[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2099-2100]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             EXECUTIVE CALENDAR UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUESTS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, we have about 90 nominations on the 
Executive Calendar. That is a lot of names--people who have set their 
lives aside, after having been asked by the President of the United 
States to do good things for our country. The vast majority are not 
controversial. There is nothing so about their character, their 
education, their background. They have, with rare exception, been 
reported from the committees unanimously. They are being held up out of 
spite. Nominations on the Executive Calendar have been pending an 
average of 3 months waiting for the Senate to act. But the Senate can 
act on these, as we have done in years past, just like that.
  Top Department Secretaries pending before the Senate--two to be 
specific--are very important for their leadership roles at our Federal 
agencies. For example, Rebecca Blank will fill the No. 2 position at 
the Department of Commerce. She has a Ph.D. in economics from MIT, one 
of the finest educational institutes in the world. She served as Acting 
Commerce Secretary when Secretary Locke left to become Ambassador to 
China. The Commerce Committee approved her, of course, by voice vote. 
That means unanimously. Her confirmation is urgently needed because the 
Commerce Department hasn't had a confirmed deputy since July of 2010 
because of the obstructionism of the Republicans here in the Senate.
  Maurice Jones has been nominated to be Deputy Secretary at Housing 
and Urban Affairs. He worked for then-Governor Mark Warner and at the 
Treasury Department in the Clinton administration. His nomination was 
voted out of the Banking Committee last December by voice vote.
  Wendy Spencer, President's nominee to lead the Corporation for 
National

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and Community Service, has bipartisan support from a number of 
Republican Senators, including Marco Rubio.
  There are also Corporation for National and Community Servicemembers 
on the calendar that have been waiting for a vote since July of last 
year. We also have law enforcement positions awaiting confirmation, 
including Deputy Attorney General for Tax at the Department of Justice 
and the agency's inspector general. Other important officials at the 
State Department, Treasury Department, and Homeland Security are ready 
for the Senate to act on their nominations.
  Regrettably, Senate Republicans continue to either block, stall, or 
obstruct these and other well-qualified nominees. Since this past fall, 
a Republican Senator has blocked two nominations at the Federal 
Communications Commission, and today they will block nominees to the 
Federal Trade Commission.
  This week, Senator Bingaman asked consent to confirm the various 
Department of Energy nominees and the Republicans objected. This 
obstruction is not about the nominees themselves. They are qualified 
and noncontroversial. Many came out of committee, as I have indicated, 
by a voice vote or unanimously.
  Senate Republicans are blocking nominees for political reasons--and 
very weak political reasons. Not everything we do here in the Senate 
should be a fight. Virtually every one of these nominees could be 
approved today if the Senate Republicans would cooperate.
  As I indicated when I started this conversation, these people, with 
these jobs, have put their lives aside to wait on their confirmation. I 
have made no secret of the fact that I think the President did the 
minimal with his recess appointments--the minimal. I think he has 
waited far too long. If something doesn't break here, I am going to 
recommend to the President he recess-appoint all these people--every 
one of them.
  That is not unique. The power of the recess appointment is in our 
Constitution. Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican, felt he was being 
treated improperly by the Senate. He had 160 nominations that were 
being held for political reasons, and he did it in a minute--recess-
appointed 160 different people. So it is not as if there isn't some way 
to respond to this.
  We are going to have a week here that we will be in recess. And I 
repeat, if we don't have some significant action during the next work 
period, I am going to ask the President to appoint them all. I can ask, 
if I want to. He doesn't have to respond affirmatively. We will do the 
judges. We will have the fight on the judges ourselves because they are 
recommendations we make to the President. But these are the President's 
nominations and he should have the right to have these people working 
in his administration.
  Mr. President, I am going to ask unanimous consent on a large number 
of nominations. I have been told that on every one of these, the 
Republicans will object. I was asked whether it was necessary that I 
have a Republican come here and do it in person. That is not necessary. 
I take the word of my friend, the Republican leader, that that in fact 
is the case. So on every one of these I am going to object on behalf of 
the Republicans. How do you like that?
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to 
executive session to consider the following nominations: Calendar Nos. 
86, 258, 259, 261, 262, 263, 264, 338, 339, 340, 344, 345, 346, 403, 
422, 450, 456, 493, 494, 495, 496, 499, 500, 501, 502, 504, 505, 506, 
507, 511, 512, 513, 514, 515, 516, 517, 518, 519, 520, 521, 522, 523, 
524, 525, 526, 527, 541, 542, 543, 544, 546, 547, 548, 549, 550, 551, 
553, 554, 555, 556, 557, 558, 559, 560, 561, 562, 563, 564, 565, 566, 
567, 571 and 572.
  I am told those nominations that are before the Senate now dealing 
with the Air Force, Army, Foreign Service, the Marine Corps, and the 
Navy will be agreed to. I hope that in fact is the case. It is not part 
of this request.
  On the numbers I have read off, I ask unanimous consent that the 
nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or 
debate; that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations; 
that any related statements be printed in the Record, that President 
Obama be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate 
then resume legislative session.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. REID. On behalf of the Republicans, I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.

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