Designating the United States Courthouse Located At 300 South Fourth Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, As the ``Diana E. Murphy United States Courthouse''
Floor Speech
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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, first, I want to convey a few words of thanks to our dedicated Ambassador to the United Nations, who we just learned will be stepping down at the end of the year.
Our Nation has benefited greatly from the tough, skilled leadership that Nikki Haley brought to the U.N. Her tenure will be remembered for her proud reassertion of American moral leadership and her fearless willingness to turn a bright spotlight on critical challenges, from Israeli's sovereignty to Iran's sponsorship of regional violence.
Ambassador Haley has been a key part of the administration's team that has faced down a wide variety of critical challenges, and she has done so with distinction.
She took on this role after an impressive 6 years as Governor of South Carolina and quickly proved to be both be a skillful advocate for our national interest and a forceful spokeswoman for our principles.
I hope this is not the end of Ambassador Haley's distinguished career in public service. I thank her for her significant contributions to our country.
Confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh
Mr. President, on another matter, yesterday, I was pleased to attend the ceremonial swearing-in for the newest member of our Supreme Court-- Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Justice Kavanaugh's remarks yesterday affirmed yet again what his record and his testimony clearly told us: He will be a thoughtful, fairminded Justice who is committed to applying our laws and our Constitution as they are actually written.
His confirmation last week was a victory for the very same principles of fairness and justice we can now count on with him--along with his fellow Justices--to uphold.
Saturday's vote was also a victory for the Senate--for this institution--and for the integrity of this institution. Reason and deliberation triumphed over what was literally--literally--an attempt to sway the Senate using mob tactics. I wish this were an exaggeration, but it isn't.
While many came to Washington peacefully to share their stories, the loudest voices proved to be those of the politically motivated far left--the same far left special interests that had pledged total opposition to any Supreme Court nominee before the ink was even dry on Justice Kennedy's retirement. They pulled out all the stops. They did everything they could.
When it became clear Justice Kavanaugh's nomination would not be stopped on the merits--well, as we know, that was only the beginning. The far-left activists decided that the U.S. Senate and their Members should be harassed and intimidated wherever they might be--in a restaurant with family, getting out of their own car, or in their own homes; anything went.
When they did not get their way, when these tactics failed to sway us, they just turned up the anger even more. Protestors disregarded the men and women of the Capitol Police, trampled barricades, stormed the steps of the Capitol and the Supreme Court, climbed on statues, and tried to literally shout down Senators right in the middle of a rollcall vote in the Senate.
When the dust settled, literally hundreds of arrests had been made. Extraordinary security measures were required to protect the Senate, the Supreme Court, as well as the Kavanaugh family. Members of this body and Senate staff have received threats of violence and murder.
After all that, I am afraid the far left had succeeded in only one thing: They made it even more difficult for the vast majority of Americans to take them seriously. They made it difficult for most Americans to take these people seriously.
The madness hasn't stopped. They are already signaling that even more drastic steps may be necessary now that Justice Kavanaugh is on the Court.
Some leftwing publications are already trying to lay the groundwork for--you guessed it--literally packing the Court with more Justices. That is right. The far left has gone scrounging through the ash heap of American history, and they are bandying about that discredited fantasy from back in the 1930s.
In the meantime, while the groundwork is laid for that scheme, one far-left pressure group is already trying to circulate petitions that Justice Kavanaugh should be impeached--Justice Kavanaugh should be impeached.
The mob would like to make themselves perfectly clear. If Democrats were to retake Congress, ``progessives expect them to use their full power to get Kavanaugh off the bench.''
So it is pretty obvious. The all-consuming animosity toward this nominee, independent of all the facts and all the evidence, is still being stoked. The far-left mob is not letting up.
Early today, former Secretary of State Clinton sent this signal as clear as day--this is Secretary Clinton. She told CNN exactly how she views millions of Americans who hold different political views from her own. Here is what she said:
You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for. . . . If we are fortunate enough to win back the House and/or the Senate, that's when civility can start again.
No peace until they get their way? More of these unhinged tactics?
Apparently, this is the left's rallying cry, but fortunately the American people know the fact-free politics of hate, fear, and intimidation are not how we actually govern in our democratic Republic.
The Senate and the Nation will not be intimidated. S. 3021
Mr. President, on an entirely different matter, earlier this year, the President challenged us to seriously address our Nation's crumbling infrastructure. We have wasted no time in Congress on working to tackle this challenge in a bipartisan way.
Here are just a few highlights: The funding bill for fiscal 2018 included a $21 billion increase in infrastructure funding. We continue to build on that significant commitment in our historic return to regular appropriations for fiscal year 2019.
Just last week, we passed the longest FAA reauthorization in more than three decades on an overwhelmingly bipartisan basis. This week, we have the chance to keep the momentum going and advance another major victory for the American infrastructure by passing America's Water Infrastructure Act.
Chairman Barrasso and Ranking Member Carper deserve a lot of credit for getting this important bipartisan legislation across the finish line. Its importance for every State in our Nation really cannot be overstated.
America's ports and inland waterways give our producers access to markets around the world. For example, more than 60 percent of our grain exports move through our inland waterways and so do other commodities such as fuel, coal, and agricultural inputs.
No wonder the American Farm Bureau Federation wrote the Senate, explaining that this legislation ``will put America's inland waterways and port infrastructure on a solid and sustainable foundation to contribute to U.S. economic growth, jobs and global competitiveness for generations to come.''
This legislation covers big projects, like deepening ports and ensuring the navigability of inland waterways, but it also focuses on the unique challenges our local communities face. It will help ensure access to functioning sewer systems and clean drinking water.
On the last point, there is good reason why the chairman of the EPW Committee calls this legislation ``the most significant drinking water infrastructure bill in decades.'' When you look at its contents, it is hard to reach any other conclusion.
There is more support for our rural communities as they grapple with aging water, sewer, and flood control infrastructure. The legislation includes Senator Boozman's SRF-WIN Act, which puts low-interest financing within reach for small and midsized rural communities, like those in my home State of Kentucky.
For the first time in over 20 years, this legislation reauthorizes Federal funding to States to help ensure the safety of our drinking water.
The legislation also addresses environmental protection. To name just one example, it includes an important effort championed by Senator Rubio and Governor Scott to help address harmful algal blooms that have plagued Florida's waterways. These are just a few of the significant accomplishments this legislation secures. Dams and levees, flood control for our communities, safe drinking water, and sewer systems in communities big and small.
The bill before us addresses real needs in my State and across America. I hope each of my colleagues will join me in voting to advance America's Water Infrastructure Act later today. Confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh
Now, on one final matter, I would like to conclude where I started, with a few words of thanks for a job well done. Justice Kavanaugh's confirmation could not have happened without the tireless work of so many. So while I certainly can't mention everyone who is deserving, I wish to take a moment to express my gratitude.
First, of course, is President Trump himself, for sending to the Senate such a talented and qualified nominee. He and Vice President Pence are stalwart champions for the judiciary that the American people deserve.
My deep gratitude also goes to White House Counsel Don McGahn. Without Don's total dedication to ensuring that Judge Kavanaugh received a fair hearing, we would not be where we are today.
Here in the Senate, I can't compliment enough our dear friend Chairman Grassley for his leadership of the Judiciary Committee. He balanced strong leadership with generosity and flexibility to all of the Members. He oversaw the most thorough, painstaking review of a Supreme Court nominee in our Nation's history.
Supporting Chairman Grassley and the committee, I would like to mention the following individuals: Staff Director Kolan Davis, Chief Nominations Counsel Mike Davis, Steve Kenny, Lauren Mehler, Andrew Ferguson, Taylor Foy, Rachel Mitchell, Katharine Willey, Jessica Vu, George Hartman, Jill Kozeny, and Jennifer Heins in Senator Grassley's office, and an entire team of outstanding staff.
Thanks are also due to the Republican Whip, Senator Cornyn, and his excellent team, led by Monica Popp, and also to all of the dedicated floor staff who make this body function: Laura Dove, Robert Duncan, and the entire cloakroom team; the Secretary of the Senate, Parliamentarians, clerks, reporters of debates, Sergeant at Arms, and our doorkeepers.
On my own team, I really cannot imagine this process--or really, my office, at all--without the crucial leadership of Sharon Soderstrom, my chief of staff. She works harder and achieves more, under more pressure, than almost anyone I have ever had the privilege of working with.
Don Stewart, my deputy chief of staff, is the expert hand who helps keep us on course and shapes our communications strategy. Hazen Marshall, my policy director, helped to keep this and other priorities on track, including the other bipartisan policy wins the Senate delivered during the nomination debate.
John Abegg is my chief counsel and right-hand man for every step of this process. For 15 weeks, John poured his determination, his experience, and his wisdom into this process. He started working the moment Justice Kennedy announced he was stepping down and did not stop until the gavel fell. We wouldn't be here without his work.
I am grateful to my policy advisers, my communications team, and my operations staff for all the hard work and late nights they poured into this process, and to Phil Maxson and my personal office team for their assistance.
But most important of all, I need to close with this. To the men and women of the United States Capitol Police and to all of the other law enforcement officers who kept Members, staff, and citizens safe, even in extremely difficult and often hostile circumstances, we really can't thank them enough. Our representative government and the rule of law depend on their dedication, their bravery, and their sacrifice. So thank you so much for keeping the Senate safe.
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