[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 3485-3486]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             UNANIMOUS CONSENT REQUEST--EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations on 
today's Executive Calendar: Nos. 568, 569, 565, and 571.
  I further 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?
  The Senator from Kansas.
  Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, Senator Grassley, the ranking member of the 
Judiciary Committee, is unable to be on the floor at this time, and on 
his behalf I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I will read into the Record--maybe tonight, 
but if not, I will do it Monday--statements made in the past by the 
ranking member of the Judiciary Committee where he talked in detail 
about how foolish it would be to have cloture on nominations for 
judges--his exact words.
  I am disappointed that there has been an objection, but as I 
indicated yesterday, we are in groundhog year. Why would this next week 
be any different than the rest of this year?
  They have objected and obstructed--they meaning the Republicans in 
the Senate--everything. Look at what we just finished--and I mean 
finished. We just finished a bill that had been worked on for a long 
time by the junior Senator from Vermont, the chairman of the Veterans' 
Affairs Committee.
  This is a bill that would help veterans. No one disputes the bill 
would help veterans. All 26 veterans organizations, including the 
American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, supported that 
legislation--plus 24 other veterans organizations. So what happens over 
here with the Republicans? They figured out a way to say no. They 
always do that. But the way they say no is to obstruct, and that is 
what they did on this veterans bill.
  I hope every veteran in America understands the fact that we had 
something that would improve the lives of the fighting men and women 
who came back from Iraq and Afghanistan, and those Asian veterans from 
Vietnam and some from Korea and some from World War II who are still 
with us. Because of the continual obstruction over here to do anything 
they can to slow down the Obama administration, they are even willing 
to hurt veterans.
  This was a bill that didn't take a single penny. It was paid for with 
leftover war money. We agreed to have amendments, but that is just all 
hot air from the Republicans. We would be willing to do these bills if 
they would allow us to have amendments, and they figured out a way to 
say no again.
  So we have to invoke cloture on district court judges that my friend, 
the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, has said time and time 
again should not happen.
  Either tonight or Monday I will read verbatim into the Record what he 
has said in the past.

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