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Unanimous Consent Request--Executive Calendar
Mr. COONS. Madam President, I come to the floor at a time when, I believe, as of today, there are 72 nominees for State Department and USAID positions here in Washington and overseas pending on the Senate floor.
I am going to make a series of unanimous consent requests. I am first going to proceed to one to which there will likely be one objection. Then I will give a few minutes of remarks and then give additional ones.
I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, if applicable, at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Executive Calendar No. 239, Michele Jeanne Sison, of Maryland, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Ambassador, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (International Organization Affairs); that there be 10 minutes for debate, equally divided in the usual form on the nomination; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to vote without intervening action or debate; and that if the nomination is confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and no further motions be in order on the nomination; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
The Senator from Missouri.
Mr. HAWLEY. I object.
Madam President, it is now December. It has been nearly 4 months since the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Thirteen servicemembers lost their lives in the attack on Abbey Gate along with hundreds of civilians. As a result of the botched evacuation operation, hundreds, if not thousands, of American civilians were left behind to the enemy.
We hear from our friends on the other side of the aisle that my insistence that we actually vote on nominees is unprecedented. I would humbly suggest that the crisis into which this President has led this country is unprecedented. In my lifetime, it is unprecedented.
And who has been held accountable for this disaster? No one. Who has the President fired? Who has offered their resignation? Which of the planners at the Department of State or the Department of Defense or the National Security Council have been relieved of duty? No one.
Until there is accountability, I am going to ask that the Senate do the simple task of its job, which is to actually vote on these nominees. The least we could do is observe regular order and vote on these leadership positions at the Department of State and at the Department of Defense.
My colleagues say that we have got to put national security first. I agree with them about that. But I believe that begins at the top, with the President of the United States and the leadership of the Department of Defense and the Department of State. I, for one, am not going to stand by and look the other way while this administration systematically endangers our national security, imperils the American people, and watches the sacrifice of our soldiers go by without any accountability, without any change in direction.
I am not willing to look the other way and just pretend that Afghanistan didn't happen, which seems to be the posture that many in this body have adopted. I am not willing to do that. I can't do that because I promised the parents of the fallen that I wouldn't do that.
I am going to discharge my responsibility. And as long as it takes, I will continue to draw attention to what happened at Abbey Gate and to demand accountability for the disaster that this administration has pushed upon this country and upon the people of my State.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
Mr. COONS. Madam President, at a time when we need senior people to help our country deter adversaries, advance our interests, and secure our values, it is important that all the nominees currently waiting on this floor be confirmed.
They are well qualified. Eight of them would serve under the jurisdiction of my Subcommittee on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in various multilateral organizations and in economic and energy policy.
I understand and I respect the right of colleagues on both sides of the aisle to seek amendments on votes like the Nord Stream 2 issue. I, for one, would be happy to vote on additional subjects around foreign policy and national security, and I pushed for additional votes during the National Defense Authorization Act floor process.
These national security issues are important, and this Chamber owes to the American people robust debate, but we also need to provide advice and consent on any President's nominees in a purposeful and timely manner.
With that in mind, in a few moments, I will officially ask unanimous consent to confirm the following nominees: Jack A. Markell, of Delaware, to be Representative of the United States of America to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, with the rank of Ambassador; R. Nicholas Burns, of Massachusetts, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the People's Republic of China; Rahm Emanuel, of Illinois, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Japan; Steven C. Bondy, of New Jersey, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Bahrain; Cynthia Ann Telles, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Costa Rica; Bathsheba Nell Crocker, of the District of Columbia, to be Representative of the United States of America to the Office of the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, with the rank of Ambassador; Christopher P. Lu, of Virginia, to be Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations for U.N. Management and Reform, with the rank of Ambassador; Christopher P. Lu, of Virginia, to be an Alternate Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations, during his tenure of service as Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations for U.N. Management and Reform; Lisa A. Carty, of Maryland, to be Representative of the United States of America on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador; Lisa A. Carty, of Maryland, to be an Alternate Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations, during her tenure of service as Representative of the United States of America on the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations; Laura S. H. Holgate, of Virginia, to be Representative of the United States of America to the Vienna Office of the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador; Laura S. H. Holgate, of Virginia, to be Representative of the United States of America to the International Atomic Energy Agency, with the rank of Ambassador; C.S. Eliot Kang, of New Jersey, to be an Assistant Secretary of State
(International Security and Non-Proliferation); Adam Scheinman, of Virginia, to be Special Representative of the President for Nuclear Nonproliferation, with the rank of Ambassador.
I am going to ask unanimous consent for all of these because they are critical to our foreign policy and our national security.
And I must say at the outset, I have appreciated the opportunity to dialogue with my colleagues about a possible path forward, but as of right now, we don't have one, so I am seeking this unanimous consent.
Principal among the many nominees I just spoke about is my dear friend, Jack Markell. I would like to turn to my colleague, also from the State of Delaware, for a few minutes of remarks about this wonderful public servant we have both known for decades.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from the Commonwealth of Delaware.
Mr. CARPER. The Commonwealth of Delaware?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The State of Delaware. I am sorry.
Mr. CARPER. The first State. The first State to ratify the Constitution before anyone else did. It made Delaware the first State and the only State for a whole week.
Jack Markell was a great Governor. I would like to say he is one of the two best Governors we have ever had. As a former Governor, you know what I am talking about.
Madam President, I rise today to ask unanimous consent to confirm Delaware's own Jack Markell as Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development better known as the OECD.
I have had the privilege of knowing Jack for over two decades as a steadfast Governor--a brilliant Governor, actually--of the State of Delaware, chairman of the National Governors Association, and as a prudent State treasurer for our State; someone who had a great career in the world of business, most recently as a compassionate Coordinator for Operation Allies, leading the national effort to resettle Afghan refugees across the United States.
Jack is someone whom I deeply respect as a public servant and whom I admire as a father, as a husband, and as a son.
After being referred out of committee by voice vote, he is someone whom Senators from both sides of the aisle trust to serve as a steward for American interests abroad.
I am confident Jack will serve the United States with great distinction as our top diplomat to the OECD, and I am honored to introduce him, if you will, here today on the Senate floor.
There are some people who might not know just what the OECD does and the important role it plays keeping our world leaders informed and their economies thriving.
Somebody asked me what is my favorite part of my job, and I tell them it is helping people. They ask: How do you like to help people?
I say I like to help make sure they have a job, to make sure people have a job and can support themselves and their family. That is about one of the best things you can do for them.
The predecessor for the OECD--the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation--was founded in the rubble of World War II to help European nations to serve and disburse funds received from the Marshall Plan and to lift up the economies of the world.
A little over a decade later, the organization was restructured. It was restructured to open up beyond the borders of Europe. In 1961, what we now know as the OECD was formed as a ``North Star,'' if you will, for global economic research, publishing data and forecasts for economic stability in this interconnected world that we live in.
Today, some 38 countries--38 democratic nations dedicated to free market principles--send Ambassadors to Paris every year to help lift up the economies of the world once more. It is a gathering place to seek out and to share solutions to economic problems and challenges and to strengthen our global leadership status.
Yet, for the last 4 years, not only have we as a nation withdrawn from our seat at the international table, we stopped looking outward for solutions that can boost our own economy. It has been almost 5 years--in fact, since January 20, 2017--since we had a Senate-confirmed ambassador to the OECD--5 years. Five years away from the table, our eyes closed to new solutions. That is particularly dangerous in the wake of an economic recession. I think it is foolish. It is beyond being foolish.
Right now, the OECD could use someone like Jack Markell. He will do a great job representing our Nation, and he is ready to go to work. When I think of Jack Markell, I think a lot about the successes he had in the State of Delaware, serving three terms as State treasurer, a position I once held, and two as Governor.
I also think of the great adversity he has been through. When he was first elected Governor of Delaware in November 2008, the housing bubble had burst, and our Nation entered the great recession. In an op-ed for the Atlantic in May of 2015, Jack recalled it was immediately clear that his time as Governor would be focused on one thing, and that would be job creation.
And he was right. In the winter of his first year, the great recession brought unemployment in our State to 9 percent--9 percent. In an instant, our economy was in free fall, along with the economies of many other States. The General Motors plant in Wilmington, the Chrysler plant in Newark--both in northern Delaware--the Valero refinery in Delaware City--all of these hubs for good-paying jobs for thousands and thousands of Delaware families shut down just like that. Workers across the State, whether an assembly line worker, a single parent working in the finance industry, or a family farm in our agricultural sector--
every family felt the pain of that recession.
But Jack didn't shy away from the moment. He didn't lose sight of what is important in the face of economic uncertainty. Jack Markell knows all too well that in adversity lies opportunity. I think he learned that from Albert Einstein. In the face of great adversity, Jack Markell worked to court companies from all over the world to bring their businesses to Delaware, to bring jobs back, to retrain the employees who lost the jobs they had held for decades. He got Delaware back on the move, and the voters recognized his economic prowess by reelecting him by a wide margin in 2012.
Over his two terms as Governor, Delaware's unemployment rate came down significantly. In fact, Delaware had the best job growth in the region, bringing vital jobs back to Delaware families at places like the Delaware City Refinery, a project that I was proud to work with Jack on, and wages grew to be among the best in our country.
Jack Markell was laser-focused on developing the workforce of our future too. Graduation rates improved, and Delaware launched something called Pathways to Prosperity, an innovative program in schools across America helping to better prepare students for a wide range of careers, whether they go to college or take a different path--a different path but a path to gainful employment.
For 8 years as Governor, Jack worked with both sides of the aisle to get things done and improve the lives of Delawareans, and his legacy as Governor of Delaware will be felt for generations.
I oftentimes like to say that the roles of Presidents, the roles of Senators, Governors, and other elected officials is not to create jobs. Sometimes people talk about the jobs that they created as President, mayor, Senator, whatever. We don't create jobs. What we do is we help create a nurturing environment for job creation.
What Jack Markell has focused on for years--for decades, actually--is how to help many stakeholders in our State create a nurturing environment for job creation and job preservation. Jack understood this, and he will take that with him to Paris, with the memory of what looking to companies and countries across the world for solutions did to help families in Delaware. He will continue to look anywhere and everywhere to help American workers.
Because of Jack's lifelong learning, he spent literally decades thinking about how to bring more Americans into a more equitable, prosperous economy.
He learned the fundamentals of economic development by studying development studies and economics at Brown University and earned his master's of business administration at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
He learned what businesses need to thrive by serving as a senior vice president at Nextel Communications and later in a senior management position at Comcast.
He learned about equity as State treasurer, where he led a campaign to promote the earned income tax credit for families and founded the Delaware Money School to offer free financial literacy classes to empower Delawareans.
He learned about the power of global economic solutions as Governor, bringing vital jobs back to the State literally at the depth of the great recession.
He learned how to lead with empathy. By answering President Biden's call to lead our Nation's Afghan resettlement operation, he embodied the core tenet of Matthew 25, and that is to welcome the stranger in our land and welcome our Afghan allies with open arms and open hearts.
Jack Markell succeeded in no small part because he is a lifelong learner, and every step of the way, he has exceeded expectations for the people of Delaware because he has followed a simple but sacred maxim, and I would quote it: A good job trumps all.
Before any politics in Washington or policy paper in Paris, he is worried about putting food on the table--and not just in Delaware but putting Americans back to work across the country so they can put food on their own tables.
Today, as we continue to build back better in the wake of an economic recession, we need someone who is constantly willing to look out for solutions to help find work for those at home because, after all, a good job trumps all.
So today, the OECD could use someone like Jack Markell, someone to look for and bring with him global solutions to the economic challenges of today.
Before I yield the floor, I am reminded of a story from when Jack's second term as Governor came to an end. He decided he wanted to find a way to raise money for Delaware's children on his way out. He settled on a novel idea--a 3300-mile bike ride across the country, from Astoria, OR, to Rehoboth Beach, DE, and along the way, across 50 days, averaging 80 miles a day. He raised something like $120,000 for groups like the YMCA of Delaware, Special Olympics of Delaware, Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware, and more.
Of course, I worked just as hard as Jack during that trip. I jumped in my car and I drove 2 hours to Rehoboth Beach to meet him as he came across the finish line.
He dipped his bicycle wheel--I think the front wheel--in the Atlantic Ocean, as he had dipped his rear wheel in the Pacific Ocean some, gosh, 50 days before.
But that trip really shows you who Jack Markell is--proactive, thoughtful, and more importantly for the OECD, always willing to look for new, creative ideas to help improve the lives of Americans and always willing to put in the work to get the job done.
We still have a ways to go to get our Nation's economy and the economies of our world where they need to be, where we want them to be, but I am confident that with Jack Markell at the helm at OECD on our behalf, we will be able to get to the finish line, no matter how long it takes.
With that, I urge my colleagues to join my wingman in the Senate, Senator Chris Coons, and me in supporting Jack Markell to be our Ambassador to the OECD.
With that, Madam President, I yield.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The junior Senator from the State of Delaware.
Mr. COONS. I want to thank my colleague, the senior Senator from Delaware. I, too, have known Governor Markell for decades, and I, too, was prepared to make long and fulsome comments about his remarkable record of achievement both as a leader in the private sector, as someone who actually did help create jobs by launching Nextel and by growing it to a remarkable, world-class telecom company, and his leadership as State treasurer, to his leadership as Governor, but that has been covered in wonderful detail.
His Pathways to Prosperity Program in Delaware I have recommended to colleagues of both parties as a model for how we might move forward on apprenticeships and on skilling for the 21st century and his current service as the President's special adviser to lead Operation Allies Welcome. Senator Carper and I just visited Fort Dix on Friday with Governor Markell to see the tremendous work of our Armed Forces and to visit with Afghan families who have just been relocated to the United States. It is just a reminder of his great heart and his dedication to service. I am confident that he has the experience, intelligence, and character to serve admirably as our Ambassador to the OECD.
All the individuals for whom I will call a unanimous consent request here in just a moment--I am confident that these are individuals nominated for positions critical to our national security interest and our ability to maintain our standing in key international organizations.
Four of these nominees will be responsible for representing the United States at various U.N. bodies and three of them for leading work on nuclear energy nonproliferation, to promote energy security while protecting the American people from the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. These are diplomats who will help the United States bolster and reform institutions so they can effectively withstand the steady march, the pressures of authoritarianism, and uphold our core values of human rights, labor rights, democracy, and transparent economic practices.
In conclusion, I ask that we confirm these nominees today so they can move forward with representing our Nation, Governor Markell and many others. Several have been pending since April, more than 220 days; others, for 130 days--since July. It is December.
While I am hopeful that we can yet find a path forward towards a resolution of this impasse, today I was committed to coming to the floor and asking unanimous consent. We need to get these folks into their positions as soon as humanly possible.
So I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, if applicable, at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Executive Calendar Nos. 318, 319, 442, 446, 460, and 514; that there be 10 minutes for debate equally divided in the usual form on the nominations en bloc; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate proceed to vote without intervening action or debate on the nominations in the order listed; that if a nomination is confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order on these nominations; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
The junior Senator from Texas.
Mr. CRUZ. Reserving the right to object, I thank my friends from Delaware for their eloquent remarks. As both Senators know, I have a deep affinity for the State of Delaware. My mother was born in Wilmington, DE. I have hundreds of cousins in Delaware, who are their constituents.
I would note that the senior Senator from Delaware, Senator Carper, when I was newly elected, proceeded to welcome me into a caucus I didn't know existed, the TC Caucus. Indeed, he and I both reflected upon this recently when we were both in Oklahoma for the funeral of our former colleague, Senator Tom Coburn, another member of the TC Caucus.
I would note as well that Senator Carper went so far as to call my mother on her birthday to wish her happy birthday for having been born in Wilmington, and my mother appreciated that.
The junior Senator from Delaware--we served together on multiple committees. We have worked together. We have sparred together. And we may well be able to work together in finding a resolution to this impasse.
Every Senator here knows why I have holds on these nominees. Right now, as we speak, hundreds of thousands of Russian troops are massed on the border of the Ukraine, waiting to invade. The reason for that is because Joe Biden surrendered to Vladimir Putin on the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. That is the direct cause for the threat of military invasion Ukraine faces right now.
Putin didn't just wake up one day and decide to invade Ukraine. He has wanted to invade Ukraine for years. In fact, he did so in 2014, but he stopped short of a full invasion because he needed to use the Ukrainian energy infrastructure to get Russian natural gas to the European market. Because of that--that is why Putin launched Nord Stream 2, to have a pipeline directly from Russia to Germany going undersea to cut Ukraine out of the transit loop, so then the Russian tanks could invade Ukraine.
This body right now should be talking about the crisis in Ukraine and about how to counter Putin's aggression and expansionism. The best way to do so would be to immediately put sanctions on Nord Stream 2--
sanctions that we had in place; bipartisan sanctions that I authored, that both of the Senators from Delaware supported, and that, indeed, had overwhelming bipartisan support from both Houses of Congress, passed into law, and worked.
Now, I have sought to ensure that we have the time, space, and resources to address how we stop Putin from invading Ukraine, and, indeed, I have offered a deal to resolve this impasse. It is a deal that I have offered to Senator Schumer that I would lift the hold on a number of nominees in exchange for a vote on sanctions on Nord Stream 2.
I would note that this is a deal Senator Schumer accepted 3 weeks ago. Three weeks ago, when we were debating the National Defense Authorization Act, I likewise sought a vote on sanctions on Nord Stream 2. In exchange for that vote, I offered to lift the hold on seven nominees. Senator Schumer accepted that deal, and the vote was scheduled. Then, unfortunately, the entire package of amendment votes that had been agreed to on Nord Stream 2 fell down in an unrelated dispute over other matters.
This week, I have offered Senator Schumer a similar deal, although a substantially more generous deal. The deal that Senator Schumer had accepted was to lift seven holds in exchange for a vote. He said yes to this.
I have now put on the table a deal to lift 16 holds in exchange for a vote on Nord Stream 2 sanctions--more than twice as many holds. Included among those 16 is Governor Markell from Delaware. He is among the holds I have agreed to lift if Senator Schumer will agree to schedule the vote that 3 weeks ago he agreed to schedule.
At this point, this deal is a better deal on every metric than the deal Schumer already said yes too. Unfortunately, as we stand right now, he has not yet said yes to this better deal.
So at this point, I am going to counter with a request for unanimous consent that we impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2, and I expect my Democratic colleagues will oppose this.
But as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Banking Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 3322 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration. I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the modification?
Mr. COONS. Madam President, I object to the modification.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
Is there objection to the original request?
Mr. CRUZ. Madam President, reserving the right to object, I would note, as I did again, that there is a prospect for a reasonable compromise, and it is a compromise that Senator Coons has been integral in working to seek a resolution, and I thank him for his positive and productive efforts trying to bring the two sides together.
You know, the two sides of the aisle often distrust each other. It is the nature of a two-party system. But we have a path forward that can confirm a substantial number of nominees in these final 2 weeks of this year and can also schedule a vote on an issue that previous to this administration commanded virtual unanimous, bipartisan support.
Among those who would be cleared is Governor Markell, and so I would encourage my friends from Delaware, given the eloquence with which you advocated his confirmation, I would suggest you direct that eloquence to your own party's leader, who has the ability to accept this deal and see Governor Markell confirmed to the new position to which he has been nominated this week. But since that deal has not yet been accepted, I object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
The Senator from Delaware.
Mr. COONS. Madam President, if I might, just in concluding this particular exchange, several things are also important to make clear.
First, I think every Member of this Congress is concerned about the security, the independence, the safety of Ukraine and about aggressive actions by Putin's Russia.
Second, earlier today, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate majority leader urged that all holds on ambassadorial nominees be waived. In the interest of America's security, our place in the world, our ability to do the job that we have to do here in this body of advocating for and representing the interests of the United States by confirming qualified and competent nominees, they have urged that every hold be lifted. That is the current position of the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and the majority leader.
Hearing the objection of my colleague from Texas, I understand there is a significant gap. I commit to working to trying to resolve this in a responsible way, but, in my view, the right lies on the side of those who are saying we should not have holds on Ambassadors.
I also agree that there should be consideration of the issue of whether or not sanctions appropriately should be imposed on the Nord Stream pipeline going forward.
It is my hope that, working together and listening to each other, we can yet find a way forward.
One last comment and concern: At the end of this calendar year, every nominee will return to the White House and need to be renominated. It is my hope that we will also come to an understanding that every nominee for an ambassadorship who has already been heard by the Foreign Relations Committee and advanced to this floor will not be returned and there be a requirement that they be reheard in front of our committee.
We can find a fast path forward. I dedicate myself to finding it and working with any colleague interested in working with me to close this gap in the days that remain.
With that, Madam President, I would like to thank you and my colleagues.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 216
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