-9999
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. ERNST. Madam President, our next nomination is a fine officer serving in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Our colleague from Alaska, Col. Dan Sullivan, also serves in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. I will read a little bit about this gentleman, and we will take an individual vote on the floor this evening, I am hoping, because this gentleman does deserve to be promoted and placed into his next position.
So this gentleman is Maj. Gen. Leonard F. Anderson IV, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, to be Lieutenant General and Commander of Marine Forces Reserves, Commander Marine Forces, South.
So here is a little bit about the good General. The Major General most recently served as the Commanding General of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. He does have some prior experience as well in serving as the Assistant Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies, and Operations, but Major General Anderson also served in a marine aviation logistics squadron. So it is interesting that the Executive Calendar number for Maj. Gen. Leonard F. Anderson is 248 as I also--not in the Marines, but I served in an aviation support battalion, which is a logistics battalion, supporting aviation, the 248th Aviation Support Battalion. This gentleman has served in the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron, and his experience has allowed him to support those men and women who are in the air, similar to the circumstance we talked about prior with a pilot who provided close air support during combat. These are the guys and gals who keep those aircraft up, flying, fueled, maintained--ready to go.
So this is an important position he is going into. It is the Marine Forces Reserves, Commander Marine Forces South, and I am hoping we will be able to take a vote on him this evening.
248, Leonard F. Anderson IV to be Lieutenant General and Commander Marine Forces Reserves Commander, Marine Forces South; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. ERNST. OK, Madam President. We are just going to keep going. We have quite a few exceptional men and women who are proud to defend our glorious Nation. Many of them, again, have served in combat. We just came out of 20 years of the Global War on Terror, and we know what service is. Many of us know what service is. The Presiding Officer--her father certainly knew what service was, so I thank him very much for his service to our Nation.
So we will proceed to Executive Calendar No. 262, Timothy D. Haugh. I apologize to the gentleman if I am mispronouncing his name. It is H-A- U-G-H. He is a member of the U.S. Air Force, and he has been nominated to be the Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and Director, National Security Agency.
At a time when we see many nations around the world using grey-zone techniques to infiltrate various infrastructures in the United States of America and that of allied nations, we know how important Cyber Command is to protect not only our military assets but then to track and push back against those foreign agents who are going after civilian infrastructure as well.
Lieutenant General Haugh's 32-year career has been exemplary, and he has commanded intelligence and cyber commands at every level as the Commander of 16th Air Force, Air Forces Cyber, and Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber, where he was responsible for more than 44,000 personnel conducting worldwide operations.
The Lieutenant General most recently served as Deputy Commander of U.S. Cyber Command. Anyone, if they are paying attention, understands how important Cyber Command is. Again, the Lieutenant General has served as the Deputy Commander of U.S. Cyber Command. We would love to see him confirmed this very evening, with a single vote, into the position of Commander, U.S. Cyber Command, and Director of the National Security Agency--an extremely important position.
262, Timothy D. Haugh, to be Commander, U.S. Cyber Command, and Director of our National Security Agency; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, our next nominee as well is hoping to be confirmed this evening, again, by an individual vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Just as my colleague has asked, has demanded, my colleagues and I this evening are attempting to satisfy that demand for single votes on the floor of the U.S. Senate. We are providing that avenue of opportunity this evening and are hoping that we will see the confirmations of some of America's finest fighting men and women, who have absolutely nothing to do with the policy that has been proposed by Secretary Lloyd Austin.
In front of us, we have MG Charles D. Costanza. He is a member of the U.S. Army. He is being nominated as Lieutenant General and Commanding General of V Corps.
Over Major General Costanza's 32-year career--again, another plus 30 years of experience and decorations during war--he has served as the Commanding General of the 3rd Infantry Division, the Deputy Chief of Staff for U.S. Army Forces Command, and the Director of Training for the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff. Major General Costanza's deployments include to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Major General Costanza has most recently served as Special Assistant to the Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces Command.
Once again, as an individual vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination of this fine individual: Executive Calendar No. 290, Charles D. Costanza to be Lieutenant General and Commanding General, V Corps; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. ERNST. OK. We will move on to the next conferee, and we will bring to the table now No. 291, James H. Adams III to be Lieutenant General, and this is a fellow marine.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. ERNST. ``Oorah.''
OK. A fellow marine.
To my good friend and colleague, Col. Dan Sullivan, Senator Sullivan of Alaska, we have Maj. Gen. James H. Adams III to be Lieutenant General and Deputy Commandant for Programs and Resources Headquarters of U.S. Marine Corps.
Brigadier General Hanson has most recently served as the Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Operations for Air Combat Command. A number of us who serve in the Senate have worn the uniform of our Nation and have deployed, and we understand how important these activities are, especially when you have a good friend at Mobilization and Operations for Air Combat Command.
Through the mobilization process, there are a lot of logistics there in moving folks around. So we know that Brigadier General Hanson is very well qualified to move into this position at Programs and Resources at the Headquarters of the U.S. Marine Corps. He has served in numerous positions at the squadron, the group wing, and numbered Air Force and Combatant Command levels as an Active-Duty and traditional Reservist and individual mobility augmenting member.
General Hanson has flown the A-10 and F-16 in a variety of operational assignments and is a command pilot with more than 3,400 flying hours and over 200 combat hours. He has deployed in support of Operations Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Noble Eagle, Willing Spirit, and Enduring Freedom.
Mr. President, I bring forward to you for an individual vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate, as requested by my colleague. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session for the consideration of the following nomination: Executive Calendar No. 291, James H. Adams III to be Lieutenant General; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, so I am going to pick up where my colleague is leaving off. We will keep on with the Space Force theme as we go forward here.
I am bringing forward another really fantastic nominee, and this is Maj Gen Douglas A. Schiess. And I apologize again if I am getting these names wrong, but, heck, maybe we will get them confirmed tonight, and we won't have to read it again on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
So Maj Gen Douglas A. Schiess, U.S. Space Force, to be Lieutenant General and Commander, U.S. Space Forces--Space/Combined Joint Force Space Component Commander--again, serving in a joint force, just as Senator Sullivan and I are operating as a joint force here on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
We have another really great nominee with a lot of years of service to this incredible country. He has a 31-year career. And we have heard a lot of these guys. They are 30-plus. We have seen some lower officers just being promoted to Brigadier General. But let me tell you, these men and women who have over 30 years of service are to be commended. As my colleague from Alaska has said, they have been put on the bench. I would think we would want the players with the most experience, the most finesse, the means to get a job done--I think we would want them in the game.
So Maj Gen Douglas Schiess has that 31-year career. He has commanded 4th Space Operations Squadron. He has been with the 45th Operations Group, the 21st Space Wing, and the 45th Space Wing. He deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Resolute Support, and Inherent Resolve. Most recently, he served as the Vice Commander for Space Operations Command, U.S. Space Force.
Those who have paid attention in the last handful of years as we have developed our U.S. Space Force understand that this is a very important domain moving forward. So not only do we have land, sea, and air; now we have space as well.
I am very hopeful that we will move forward on this nomination-- again, 31 years of honorable service. He certainly deserves to be placed in this position of authority, Mr. President.
392, Douglas A. Schiess to be Lieutenant General and Commander, U.S. Space Forces--Space/Combined Joint Force Space Component Commander; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, we will move on to the next individual vote, as requested by my colleague from Alabama. Here we are moving on the floor of the U.S. Senate. I am glad to be joined by a number of colleagues in the Chamber this evening to support our men and women in uniform.
I do want to make the point--because we continue to talk about these incredible nominees and their service to our Nation during times of war and times of peace--I do want to bring it back to the reason that we are here. It is because of the abhorrent policy that has been put into our Department of Defense by a political nominee, Secretary Lloyd Austin. He is the civilian in charge of the Department of Defense. Again, it is about an abortion policy that has been placed in the Department of Defense.
I will remind everyone once again that I am a pro-life woman. I am also a veteran and a combat veteran, at that. I do believe in protecting innocent life. I will continue to fight for innocent life. It was my amendment that was taken up in the Armed Services Committee earlier this year as we debated this policy during the debate on the National Defense Authorization Act.
I have been a pro-life leader for well over 30 years now, since I was a young woman going through Iowa State University; making my career in the civilian workforce; then going into the Iowa Senate, where I was a proud defender of life; and now into the U.S. Senate, where I continue fighting for life in ways that make sense.
We have civilian nominees who can be held and held responsible for this very, very bad policy at the Department of Defense. The men and women who are being brought forward tonight by Senator Dan Sullivan, by Senator Todd Young, by Senator Lindsey Graham, and myself, they have nothing to do with the DOD abortion policy--nothing to do with the DOD abortion policy.
I have joined in life marches. I have given life speeches. I have objected to the practice of abortion, late-term abortion, in Western Iowa, in Council Bluffs. I have done this, as I said, for three decades--three decades. I challenge anybody in this Chamber to be more pro-life than I am or more military than I am. I have served, and I have borne a child.
So our next nominee is Michael Guetlein. He is a Lieutenant General, U.S. Space Force, to be General and Vice Chief of Space Operations-- another incredible individual, a 32-year career. He also has served in command, leadership positions, at the flight, squadron, division, directorate, Program Executive Officer, and field command levels.
Lt Gen Guetlein's commands include the Director of Remote Sensing Systems and the Commander for the Rapid Reaction Squadron. Lieutenant General Guetlein most recently served as the Commander of Space Systems Command.
So, 292, Michael A. Guetlein for appointment to the grade of General with assignment as Vice Chief of Space Operation; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, we will continue again with the U.S. Space Force theme.
We have another gentleman: Lt Gen Stephen N. Whiting of U.S. Space Force to be General and Commander of U.S. Space Command--again, a very, very important position to have. As we are working in the gray zone areas, we need to know that our space assets are protected, and we have the right man for the job.
So this is Lt Gen Stephen N. Whiting. He has a 34-year career as a Space Operations Officer. He has commanded the 13th Space Warning Squadron, the 614th Air and Space Operations Center and Joint Space Operations Center, the 21st Space Wing, and the Combined Force Space Component Command and 14th Air Force.
Lieutenant General Whiting most recently served as the Commander of Space Operations Command--again, a gentleman who has absolutely nothing to do with DOD abortion policy, a man who has honorably served his country in uniform for 34 years.
We are probably going to see and witness the back-benching of Lt Gen Stephen N. Whiting this evening, but, as my colleague from Alaska says, maybe not. Maybe we will see a man of honor step forward and voice vote on the confirmation of this officer by allowing us to move forward individually, as requested, on votes on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
So, 328, Lt Gen Stephen N. Whiting for appointment in the U.S. Space Force to be General and Commander, U.S. Space Command; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, this one hits home. It is another nominee from the Navy. Hey, I am Army, but I love my Navy brothers and sisters. I love them all. This one is a Navy sister.
This is Executive Calendar No. 347, Heidi K. Berg to be Rear Admiral. RDML Heidi K. Berg has--and as I was reading through these nominees, this struck me because she has an over 30-year career.
Now, I know--because I was commissioned over 30 years ago--I know what a difficult climb it has been for women who were entering into the U.S. armed services at that time. Those women who entered in the seventies, eighties, nineties--they were trailblazers. They increasingly were put into positions of authority.
This Rear Admiral, Heidi Berg, has commanded in some very significant positions. She has commanded the Navy Information Operations Command in Bahrain, the Navy Element of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Joint Military Intelligence Training Center.
Rear Admiral Berg's operational tours include Navy Security Group Activity in Rota, Spain, where Berg flew over 1,000 hours as a Communications Intercept Evaluator on board EP-3E aircraft in support of Operations Provide Promise/Sharp Guard, aboard the USS LaSalle, Italy, and as Director of the International Security Assistance Force Red Team at ISAF headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Most recently, Rear Admiral Berg served as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy. And, again, we have had a number of women who have been brought up this evening in this debate, many of them having decades-plus experience. And I can tell you that women who were commissioned and have served over these last number of decades, they are to be commended. They have broken down barriers and allowed other women to see her and be her.
So for You, Admiral Heidi K. Berg, I commend you.
347, Heidi K. Berg, to be Rear Admiral; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. ERNST. And there is another one that, as I said, you can see her; you can be her. Unfortunately, young ladies won't see her, at least for a while.
Mr. President, I have a couple here more before I turn it back over to my colleague from Alaska.
We are on a Navy theme again. So we have in front of us Michael T. Spencer, to be Rear Admiral Lower Half. He is a Navy 06, a Captain in the Navy, to be Rear Admiral (lower half).
Captain Spencer's 30-year naval career has been exemplary. He has commanded VFA-102 and CVW-11 and served in leadership positions for Fighter Squadron VF-211 Carrier Air Wing CVW-1 and VFA-213. His deployments include aboard the USS Nimitz, the USS John C. Stennis, the USS Enterprise, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and the USS George Washington, and again, most recently, on the USS Nimitz.
Again, an admirable career. We are bringing him up for an individual vote on the U.S. Senate floor, as requested by my colleague from Alabama. So we will try once again.
327, Michael T. Spencer, to be Rear Admiral (lower half); that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. ERNST. Another one that I have known for a number of years now-- this one is in the U.S. Army--and I am very proud to be able to bring forward this nomination this evening--again, an individual vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate, as asked by our colleague from Alabama. I hope that we can get this one over the finish line tonight.
So this nominee is Executive Calendar No. 390. It is Douglas A. Sims II. And he has been nominated to be Lieutenant General and Director of the Joint Staff.
We have brought up so many incredible individuals this evening. All of them are incredibly important positions.
Now, if you are familiar in the military, we do have a Joint Staff. And as a Director, this gentleman would be making sure that that Joint Staff operated seamlessly. Things just don't happen in the military, especially when you don't have the right leadership in the right positions.
So we have Lieutenant General Sims. He has a 32-year career. He has served as the Commanding General of the First Infantry Division, the Deputy Director for Regional Operations and Force Management, and the Deputy Commanding General for Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan.
Let me say that again: the Deputy Commanding General for Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan. The weight of his authority.
Lieutenant General Sims has completed three deployments to Afghanistan and two to Iraq. Most recently, Lieutenant General Sims, an exemplary man serving in the U.S. Army, served as the Director for Operations of the Joint Staff J-3.
Mr. President, I am going to try again. 390, Douglas A. Sims II, to be Lieutenant General and Director, Joint Staff; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, we have just a couple more to go as we wrap up the evening. We have been reading off these nominations as fast as our staff could get them to us, and I guarantee that my colleague, Senator Sullivan of Alaska, and I would go all night if we could. We won't keep you in the Chair, Mr. President.
But we have seen a number of really incredible human beings come in front of us. Before I move on these nominations, that is what I want all of us to remember.
For those who might be viewing this evening, those who will read through this tomorrow, I want them to understand that these are human beings. They are men and women who serve our country for all different reasons.
I can't speak for Col. Dan Sullivan, but I know that when I decided as a young woman to serve my country, it was truly because I wanted to serve my country because I believe that our country provided great opportunities for kids like me who came from nothing.
I literally came from nothing in Southwest Iowa. I am the first in my family to graduate from a 4-year school. My brother did not have the opportunity to go to college. He went into the workforce. My sister has an associate's degree from a community college. My parents are both high school educated, and I am blessed that they were high school educated.
I had the great opportunity to attend an agricultural exchange while I was at Iowa State University, and that ag exchange took me to the USSR in 1989, to a place we now know as Ukraine. After living on that collective farm with my Ukrainian brother and sister and their family-- no running water, no refrigerator, no car, no telephone. The kids I lived with had never traveled off of the collective farm.
After that experience and coming back to the United States, I understood that, growing up on a tiny little farm in Southwest Iowa, that I was so very blessed to be an American.
My country afforded me all kinds of opportunities. Even though I came from a family without means, I could do anything. And I tell you what, when I was that kid, that 19-year-old kid who had traveled to the Soviet Union and back, I can tell you that my grandparents, at that time, would have never believed that that little kid would grow up and become a U.S. Senator.
But what I took from that experience was that I was blessed. Dan was blessed. Coach is blessed. I think all of us are blessed by virtue of our birth and our citizenship here in the United States.
So it was that experience that led me into the U.S. Army ROTC Program at Iowa State University because I didn't come from wealth or means, but what I did have was my service. And I knew that I needed to give back to my country and protect the values that we all hold dear. And I do not question anyone who serves in this U.S. Senate. We are all sent here for a purpose.
But I do know that many of these men and women whom we have talked about tonight, they believe in their country as well. They are human beings. Many of them have backgrounds just as I do. They are flesh and blood, and they have chosen to wear the uniform and the flag of our United States.
They have done that without any mental reservation. They have stepped forward to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And they do it because they believe in our country. And it is really unfortunate that tonight these men and women have been denied their promotions. We have done the best that we can to honor the request of a fellow Senator that these nominations be brought to the floor and voted on individually.
And I really respect men of their word. I do not respect men who do not honor their word. We have brought forward nearly 60 nominees. Every one of them have been denied an opportunity to move forward.
They have given more than most of us have. Certainly, they have given more than I have in this Chamber. They have given more than Dan has given in this Chamber. We talked about many that had over 30 years of honorable service, and we are punishing them for what all of us here believe to be a very bad policy at the Department of Defense--a policy that they have absolutely nothing to do with.
There are 379 nominations as of the end of October, concerning 375 general and flag officers here in the Senate for consideration. Of the 375 officers, 362 are currently impacted by a blanket hold as they wait here on the Senate floor pending confirmation.
We gave opportunity to nearly 60 of them this evening. These military families are in limbo. The families of 172 officers have been disrupted by these holds. Again, these are men and women. They have families who are being impacted. Their salaries are being impacted. Their retirements are being impacted. They had forced cancelations of coast- to-coast moves with homes that were sold. Many of them are now living in temporary housing and paying out of pocket for storage without any clarity about the length of time that they will be in this hold.
Many of their children were disenrolled from current schools and-- and--again, these are innocents--they are unable to reenroll in school or enroll in a new school since they do not have a permanent address. And there were many spouses who had employment that was terminated. That is a kick in the seat. I was a military spouse. I understand how difficult it is doing those PCS moves from duty station to duty station because your country demands it and having to start your life all over again.
So I am going to bring up these last two nominations, and maybe we will see a result, again, bringing the nominations individually to the floor of the U.S. Senate to be voted on. I anticipated a man of his word would honor his word. We haven't heard an explanation. But I will tell you, this was not time wasted tonight. I will do this all over again. I will do it all over again.
I am bringing forward now Capt. Frederic C. Goldhammer to be Rear Admiral (lower half) in the U.S. Navy, under Executive Calendar No. 97. Captain Goldhammer has a 28-year career, actually over 28 years now, and he has held several command positions, including while deployed aboard USS Enterprise, USS Nimitz, and USS Eisenhower, supporting Operation Southern Watch, Joint Endeavor, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.
Captain Goldhammer also completed Individual Augmentee assignments as an Air Planning Officer for the Coalition Combat Air Operations Center in Saudi Arabia, Liaison Officer to the U.S. Army's 18th Airborne Corps in Afghanistan, and as a Combat Search and Rescue Watch Officer for the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet staff in Bahrain.
Frederic C. Goldhammer to be Rear Admiral (lower half) in the U.S. Navy, under Executive Calendar No. 97; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. ERNST. And our final nomination this evening--so I mentioned that I was a former military spouse, and Senator Sullivan had brought up First Ranger Battalion. And those who have served around many of those in the Rangers, they understand that there is a--there is a stanza of the Ranger creed that is ``I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy.''
We have talked about those who have saved the lives of other men and women in uniform. We heard about the marine who saved a life of many other men and women in uniform and went to retrieve those who have fallen so that they wouldn't forever be in the hands of the enemy.
We have heard about women who led the way, as well, with their service and showing other young women that they could serve and do great things for the Nation that has given them so much. We have heard so many stories about heroics and combat, ``V'' for Valor, Silver Star. We have heard brief resumes of warriors we really can't go into on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Again, those of us who served understand why we can't do that.
But these are people. They are human beings. They are flesh and blood. They have done everything they possibly can and given more than most for their country: duty and honor, their service, sacrifice for this Nation.
And what is this body, this Nation doing to them? This will be remembered. It is a dark evening. This will be remembered. I want to thank them so much for their service to our country. We will continue pressing forward because we will not leave them to fall. We will not leave them to fall.
So, with that, I will turn the floor back over to my colleague and thank you--oh, excuse me, I haven't completed this final nomination.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Ms. ERNST. Oh, we have more. We could go all night, Dan. We have done it before.
But I am going to move on Col. Kevin J. Merrill to be a Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force. Col. Kevin Merrill most recently served as the Deputy Director of Strategic Plans, Programs and Requirements for Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command.
Previously, Col. Merrill was the Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Operations for the Air Force Special Operations Command, AFSOC.
Col. Merrill conducted around-the-clock HH-60G battlefield and medical evacuation for coalition forces during Operation Enduring Freedom. He most certainly did not leave a man behind. He led rescue operations in response to the aftermath of Hurricane Rita and provided 24-hour combat search-and-rescue coverage for coalition assets during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Kevin J. Merrill to be Brigadier General in the U.S. Air Force under Executive Calendar No. 86; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that, if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source