[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2791-2794]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           EXECUTIVE SESSION

                                 ______
                                 

NOMINATION OF RICHARD STENGEL TO BE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR PUBLIC 
                               DIPLOMACY.

                                 ______
                                 

NOMINATION OF SARAH SEWALL TO BE AN UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE (CIVILIAN 
                 SECURITY, DEMOCRACY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS)

                                 ______
                                 

NOMINATION OF CHARLES HAMMERMAN RIVKIN TO BE AN ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF 
                 STATE (ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS).

                                 ______
                                 

   NOMINATION OF SLOAN D. GIBSON TO BE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF VETERANS 
                                AFFAIRS.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will 
proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations, 
which the clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk reported the nominations of Richard Stengel, of 
New York, to be Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy; Sarah 
Sewall, of Massachusetts, to be an Under Secretary of State (Civilian 
Security, Democracy, and Human Rights); Charles Hammerman Rivkin,

[[Page 2792]]

of the District of Columbia, to be an Assistant Secretary of State 
(Economic and Business Affairs); and Sloan D. Gibson, of the District 
of Columbia, to be Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 30 
minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that any time in 
quorum calls be equally divided.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. BOXER. 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. MENENDEZ. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. I come to the floor to talk about three highly 
qualified nominees for very significant posts at the Department of 
State.
  The Foreign Relations Committee, which I am privileged to chair, has 
moved 48 nominees through the committee this year alone. I am pleased 
these three will move, but I would like to express my concern about the 
remaining nominees. They are critical to us promoting our foreign 
policy and our national interests and security interests abroad. I urge 
my colleagues to support movement of these nominees to the floor as 
quickly as possible.
  There are three today.
  Richard Stengel has more than 30 years of experience as an author and 
journalist. He brings a very unique perspective to his role as Under 
Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, on which we will be 
voting.
  He has served as the managing editor of Time magazine during the past 
7 years, demonstrating his impressive managerial capabilities.
  As president and CEO he led the National Constitution Center in 
Philadelphia, where he led public education efforts to raise awareness 
about our Nation's founding charter and the values enshrined in it.
  This public diplomacy role is incredibly important in a world that is 
constantly getting closer and smaller by virtue of the mass media, the 
Internet, and all of the different forms of communication. Our advocacy 
in public diplomacy is incredibly important to get our message out as 
the United States in terms of our bilateral and multilateral pursuits.
  Dr. Sarah Sewall has been nominated to serve as Under Secretary for 
Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. She comes to this 
position with significant relevant experience. She taught at the Naval 
War College and served as a director of Harvard's Carr Center for Human 
Rights Policy. She is highly regarded as an expert on mass-atrocity 
prevention and response. She is now a senior lecturer in public policy 
at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
  Her large portfolio includes a range of issues, including challenges 
to civilian security in Latin America; Syria's growing refugee problem, 
which is a concern for us in terms of the entire region and our good 
ally--Jordan, for example; counterterrorism; counternarcotics; human 
trafficking; and women's issues. These are all incredibly important in 
the pursuit of our foreign policy.
  I am confident Dr. Sewall will be an excellent Under Secretary, and I 
urge my colleagues to support her nomination.
  Finally, we have Ambassador Charles Rivkin's deep experience in the 
private sector and clear talent for managing large organizations which 
position him well to take on the position of Assistant Secretary of 
State for Economic and Business Affairs.
  At a time when our country is pursuing the most ambitious trade 
agenda in generations and our companies and workers are facing tougher 
and more aggressive competition than ever before, Ambassador Rivkin has 
demonstrated the skill and the experience needed to lead the State 
Department's participation in formulating and implementing 
international economic policies aimed at protecting and advancing U.S. 
economic, political, and security interests.
  Particularly at a time in which we are seeking to create more jobs 
here at home, our advocacy abroad to open markets, to have 
transparency, to have the rule of law for our companies that do invest 
abroad, to ultimately ensure that when they make such decisions, if 
there is a violation of their contracts, they have a transparent 
judicial process in which they can litigate their judicial issues are 
not only incredibly important to our companies' investments abroad but 
to the jobs created at home that promote the products and services we 
generate across the globe.
  I urge my colleagues to support these nominations in pursuit of the 
national interest and security of the United States.
  I yield the floor, and 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. MENENDEZ. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. I ask unanimous consent to yield back all time on both 
sides, including the 2 minutes prior to the vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination 
of Richard Stengel, of New York, to be Under Secretary of State for 
Public Diplomacy?
  Mr. MENENDEZ. 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.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn) and the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. 
Corker).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Warren). Are there any other Senators in 
the Chamber desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 90, nays 8, as follows:

                       [Rollcall Vote No. 27 Ex.]

                                YEAS--90

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Booker
     Boozman
     Boxer
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Cochran
     Collins
     Coons
     Cornyn
     Cruz
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Flake
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson (WI)
     Kaine
     King
     Kirk
     Klobuchar
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Levin
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Paul
     Portman
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Rockefeller
     Rubio
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shaheen
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Thune
     Toomey
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Walsh
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden

                                NAYS--8

     Crapo
     Inhofe
     Lee
     McCain
     Risch
     Roberts
     Shelby
     Vitter

                             NOT VOTING--2

     Coburn
       
     Corker
       
  The nomination was confirmed.


                       Vote on sewall Nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 2 
minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form prior to a vote on 
the Sewall nomination.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam President, I yield back all time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. TOOMEY. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.

[[Page 2793]]

  The question is, shall the Senate advise and consent to the 
nomination of Sarah Sewall, to be an Under Secretary of State (Civilian 
Security, Democracy, and Human Rights)?
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk called the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn) and the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. 
Corker).
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 97, nays 1, as follows:

                       [Rollcall Vote No. 28 Ex.]

                                YEAS--97

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Booker
     Boozman
     Boxer
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Cochran
     Collins
     Coons
     Cornyn
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Flake
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson (WI)
     Kaine
     King
     Kirk
     Klobuchar
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Lee
     Levin
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCain
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Paul
     Portman
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rockefeller
     Rubio
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shaheen
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Thune
     Toomey
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Vitter
     Walsh
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden

                                NAYS--1

       
     Shelby
       

                             NOT VOTING--2

       Coburn
     Corker
       
  The nomination was confirmed.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, we are going to have one more recorded 
vote. We think we will have another vote that will not be recorded, but 
it will be a voice vote and that will be the last vote tonight.
  I am totally aware of the weather prediction, that we might get some 
snow tomorrow night. We will see what happens midday tomorrow and find 
out how much snow the weather forecasters are predicting, if any.
  Tomorrow around 11:30 a.m. we are going to have a series of votes. 
The floor staff will be working on what the votes will be, and I will 
be discussing that with Senator McConnell.
  We have one more vote tonight and we have a series of votes tomorrow 
at 11:30 a.m.


                       Vote on Rivkin Nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 2 
minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form prior to a vote on 
the Rivkin nomination.
  Mr. REID. I yield back all time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time has been yielded back.
  Under the previous order, the question occurs on the Rivkin 
nomination.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  There is a sufficient second.
  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the nomination 
of Charles Hammerman Rivkin, of the District of Columbia, to be an 
Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk called the roll.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the 
Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn) and the Senator from Florida (Mr. 
Rubio).
  The result was announced--yeas 92, nays 6, as follows:

                       [Rollcall Vote No. 29 Ex.]

                                YEAS--92

     Alexander
     Ayotte
     Baldwin
     Barrasso
     Begich
     Bennet
     Blumenthal
     Blunt
     Booker
     Boozman
     Boxer
     Brown
     Burr
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Carper
     Casey
     Chambliss
     Coats
     Cochran
     Collins
     Coons
     Corker
     Cruz
     Donnelly
     Durbin
     Enzi
     Feinstein
     Fischer
     Flake
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hagan
     Harkin
     Hatch
     Heinrich
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hirono
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Isakson
     Johanns
     Johnson (SD)
     Johnson (WI)
     Kaine
     King
     Kirk
     Klobuchar
     Landrieu
     Leahy
     Lee
     Levin
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCain
     McCaskill
     McConnell
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Mikulski
     Murkowski
     Murphy
     Murray
     Nelson
     Paul
     Portman
     Pryor
     Reed
     Reid
     Rockefeller
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Scott
     Sessions
     Shaheen
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Thune
     Toomey
     Udall (CO)
     Udall (NM)
     Vitter
     Walsh
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wicker
     Wyden

                                NAYS--6

     Cornyn
     Crapo
     Moran
     Risch
     Roberts
     Shelby

                             NOT VOTING--2

     Coburn
       
     Rubio
       
  The nomination was agreed to.


                       Vote on Gibson Nomination

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will be 2 
minutes of debate equally divided in the usual form prior to a vote on 
the Gibson nomination.
  Mr. SANDERS. Madam President, today I wish to speak in strong support 
of the nomination of Sloan Gibson to serve as Deputy Secretary at the 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
  Before I speak about Mr. Gibson's qualifications, I believe it is 
important that my colleagues understand the realities that Mr. Gibson 
will face if confirmed. He would be responsible for the day-to-day 
management of the Department charged with operating the Nation's 
largest integrated health care system and providing a variety of 
benefits and services to America's veterans, as well as their 
dependents and survivors.
  It is also no secret the Department of Veterans Affairs faces a 
number of challenges. We know it takes VA too long to issue claims 
decisions. We know it takes the Board of Veterans' Appeals too long to 
decide appeals. We know VA and the Department of Defense have spent 
years on an integrated electronic health record with very little to 
show for their efforts. We know VA has difficulty managing major 
construction projects; and we know far too many veterans still do not 
know about the benefits and health care for which they are entitled. 
These are the just some of the challenges awaiting Mr. Gibson and 
highlight the need for this body to move quickly to confirm Mr. Gibson 
for this important vacancy.
  All too often, VA's challenges can cast a large shadow over the 
things that VA does well. I think it is also important to acknowledge 
the amazing things VA is accomplishing each and every day. For 
instance, patient satisfaction at VA medical centers remains high 
throughout the country as does the quality of care veterans receive. VA 
has taken an aggressive stance on homelessness by pursuing the 
ambitious goal of eliminating veteran homelessness by 2015 and 
continues to make significant progress in reducing the number of 
veterans living on the street. Finally, the VA continues to make 
significant advances in health care through its world-class research 
programs.
  These are the realities and the challenges facing any nominee for a 
leadership position at the Department. I firmly believe Sloan Gibson is 
uniquely qualified to address these challenges. Mr. Gibson has a 
history of service to this Nation that has provided unique insights 
into the challenges confronting the servicemember and veteran 
communities. Mr. Gibson began his service as a cadet at the U.S. 
Military Academy at West Point. He graduated in 1975 and went on to 
serve as an infantry officer, earning airborne and ranger 
qualifications during his military service. His service to this 
country, however, did not end when Mr. Gibson left military service. He 
continues this tradition of service today by leading the United Service 
Organizations, commonly known as the USO, which has the important 
mission of

[[Page 2794]]

lifting the spirits of America's troops and their families.
  I feel the relationships Mr. Gibson has developed with the Congress 
and senior leaders within the Department of Defense during his tenure 
at the USO will serve him well as Deputy Secretary. Collaborative 
efforts between VA and DOD such as the Integrated Electronic Health 
Record and Integrated Disability Evaluation System have the potential 
to make the delivery of benefits and services much more efficient and 
to provide servicemembers with a smooth transition to civilian life. 
Yet, these efforts continue to face significant challenges. VA needs a 
Deputy Secretary like Sloan Gibson who will be able to provide the 
leadership attention necessary to ensure continued and meaningful 
collaboration between the Departments.
  Sloan Gibson also has the business experience, gained from service in 
both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors, necessary to serve as 
Deputy Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Following 
military service, Mr. Gibson spent 20 years serving in a number of 
positions within the banking industry. This service included 11 years 
as an executive at AmSouth Bancorporation. He retired from AmSouth in 
2004 as vice chairman and chief financial officer.
  Sloan Gibson's tradition of service, business experience, and 
educational qualifications make him well suited to manage the day-to-
day operations of one of this Nation's largest Cabinet Departments. I 
am confident that if confirmed Mr. Gibson's service as Deputy Secretary 
would improve the lives of America's veterans and their families and as 
chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee I look forward to working 
with Mr. Gibson to do just that.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in voting today to confirm the 
nomination of Sloan Gibson to serve as Deputy Secretary at the 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I yield back all time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is, Will the Senate advise and 
consent to the nomination of Sloan D. Gibson, of the District of 
Columbia, to be Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs?
  The nomination was confirmed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motions to 
reconsider are considered made and laid upon the table.
  The President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

                          ____________________