Executive Session

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, the Senate mourns a part of our institution's history who passed away over the weekend. Until Saturday, Senator Fritz Hollings of South Carolina was the oldest living former Senator. He is also the longest tenured junior Senator in history, since 36 of his 38 years in this body came alongside Senator Strom Thurmond.

But there was nothing ``junior'' about Fritz's career, his impact, or his larger-than-life personality. By the time I arrived in the Senate, Fritz had already built a reputation as a war veteran, State legislator, Governor, Senator, and as a candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination. He had raised a family between his hometown of Charleston and the State capital, Columbia.

At every turn, he was a square-jawed southern gentleman. In every case, he was someone who would call things exactly how he saw them. Fritz spoke his mind with cutting wit and undeniable sincerity on causes that captured his attention. As a result of his passion and skill, his name will be forever linked with a long list of important achievements here in the Senate. He called attention to a growing Federal budget deficit, advocated for the needs of our Nation's men and women in uniform, and confronted the tragic poverty in America's own backyard, especially child hunger.

So today the Senate mourns not just a friend and former colleague but a true example of what it means to live a life of service. We mourn with Fritz's family and the people of South Carolina, and we join them in celebrating a life so fully lived.

Resignation of Kirstjen Nielsen

Madam President, on a completely different matter, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced that she is concluding her 2-plus years of service to the administration and to the American people.

The men and women of DHS keep America safe on a dizzying array of fronts. They confront natural disasters, guard our coasts, defend our critical infrastructure, and maintain many of our Nation's cyber security defenses.

Of course, the pressure on the Department has only been heightened as a result of the ongoing security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border. The Department has to balance countless complicated missions, from defending against criminal gangs and stopping the inflow of dangerous illegal drugs to protecting victims of human trafficking and providing care for the individuals they detain.

Through all of these challenges, Secretary Nielsen provided experienced and steady leadership. Her grasp of the issues and dedication were major assets for the Department and, as a result, for our country.

My colleagues and I thank her for her service, and we wish her well.

Nominations

Madam President, this week the Senate will continue its work to move well-qualified nominees off of the Executive Calendar and to give the American people the government they elected. We will do it more sensibly and efficiently thanks to last week's action to restore order to the nominations process.

As we discussed extensively last week, the past 2 years have offered a record-setting display of how comprehensively a Senate minority could prevent a President from putting his team in place, extending even to thoroughly uncontroversial nominations.

Fortunately, last week we took a big step toward restoring the sort of productive nominations process that had once been the Senate's routine. Now it is time to move forward together. This week the Senate will be able to consider a number of the President's capable nominees to positions in the executive branch and on the Federal bench.

We will begin with Daniel Domenico, named to serve as U.S. district judge for the District of Colorado. Mr. Domenico is a graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Virginia School of Law. His well-rounded legal career includes a clerkship on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, a term as solicitor general of Colorado, as well as work in private practice. I would encourage each of my colleagues to join me in supporting Mr. Domenico's nomination.

We will follow with the consideration of Patrick Wyrick, nominated to the Western District of Oklahoma; then, Cheryl Stanton, to be Administrator of the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division; then, General John Abizaid, to be Ambassador to Saudi Arabia; and then, Holly Brady and David Morales, to serve as district judges in Indiana and Texas, respectively.

These are six more well-qualified nominees who, among them, have passed a combined 2,364 days since the Senate received their nominations. Let me say that again. These six well-qualified nominees, among them, have passed a combined 2,364 days since the Senate received their nominations. But, most importantly, they are six of the many nominees who will receive now more prompt consideration here on the floor.

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