[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 12675-12676]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           EXECUTIVE SESSION

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                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to executive session to consider Calendar Nos. 134, 135, 136, 
137, 138, 141, 142, 143, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, and 151.


                     Nomination of Thomas R. Lamont

  I would like to add, Madam President, before I ask for this consent, 
that one of the numbers I have just read relates to the nomination of 
Thomas Lamont, to serve as Assistant Secretary

[[Page 12676]]

of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
  Mr. Lamont is a friend of mine. He lives in my hometown, and I have 
known him for many years. He and his wife Bridget are close friends.
  Tom is a dedicated public servant. He has spent 25 years in the Judge 
Advocate General's division of the Illinois Army National Guard, where 
he was a State staff judge advocate general before retiring with the 
rank of colonel in the year 2007.
  He was also elected to the board of trustees at the University of 
Illinois. He served in the highest capacities with the Office of the 
State Attorney Appellate Prosecutor, Civil Litigation in the Office of 
the Illinois Attorney General, and the Illinois Board of Higher 
Education.
  He has practiced law in Springfield, my hometown, where he has built 
a sterling reputation for integrity and ability.
  Most recently, Tom has served as special counsel to the University of 
Illinois.
  With this confirmation, his broad array of service and experience 
will serve our Nation. The Army and America need leaders such as Tom 
Lamont.
  With our Army's soldiers deployed around the world, with their 
families counting on good leadership in the Pentagon to make certain 
they are well trained, serve us well, and come home safely, we have an 
excellent person to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Army for 
Manpower and Reserve Affairs in Tom Lamont of Springfield, IL.
  I was happy to recommend his name to the President.


                   Nomination of Margaret A. Hamburg

  Madam President, one of the nominees to be considered and voted out 
this evening is to serve in the administration with a special 
responsibility for the Food and Drug Administration. Margaret A. 
Hamburg is certainly well qualified to serve in that capacity. There 
are many responsibilities to be dealt with in the agency, including the 
safety of drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and food in America. 
It is an issue that is near and dear to me. I have spoken to the 
nominee about it personally, and I wish to commend her.
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the nominations be 
confirmed en bloc, and the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table 
en bloc; that no further motions be in order; that any statements 
relating to the nominations be printed in the Record; that the 
President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the 
Senate then resume legislative session.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The nominations considered and confirmed en bloc are as follows:


                       DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

       Neal S. Wolin, of Illinois, to be Deputy Secretary of the 
     Treasury.


                     department of veterans affairs

       John U. Sepulveda, of Virginia, to be an Assistant 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Human Resources).
       Jose D. Riojas, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs (Operations, Security, and Preparedness).
       William A. Gunn, of Virginia, to be General Counsel, 
     Department of Veterans Affairs.
       Roger W. Baker, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary 
     of Veterans Affairs (Information and Technology).


                       department of the interior

       Rhea S. Suh, of California, to be an Assistant Secretary of 
     the Interior.


                          department of energy

       David B. Sandalow, of the District of Columbia, to be an 
     Assistant Secretary of Energy (International Affairs and 
     Domestic Policy).
       Daniel B. Poneman, of Virginia, to be Deputy Secretary of 
     Energy.


                 department of heath and human services

       Margaret A. Hamburg, of the District of Columbia, to be 
     Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Department of Health and 
     Human Services.


                         department of defense

       Robert O. Work, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of the 
     Navy.
       Raymond Edwin Mabus, Jr., of Mississippi, to be Secretary 
     of the Navy.
       Thomas R. Lamont, of Illinois, to be an Assistant Secretary 
     of the Army.
       Paul N. Stockton, of California, to be an Assistant 
     Secretary of Defense.
       Andrew Charles Weber, of Virginia, to be Assistant to the 
     Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Chemical and Biological 
     Defense Programs.
       Charles A. Blanchard, of Arizona, to be General Counsel of 
     the Department of the Air Force.

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