Nominations

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, there is a lot more work to do. That has been our message after returning from the Thanksgiving holiday. The Senate is staying focused on wrapping up this year's remaining priorities: getting more of the President's team in place, confirming well-qualified nominees to our Federal courts, and attending to the pressing legislative business the American people need and expect us to handle.

Yesterday, the nomination of Stephen Vaden to serve as general counsel at the Department of Agriculture was confirmed with bipartisan support, and the motion to advance the nomination of Karen Kelley for Deputy Secretary of Commerce was cleared by an even wider margin.

But these important steps haven't always come easily. As I mentioned yesterday, between the day the Vaden nomination was favorably reported by our colleagues on the Agriculture Committee and yesterday's confirmation vote, 351 days elapsed--351 days on the Executive Calendar.

These stories are similar for so many of the President's well- qualified nominees: Needless delays, a recordbreaking number of cloture votes, and then many go on to clear this Chamber with bipartisan support. In some cases that support is nearly unanimous, but my Democratic colleagues made this body drag its feet regardless.

We will press on and continue this week to make progress and put to rest the various outstanding items that have to be completed before the end of the 115th Congress.

Today, the Senate will vote to confirm Karen Kelley to serve as Deputy Secretary of Commerce. By any metric, Ms. Kelley has the experience and economic acumen to continue a record of outstanding service in that role--a record she has already begun by serving capably in her acting capacity since last year. I hope each of my colleagues will join me in voting to confirm her.

Then the Senate will turn to consideration of the judicial nominee, Thomas Farr, to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Mr. Farr is a graduate of Hillsdale College, Emory Law School, and Georgetown University. Over a nearly 40-year career in law, he has developed expertise in labor relations and constitutional law. The American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary--a body that has frequently been held up by our Democratic colleagues as the gold standard--has awarded Mr. Farr its highest possible rating, unanimously ``well qualified.''

Our friend, Senator Burr, has testified that his fellow North Carolinian has ``the requisite expertise, character and judgment required for the federal bench'' and that ``he will serve in this role honorably.''

I urge all of our colleagues to join me in voting to advance his nomination later today.

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