[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14095-14096]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  NOMINATION OF HENRY J. AARON TO BE A MEMBER OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY 
                             ADVISORY BOARD

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the first nomination.
  The bill clerk reported the nomination of Henry J. Aaron, of the 
District of Columbia, to be a member of the Social Security Advisory 
Board for a term expiring September 30, 2014.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is now 2 minutes of debate equally 
divided prior to a vote on confirmation.
  The Senator from Oregon.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, at an important time for the Social 
Security program, the Senate now votes on three nominations to the 
Social Security Advisory Board which the Congress established to 
provide critical input and perspective on the Social Security Program. 
All three of these nominees are very well qualified, and they are 
strong and independent thinkers.
  The first is Dr. Henry Aaron. Dr. Aaron is one of America's foremost 
experts on Social Security. His many publications and contributions to 
the program make him an invaluable asset. I strongly urge Senators to 
support his confirmation on this bipartisan board.
  The second is one of the Senate's own, Dr. Alan Cohen, a veteran 
economist of the Finance Committee staff. He will be an excellent board 
member.
  The third is Dr. Lanhee Chen. Dr. Chen has a particularly commendable 
academic record.
  I yield the additional time to Senator Cardin, who has great 
expertise on Social Security.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I support all three of these nominations, 
but I want to talk a moment about Dr. Henry Aaron. I have had a chance 
to work over my legislative career with Dr. Aaron. I do not know of a 
person who is more qualified to serve on this board. He has been 
involved with Social Security his entire professional life dating back 
to 1979 when he chaired the Advisory Council on Social Security, which 
is a bipartisan group that works on Social Security.
  He is an individual who will work across party lines in order to deal 
with the short-term and long-term needs of Social Security. He is 
currently the Bruce and Virginia MacLaury senior fellow in economic 
studies at Brookings, a fellow faculty member at the University of 
Maryland, Stanford University. He is very well qualified.
  I know personally of his commitment to work with all Members of the 
Senate.
  I urge my colleagues to support all three of these nominees.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I yield the floor and urge their 
confirmation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and 
consent to the nomination of Henry J. Aaron, of the District of 
Columbia, to be a member of the Social Security Advisory Board for a 
term expiring September 30, 2014?
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There is a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk called the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New York (Mrs. 
Gillibrand) is necessarily absent.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Missouri (Mr. Blunt) and the Senator from Alaska (Ms. 
Murkowski).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 54, nays 43, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 258 Ex.]

                                YEAS--54

     Baldwin
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Boxer
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Coons
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Hirono
     Johnson (SD)
     Kaine
     King
     Klobuchar
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Levin
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCaskill
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Rockefeller
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Walsh
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                                NAYS--43

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Barrasso
     Boozman
     Burr
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Coburn
     Cochran
     Collins
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Enzi
     Fischer
     Flake
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson (WI)
     Kirk
     Lee
     McCain
     McConnell
     Moran
     Paul
     Portman
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rubio
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shelby
     Thune
     Toomey
     Vitter
     Wicker

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Blunt
     Gillibrand
     Murkowski
  The nomination was confirmed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, have we finished all of our work on the last 
vote?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The last vote has concluded.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, we are now going to have three voice votes 
on nominations. There will be one more rollcall vote tonight. That is 
it.

[[Page 14096]]



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