    [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 33 (Wednesday, February 19, 2025)]
    [Senate]
    [Pages S1015-S1019]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                              LEGISLATIVE SESSION

                                     ______

    SETTING FORTH THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET FOR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
    FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 AND SETTING FORTH THE APPROPRIATE BUDGETARY LEVELS
                       FOR FISCAL YEARS 2026 THROUGH 2034

      The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
    resume consideration of S. Con. Res. 7, which the clerk will report.
      The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

           A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 7), setting forth the
         congressional budget for the United States Government for
         fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary
         levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034.

      The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.

                          Nomination of Kelly Loeffler

      Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, the Senate will soon confirm Kelly
    Loeffler. She will then be the next Administrator of the Small Business
    Administration.
      As a former colleague in the Senate representing Georgia, I know she
    understands the needs of small business in both rural and urban areas.
    I am very sympathetic to the needs of small businesses. These small
    businesses have experienced disruptions from the pandemic, labor
    shortages, inflation, and supply chain issues. I meet with many small
    business owners as I travel throughout Iowa, and I hear about the
    policy issues that are important to them.
      Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. During the past 20
    years, small businesses have created 75 percent of the new private
    nonfarm jobs in the United States. We always hear about excessive taxes
    and regulations affecting small businesses standing in the way of small
    businesses making the investments that would drive even more job
    growth. I have consistently supported legislation and policies to keep
    small businesses robust and prosperous.
      I look forward to working with Senator Loeffler to advance Iowa's
    small business priorities and improve the policies of the Small
    Business Administration.
      I recently met with her in my office, and one of the items that I
    stressed was the importance of responding to congressional letters and
    queries. I didn't do that just because the Small Business nominee was
    before me. I do this with all the nominees that come to my office
    because we have this constitutional responsibility of checks and
    balances, doing proper oversight of the laws and money that we
    appropriate being handled by the executive branch of government because
    we all know Congress not only passes laws and appropriates money, but
    we have to make sure that the President faithfully executes those laws
    and spends the money appropriately.

    [[Page S1016]]

      Oversight then allows us to hold bureaucrats accountable to the rule
    of law and, most importantly, keep faith with the taxpayers because if
    we have transparency in government, we have greater accountability. The
    public's business must be public.
      I fully expect the new Administrator to respond to all congressional
    inquiries in a timely and responsive manner. I look forward, then, to
    working soon with Administrator Loeffler to support policies to keep
    our small businesses strong and to keep them productive.
      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 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 (Mr. Mullin). Without objection, it is so
    ordered.

                       Recognition of the Minority Leader

      The Democratic leader is recognized.

                             Budget Reconciliation

      Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, yesterday, every single Senate Republican
    signed their name onto Donald Trump's plan to cut taxes for their
    billionaire buddies. Republicans and pundits all seem to be focused on
    this dispute between one bill or two bills. Donald Trump keeps changing
    his mind. One day, he says two bills is OK, and then just this morning
    he wants one bill.
      Trump and Republicans have been all over the lot, and this morning
    the confusion continues. But frankly, this is all a sideshow.
    Republicans could do 2 bills, 10 bills, 50 bills, 100 bills. It doesn't
    make a difference because Donald Trump and House and Senate Republicans
    are united where it matters most: They want to give their billionaire
    buddies a tax break and have the American people pay the cost, no
    matter how many bills.
      This is going to be a long, drawn-out fight. The debate we begin this
    week will spill into next week and the week after and go on possibly
    further. We will have late nights here on the floor, exposing the
    Republicans' hypocrisy on healthcare, on national security, on job
    creation, on inflation, and most of all on where their main focus is,
    their North Star: tax breaks for their billionaire buddies.
      Democrats are glad to have this debate with the Republicans. We are
    glad to expose the truth here on the Senate floor. No matter how
    Republicans spin it, their No. 1 goal is tax cuts for their billionaire
    buddies. They are laying the groundwork to defund Medicaid and raise
    healthcare costs for tens of millions of working families all so they
    can help their billionaire buddies with another tax break.
      Republicans are preparing to cut nutrition programs that feed hungry
    kids so they can help their billionaire buddies with another tax break.
    Republicans are making it harder for Americans to own a home so they
    can help their billionaire buddies with another tax break.
      Republicans are preparing to slash NIH funding and reduce the chances
    that we get cures for so many illnesses that affect tens of millions.
    They are slashing NIH funding even as a measles outbreak is breaking
    out in Texas. All--all--so they can help their billionaire buddies with
    another tax break.
      Republicans are getting ready to kill thousands, if not hundreds of
    thousands, of clean jobs in order to put more money in the pocket of
    Big Oil executives all so they can give their billionaire buddies
    another tax break.
      Of course, Republicans know how unpopular these tax cuts are. I don't
    hear them getting on the floor and saying we need to cut the taxes on
    the richest people in America. Oh, no. They will keep trying to divert
    and change the subject, just like when Donald Trump tries to change the
    subject by talking about the Gulf of Mexico; we are annexing Canada; we
    are building hotels in Gaza.
      These are all distractions--distractions--to hide Donald Trump, Elon
    Musk, and the Republicans' real goal: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and
    Republicans are trying to give their billionaire buddies a tax break
    and have you--you--pay the cost.
      Republicans can do it in one bill. They can to it in two bills. They
    can do it in a whole bunch of bills. It doesn't matter. The endgame is
    the same: tax breaks paid for on the backs of working and middle-class
    families.
      We will not relent. We are going to continue to expose Republicans
    for what they are doing in giving tax breaks for billionaires. We are
    going to do it in reconciliation, in the budget, and throughout the
    months and years ahead because the American people don't want it.
      The Republicans are trying to hide it. We won't let them hide it. It
    is going to be front and center as we go through these debates.

                                    Ukraine

      Mr. President. In a FOX News interview released last night, President
    Trump spoke about the war in Ukraine, and some of his comments sounded
    straight from a Russian propaganda playbook. Rather than speak the
    truth, rather than acknowledge Vladimir Putin's role in starting this
    war, President Trump amazingly blamed Ukraine for Putin's invasion.
      To quote the President: ``You should never have started it,'' he
    said. He was saying that to President Zelenskyy. This is disgusting--
    disgusting--after how this man has fought so hard and so valiantly, and
    it deliberately distorts the truth.
      It is just awful to see an American President--it is disgusting to
    see an American President turn against one of our friends and openly
    side with a thug like Vladimir Putin. It is shameful to hear the
    President repeat Putin's propaganda while laying the groundwork for
    negotiations that favor Russia at Ukraine's expense. The people of
    Ukraine did not start this war. Vladimir Putin did.

      Ukrainians have fought and died on the battlefield to defend their
    home. The suffering and destruction of the Ukrainian country and the
    Ukrainian people that they have endured is staggering all because of
    Vladimir Putin.
      Let's not forgot, America--maybe there are some who say enough
    already--if we give in to Putin now, America will inevitably pay the
    price later. That is what history has shown. When you give in to thugs,
    when you give in to dictators, you pay the price. Hasn't Donald Trump
    and his allies learned the lessons of history?
      This is not just about the security of another nation. This struggle
    is, in every way, about the ultimate security of the American people.
    Make no mistake, right now the Kremlin is overjoyed by what Donald
    Trump is saying and what he is doing. Every single Republican must be
    put on record for President Trump's dangerous and false statements
    about the war in Ukraine.
      We have an obligation in the Senate to take a stand for the truth and
    take a stand against autocrats, and we will do it shortly. The American
    people deserve to know, Will Republicans take a stand for democracy and
    freedom around the world or will they cater to Putin and Russia like
    Trump is doing with ultimately bad consequences for all of us?

                                      FAA

      Mr. President, the more Donald Trump and DOGE indiscriminately hack
    away at public Agencies, the greater harm to Americans' well-being and
    even their safety. The FAA is a good example.
      Just weeks after the deadliest plane crash in a long time and just as
    we see more incidents around the country, President Trump has fired
    hundreds of FAA workers, including air safety personnel. Firing people
    whose very job it is to keep air travel safe is nothing short of
    reckless.
      Now, the White House accused us of linking the crash of the
    Minneapolis flight directly with FAA cuts and staffing. Nothing could
    be further from the truth. I simply said that when there are fewer FAA
    personnel, the skies are less safe.
      Does Donald Trump deny that there are fewer FAA staffers? Does Donald
    Trump deny that when he fires FAA workers, including workers who focus
    on safety, it makes travel less safe? Of course, Donald Trump is
    obfuscating once again. He doesn't want the truth to come out, but he
    should correct course immediately and halt these firings because the
    safety of the skies is at risk.
      Now, of course, we know that President Trump ignores the truth, but
    we need to speak the truth when people's safety is at stake. Here are
    the facts: Something went terribly wrong on the

    [[Page S1017]]

    flight that took off from Minneapolis. That is clear. An investigation
    is underway, and as I said yesterday, I await their results.
      Similarly, something went terribly wrong a few weeks ago on the
    flight from Kansas to Washington, DC, that claimed 67 people's lives.
    Here are more facts: Donald Trump and Elon Musk have fired hundreds of
    FAA staffers, including safety specialists--the very people who keep
    our skies safe--all so Republicans can help their billionaire buddies
    with another tax break.
      Why--why--at a time when incidents in the air and on the runways and
    in our airports seem to be increasing, why would we cut the very people
    meant to prevent them? Simple: Donald Trump and DOGE are doing it like
    they are doing so much else so they can help their billionaire buddies
    with another tax break.
      I hope the results of these ongoing investigations into recent
    incidents will produce findings that Congress can implement to save
    lives and make the skies safer. In the meantime, we must prioritize
    Americans' safety and not cut vital FAA jobs.
      These are the facts, plain and simple. Donald Trump may not like the
    facts. Donald Trump may not like the truth, but turning away from the
    facts will only hurt the American people and put lives in danger. That
    is a fact.
      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 proceeded to call the roll.
      Mr. THUNE. 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.

                          Nomination of Kelly Loeffler

      Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, later today, the Senate will vote to
    confirm former Senator Kelly Loeffler to lead the Small Business
    Administration.
      Small business is in Kelly Loeffler's blood. She grew up on her
    family's fourth-generation farm in Illinois. In addition to the farm,
    her dad ran a small trucking company. And, as a young woman, Kelly
    Loeffler worked in the soybean fields and waited tables at small
    restaurants in the heartland. And she was the first person in her
    family to graduate from college, before embarking on a successful
    career in business herself. As Senator Loeffler put it, she has spent
    her life ``working in small businesses, starting them, growing them,
    and helping them succeed.''
      Helping small businesses succeed, that is the work of the Small
    Business Administration. As a former staffer at the SBA under President
    Reagan, I know how important it is that this Agency be an effective
    partner and champion of small business, and I know that is how Kelly
    Loeffler will run the SBA.
      Most of us know Kelly from her time serving here in the U.S. Senate.
    She may have only served for 1 year, but it was a critical year for
    small business policy.
      Of course, in 2020, the mission was helping small businesses survive.
    Senator Loeffler worked to help Georgia's small businesses keep their
    doors open and their employees on the payroll. She sought to ensure
    critical support was getting to small businesses in her State and
    around the country. And she was a leader in SBA oversight, especially
    in ensuring that relief meant for small businesses wasn't going to
    abortion providers in violation of Federal law.
      It has been a challenging few years for small businesses. First,
    there was the pandemic; then, inflation, workforce challenges,
    burdensome regulations. Natural disasters have struck many parts of the
    country, and small businesses suffered as SBA allowed its disaster loan
    account to run dry.
      America's entrepreneurs are one of America's greatest assets, and
    they have a big role to play in our future prosperity. Senator Loeffler
    will be their champion. She will focus the SBA to be a more effective
    partner to small businesses, help entrepreneurs make their dreams
    reality, and help our entire economy grow by helping to grow Main
    Street. She plans to modernize the SBA and make it more responsive to
    the needs of the Americans it is supposed to serve, and she has pledged
    to bring accountability and transparency where it is sorely needed.
      Kelly Loeffler knows there is nothing small about small business.
    Every decision an entrepreneur makes is a big decision. It is their
    livelihood, their dreams, and their future that are on the line.
      Kelly Loeffler understands this, and I look forward to working with
    her to support small businesses and to strengthen our economy.
      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 proceeded to call the roll.
      Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
    the quorum call be rescinded.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sheehy). Without objection, it is so
    ordered.

                                Second Amendment

      Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, 2 weeks ago, President Trump issued an
    Executive order titled ``Protecting Second Amendment Rights.'' This
    Executive order reaffirmed constitutional rights of law-abiding
    citizens to keep and bear arms, which, of course, is part of the Bill
    of Rights--the most precious of those rights and liberties that have
    been protected since the beginning of our country.
      This Executive order directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to review and
    develop a plan to rescind President Biden's overreach when it comes to
    firearm regulation.
      The President's Executive order comes on the heels of 4 years of
    President Biden's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives--
    otherwise known as ATF--from trampling on Americans' Second Amendment
    rights. It started in 2021 with the Biden administration's so-called
    zero-tolerance policy. President Biden's ATF used this policy to revoke
    the licenses of firearms licensees, or FFLs, over minor bookkeeping
    violations.
      For decades, the ATF had a history of working with the FFLs to
    address minor, unintentional violations and actually help correct them.
    Historically, they would only revoke an FFL license in more extreme
    situations where the FFL had engaged in major, willful violations of
    the law and where these violations presented a threat to public safety.
      But the Biden administration violated decades of precedent by
    directing the ATF to engage in a zero-tolerance policy by simply
    pulling the plug on any licensee who made an honest mistake on their
    paperwork.
      Any of us who pay taxes, which would be most of us, know how tedious
    Federal processes can be. I can't imagine anyone who would want to be
    investigated for tax fraud for making a simple mistake on their tax
    forms if it could simply be cured or rectified. But this is essentially
    what the Biden administration did with their zero-tolerance policy at
    the ATF.
      The truth is, it was just a start. In April of 2022, the Biden
    administration decided to target law-abiding citizens who exercised
    their Second Amendment rights to build their own firearms with the so-
    called ghost gun rule. What the Biden administration failed to
    recognize and failed to distinguish between were criminals or people
    who were suffering from mental illness and the rest of the law-abiding
    gun owners in America.
      As the National Rifle Association pointed out, the policy of allowing
    private individuals to make their own guns as a hobby is a longstanding
    tradition that goes back to the colonial era.
      Again, a gun in the hands of a law-abiding citizen is no threat to
    public safety, but the Biden administration didn't care, paying no heed
    to our country's longstanding history and traditions and instead
    preferring to please the gun control activists by issuing regulations
    to end this practice--again, even for law-abiding citizens.
      The ghost gun rule is currently being challenged in the courts, but
    the Trump administration doesn't have to wait for the Supreme Court to
    weigh in before rescinding this illegal and unconstitutional
    regulation.
      The Biden administration's rogue ATF continued down this path in
    January of 2023 when they finalized the so-called pistol brace
    rule. This action reclassified pistols with a stabilizing

    [[Page S1018]]

    brace as ``short-barreled rifles,'' something it is not. As a
    consequence, pistols would be subject to much more stringent
    regulations and penalties simply for being used with a stabilizing
    brace. This happened after the ATF had already previously determined
    that a stabilizing brace would not render a pistol a short-barreled
    rifle. So there is, obviously, inconsistency in the way they have
    approached this issue.

      All this reckless back-and-forth from the Federal Government causes
    needless uncertainty and confusion for law-abiding citizen gun owners,
    who want to follow the law but are not quite sure what the law is since
    they are being whipsawed back and forth. As a consequence of this
    reclassification, millions of law-abiding gun owners were no longer
    able to purchase a stabilizing brace, including people like disabled
    combat veterans who cannot shoot heavy pistols without a stabilizing
    brace.
      Overnight, law-abiding Americans who had lawfully purchased a
    stabilizing brace for their pistols became felons. This regulation is
    also being challenged in court, and multiple courts have found it to be
    what it is: arbitrary and capricious. I hope that, under the leadership
    of President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi, the ATF will act
    swiftly to end this disastrous and illegal regulation.
      As if this weren't enough, in April of 2024, the Biden
    administration's ATF finalized a rule known as the ``Engaged in the
    Business'' rule. This was an attempt to rewrite a statute that was
    passed by the Congress and signed into law by the President of the
    United States; but this was an attempt to go further than what Congress
    and the White House had agreed upon in that statute. It was an attempt
    to impose a nearly universal background check on law-abiding citizens
    and was a direct affront to their constitutional rights. There are
    already background checks required by current law for anybody who
    purchases a firearm, but this was an attempt to go even further.
      Once again, this rule presents a golden opportunity for President
    Trump and the Attorney General to reverse the tide of the Biden
    administration's unconstitutional attacks on the rights of law-abiding
    citizens under the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
      I have long been a defender of Second Amendment rights for the 31
    million people I have the honor of representing in Texas and for law-
    abiding citizens generally around the country. The Second Amendment is
    as much a part of our Constitution as the right of free speech or the
    freedom of the press. That is why it is included in the first 10
    amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, to the Constitution.
      This is why I introduced the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which
    would allow people with concealed carry privileges to exercise those
    privileges in other States that allow concealed carry. It doesn't
    change the law of the individual States. It just prevents a ``gotcha''
    from occurring when a gun owner inadvertently crosses into another
    jurisdiction that doesn't have the same laws as their home
    jurisdiction. It would literally treat State concealed carry permits
    the same way we treat State-issued driver's licenses. If you have a
    driver's license from Montana or Texas or South Carolina and you drive
    to New York, you can't be arrested for the failure to have an
    appropriate license. Our Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act would act as a
    driver's license, in effect, for gun owners. If someone has a driver's
    license, as I said, from Texas, for example, it would allow that person
    to drive to another State as long as they follow that State's speed and
    road laws. It is the same way with this legislation.
      In addition to introducing this legislation, I will very soon send a
    letter to the Deputy Director of the ATF, encouraging him to work with
    President Trump on rescinding many of these regulations in order to
    reverse the Biden administration's reckless attacks on the Second
    Amendment.
      So while the last 4 years have been a lot of headache for law-abiding
    citizens who simply want to exercise their constitutional rights, I
    have no doubt that President Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi will
    right this ship. I look forward to working with both of them to reform
    and redirect the energies of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
    and Explosives to safeguard, rather than to attack, the Second
    Amendment rights of American citizens.
      I yield the floor.
      I suggest the absence of a quorum.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
      The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
      Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
    for the quorum call be rescinded.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                              Cabinet Nominations

      Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, the world is seeing that President
    Trump's Cabinet picks are strong and that Republicans are confirming
    them and doing it very quickly. By the end of today, we will have
    confirmed 18 of President Trump's nominees. They are bold, and they are
    well-qualified. Now, this is more nominees than President Obama had
    confirmed by this time in 2009, and it is more than President Biden did
    in 2021--more than twice as many than Joe Biden did.
      Americans voted for a bold, new direction. They wanted to see that
    here in Washington and across the country, and Senate Republicans are
    delivering.
      Yesterday, the Senate confirmed Howard Lutnick to be the Secretary of
    Commerce. He is going to kick-start the golden age of American
    manufacturing.
      We are also on track to confirm Kelly Loeffler today to be the
    Administrator of the Small Business Administration. She is a former
    colleague of ours in the Senate, and she is a voice for Main Street
    America.
      The Senate will soon vote, as well, to confirm Kash Patel. He is the
    nominee to be the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
      The United States is seeing increasing threats from terrorism. The
    previous FBI Director told the Senate a year ago ``I see blinking
    lights everywhere.'' On New Year's Day, 14 Americans were killed in a
    terrorist attack in New Orleans. That is why the Senate must act
    quickly to confirm Mr. Patel. We need to continue to act with speed and
    urgency.
      Once confirmed, Mr. Patel will begin working to restore trust in one
    of America's premier law enforcement Agencies. Regrettably, today, only
    two in five Americans say they hold a favorable view of the Federal
    Bureau of Investigation. That needs to change. Kash Patel will reform
    and refocus the FBI to get it focused on its core mission, and that
    core mission is to fight crime. He is going to reshape the Bureau so it
    no longer is a tool for political attacks. He will rededicate the
    Bureau to keeping Americans safe.
      He is a uniquely qualified nominee. He began his career as a public
    defender in Florida. He defended the constitutional rights of some of
    the most dangerous people in the country. He later joined the Obama
    Department of Justice as a counterterrorism prosecutor. He investigated
    and prosecuted cases that protected our Nation from very serious
    threats. He received several awards for excellence for bringing
    terrorists to justice. He saw the power of the FBI to keep Americans
    safe, and he also saw how the power of the FBI could be abused.
      In Congress, Mr. Patel led the investigation that exposed that the
    FBI was spying unlawfully on President Trump's 2016 campaign. Special
    Counsel John Durham's investigation later backed up Mr. Patel's side of
    the story. Durham found ``the FBI failed to uphold their mission of
    strict fidelity to the law.''
      This abuse of power was a breach of Americans' trust in the FBI. Kash
    Patel is going to restore trust by returning the FBI to its core
    mission of investigating and fighting crime. At his confirmation
    hearing, he said he is going to work to cut in half the number of
    rapes, drug overdoses, and homicides in the country today. This is
    something that every law-abiding citizen in this country should
    welcome.
      For Democrats, however, this seems to be unacceptable. They claim he
    wants to weaponize government. That is blatantly false. It was the
    Democrats who turned the FBI into a political attack dog against their
    political opponents. The FBI pressured social media companies to
    censure the Hunter Biden laptop story. It partnered with Joe Biden's
    Department of Justice in the targeting of concerned parents who

    [[Page S1019]]

    protested woke school board meetings. It targeted Catholics as domestic
    terrorists and spied on them at church. It put politics and personal
    gain over service to the country.
      Mr. Patel will end the weaponization and restore transparency. He
    believes crime is bad, that two tiers of justice are unacceptable, and
    that equal justice under the law is good. To Democrats, that is taboo.
    To the rest of the country, that is common sense.
      Americans want the FBI to fight crime. Kash Patel is the man to do
    it. If you want to defend our constitutional rights, confirm Kash
    Patel. If you want justice and accountability, confirm Kash Patel. If
    you want to keep our communities safe, we need to confirm Kash Patel.
    He is a man of integrity and fidelity to the rule of law. I look
    forward to voting to confirm him.
      I yield the floor.
      I suggest the absence of a quorum.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
      The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
      Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
    the quorum call be rescinded.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          Nomination of Kelly Loeffler

      Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, in just a few minutes, we will be asked to
    decide whether the Honorable Kelly Loeffler should be confirmed as
    Administrator of the Small Business Administration. As chair of the
    Small Business Committee, I would like to strongly urge all of my
    colleagues to vote yes and support her nomination.
      As a successful business leader, Kelly Loeffler is the perfect person
    to increase transparency and accountability at the SBA and prioritize
    the needs of small businesses.
      Throughout the committee's rigorous nomination process, Senator
    Loeffler has been thoroughly cooperative and impressive. She passed out
    of the committee with a bipartisan vote of 12 to 7.
      Over the course of her career, Senator Loeffler has shown how hard
    work, grit, and midwestern common sense can take you from Illinois
    soybean fields to CEO of your own company and, now, to lead a
    government Agency. I am confident that Senator Loeffler will ensure SBA
    once again works for all small businesses and ushers in a golden age
    for America's small businesses.
      Senator Loeffler is the right person to lead the Small Business
    Administration. She understands the burdens facing small businesses and
    recognizes how Washington can often serve as a barrier and a hindrance
    to their success. I have no doubt that she will fight to make sure Main
    Street is heard.
      Again, I urge all of my colleagues to support her nomination and
    confirm Senator Loeffler as Administrator of the Small Business
    Administration.
      I yield the floor.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Ricketts). The Senator from Iowa.
      Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the previously
    rescheduled vote begin immediately.
      The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection.

                              ____________________