OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Business Before the Senate

Floor Speech

Date: July 30, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Legislative Branch

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Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, the Senate has a lot of important business to attend to before we adjourn for the August State work period.

As a reminder to all of our colleagues, here is our considerable to- do list for this week: Later this morning, we will vote to confirm two more of President Trump's impressive nominees for district courts: Michael Liburdi for the District of Arizona and Peter Welte for the District of North Dakota.

They are just the first two in a significant group of judges--19 in all--that the Senate needs to process before we wrap up the week. We can't head home without making another big dent in the backlog of qualified district judge nominees whom partisan obstruction has already kept waiting entirely too long.

In addition, the Senate is not going anywhere until we confirm two impressive nominees to executive branch positions that play a vital role in U.S. foreign policy and national security. Ambassador Kelly Craft is President Trump's excellent choice to serve as our Ambassador to the United Nations. David Norquist is his pick for Deputy Secretary of Defense.

Needless to say, these are troubling times in a troubled world. We need to get both of these highly capable public servants on the job this week.

Finally, we must also pass the bipartisan government funding agreement that President Trump's negotiating team worked out with Speaker Pelosi. Given the realities of divided government, it is a strong deal that achieves my Republican colleagues' and my No. 1 priority: continuing to invest seriously in rebuilding the readiness of our Armed Forces and modernizing them to meet the challenges of today.

The Trump administration has negotiated their way to a major win on defense. The House has passed the compromise legislation. The President is ready and waiting to sign it.

Once the Senate passes it later this week, he can sign it into law, taking funding crises and long-term continuing resolutions off the table, and pave Congress's path toward a regular appropriations process that will provide the resources our military commanders and our servicemembers need to keep us safe.

I urge all of my colleagues to join President Trump in support of this legislation when we vote on it later this week.

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