brown
     Butler
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Collins
     Cortez Masto
     Duckworth
     Durbin
     Fetterman
     Gillibrand
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Hickenlooper
     Hirono
     Kaine
     Kelly
     King
     Klobuchar
     Lujan
     Manchin
     Merkley
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Ossoff
     Padilla
     Peters
     Reed
     Rosen
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Smith
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Tillis
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warnock
     Warren
     Welch
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                                NAYS--43

     Barrasso
     Blackburn
     Boozman
     Braun
     Britt
     Budd
     Capito
     Cassidy
     Cornyn
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Crapo
     Daines
     Ernst
     Fischer
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hagerty
     Hawley
     Hoeven
     Hyde-Smith
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     Lankford
     Lee
     Lummis
     Marshall
     McConnell
     Moran
     Mullin
     Paul
     Ricketts
     Risch
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Schmitt
     Scott (SC)
     Sullivan
     Thune
     Tuberville
     Vance
     Wicker
     Young

                             NOT VOTING--7

     Coons
     Cruz
     Markey
     Menendez
     Romney
     Scott (FL)
     Sinema
  The nomination was confirmed.
  (Ms. ROSEN assumed the Chair.)
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Hickenlooper). Under the previous order, 
the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, 
and the President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The Senator from Minnesota.

[[Page S4323]]

  

  Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory 
quorum call with respect to the Wagner cloture motion be waived.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________