[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12483]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         WORK BEFORE THE SENATE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, as I said yesterday, the Senate has 
more work ahead this legislative period, including passing the FDA user 
fees legislation and confirming a number of nominees.
  We have made important progress already, and just last night we 
passed the critical Veterans Choice legislation. That bill, which is 
now on its way to the President's desk, will allow many veterans to 
bypass long wait and travel times at VA facilities by accessing private 
care.
  We also confirmed several nominees. We confirmed eight officials who 
will be critical to advancing administration policy in the Defense 
Department. It is a good start, but we have other nominees to confirm 
for many other positions, both security- and nonsecurity-related, 
across many different agencies and departments. In the national 
security realm, for instance, we must confirm nominees for the 
Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, and the 
intelligence community.
  The Senate also came together to confirm a well-qualified judicial 
nominee for the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, as well as the 
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Christopher A. Wray. 
The position of FBI Director is one of great importance when it comes 
to protecting the American people, especially at a time when we face a 
range of threats both at home and abroad. Wray's impressive 
credentials, demeanor, and commitment to the rule of law make clear 
that he is the right person to lead the Bureau in its efforts to keep 
our communities safe. The work of an FBI Director is difficult, but I 
am confident that Wray is capable of shouldering this important 
responsibility and that he will lead the FBI with the strength and 
professionalism that the position demands.
  Our work on nominees continues today. We will, for instance, take a 
procedural vote on the nomination for the National Labor Relations 
Board later this morning. But there is more to do. I was pleased to 
hear the Democratic leader reaffirm his interest in working with us now 
to clear more nominees before the conclusion of this work period. Many 
of these nominees have been held up far too long, leaving the 
administration without a number of key officials at various agencies.
  I look forward to our Democratic colleagues working with us to finish 
up the FDA user fees legislation that I mentioned earlier, as well. 
Members will continue to work on other issues in the meantime, such as 
tax reform, which is one of the things the Senate--led by the Finance 
Committee--will turn its collective attention toward after the State 
work period.

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