[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 49 (Friday, March 14, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S1762]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                     Nomination of Stephen Feinberg

  Mr. WICKER. Let me talk about an easy choice that the Senate will 
soon have to make, and that is the nomination of Mr. Stephen Feinberg, 
President Trump's choice to serve as Deputy Secretary of Defense.
  Here is the reason it is going to be an easy choice for us in just a 
few moments. He was reported from the Armed Services Committee by an 
18-to-9 vote--a bipartisan overwhelming vote--and he will do a good 
job.
  The Secretary of Defense focuses on policy, on the overall policy. 
The Deputy Secretary of Defense--the position that Mr. Feinberg will 
hold if he is confirmed, as I am sure he will be--this person oversees 
the day-to-day operations of the vast Pentagon by leading its budget 
process, managing its people, and driving crucial internal reforms. 
Steve Feinberg is the exact person for this.
  Now, under normal circumstances, the Deputy Secretary of Defense 
requires exemplary skills in management, budgeting, and problem-
solving, but today's extraordinary environment requires even more than 
that--a manager of the highest caliber in that role. So let's look at 
just two or three items from Steve Feinberg's resume.
  He has been founder and cochief executive officer and chief 
investment officer of Cerberus. He founded and cofounded other Cerberus 
affiliates and Cerberus funds. He managed separate pools of capital for 
Gruntal & Company, and he also had high responsibilities in Drexel 
Burnham Lambert. He knows how to manage huge, billion-dollar operations 
and to manage people.
  He is also a perfect person for this role. He is well-spoken. He is 
calm. He is understated. He will be largely invisible. But he is the 
man to help us rebuild the military, reform the way the Pentagon does 
business, and turn this unaudited Pentagon bureaucracy around.
  He will get a resounding bipartisan vote on the floor, I predict, as 
he did in the committee.
  I congratulate the President on this nomination and on the bipartisan 
vote that we will soon get on a vote that is relatively easy compared 
to some of the harder votes later on today.
  I yield the floor.