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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 116 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 165 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019 No. 59 Senate The Senate met at 11 a.m. and was struction that stands literally without dominated by pure partisanship over called to order by the President pro precedent in American history. absolutely everything else. Remember, tempore (Mr. GRASSLEY). I won’t restate each part of our de- it wasn’t long ago that this current be- f bate from the floor yesterday, but the havior would have appeared unimagi- objective facts of this situation are un- nable. Just a few decades ago, the idea PRAYER ambiguous. For the past 2 years, we of routinely forcing 60-vote thresholds The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- have witnessed the accelerated erosion and extra delays on nominations was fered the following prayer: of the norms by which this body has firmly in third-rail territory. Well, a Let us pray. historically considered Presidential lot has happened since then, but I hope O Lord and Ruler, Your Name is nominations. We have seen a dis- my colleagues share my belief that the great, and we see Your glory in the appointing series of records broken in Senate’s traditions and norms are its Heavens. We are grateful for this Na- the process, such as 128 cloture votes greatest assets. In that respect, yester- tion and for the deliberative process of on nominations in this President’s first day was a very good day for this body lawmaking, with its challenges and op- 2 years—more than 5 times as many as as an institution. portunities. As our Senators debate the in the same period of every administra- The Senate has historically been de- issues that are vital to our freedom, tion since Jimmy Carter, combined. fined by two traditions. One has pre- give them wisdom, integrity, and cour- Forty-two executive branch positions served the power of the minority in age. Lord, let them be fully persuaded took cloture votes for the first time considering legislation—to pump the in their minds about the course that ever. brakes or force a second look. That in- This has been a new level of paral- will best bless America. Deliver them cludes the legislative filibuster, which ysis, surrounding even the most quali- I know many of us on both sides are 100 from a reluctance to respect honest dif- fied and least controversial nominees. percent committed to preserving. In ferences as they remember their ulti- In a way, it has been the natural out- my view and in the view of many, it is mate accountability to You. Bless and growth of the erosion on nominations inseparable from the way this body was keep them now and always. that began back in 2003 when our cur- designed. It is what keeps the Senate We pray in Your great Name. Amen. rent Democratic leader helped spur his f side of the aisle to walk away from from swinging wildly back and forth between each party’s entire agenda. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE longstanding institutional norms and declare the Executive Calendar open I don’t think my Democratic col- The President pro tempore led the season for regular, chronic filibuster leagues who are running for President Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: tactics and forced cloture votes. That and publicly toying with undermining I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the is when this relatively new mess began the legislative filibuster would be too United States of America, and to the Repub- in earnest. keen to see Republicans enact our en- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, In 2013, in a truly bipartisan vote, a tire, full-tilt conservative agenda with indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. number of Republicans, including me, just 51 votes, because some day the f joined with Democrats to implement shoe will be on the other foot. The new expedited procedures for lower tier shoe, in fact, always at some point RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY ends up on the other foot. LEADER nominees. We put them in place right at the beginning of President Obama’s That is one tradition. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. second term, even as we on this side The second tradition, concerning SCOTT of Florida). The Senate majority were still licking our wounds from the nominations, has always been dif- leader is recognized. previous November’s election result. ferent. For decades and decades, it al- f This week, our Democratic col- lowed for a reasonable process for the leagues had the chance to reciprocate. vast majority of Presidents’ nominees. S. RES. 50 They had the opportunity to do the Yesterday, even though Democrats Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, yes- parallel thing, exactly the same thing, walked away and Republicans had to terday, the Senate took an important and vote to limit undue Senate delays act alone, we took a big step toward re- step to restore sense and order to the for this Republican administration the storing that second part of Senate tra- way we approach the Executive Cal- same way we Republicans did for Presi- dition. endar. It is one of this body’s most im- dent Obama’s administration. Oh, but I am sure yesterday’s progress has portant responsibilities. Yet it has they weren’t interested. not resolved every sore spot. I feel cer- been hampered recently by a campaign These days, I am sorry to say, the tain that we have not seen the last of of systematic and comprehensive ob- other side of the aisle seems to be our Democratic colleagues’ addiction ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S2245 . VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:11 Apr 05, 2019 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A04AP6.000 S04APPT1 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with SENATE S2246 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE April 4, 2019 to endlessly relitigating the 2016 elec- of the government-sponsored enter- behind the law and therefore also a re- tions instead of moving forward. But prises Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and spect for FHFA’s responsibilities and with yesterday’s action, the Senate has the Federal Home Loan Bank System. boundaries as a regulator. begun to move past this particularly Since 2008, when Fannie and Freddie During his hearing a few weeks ago, shameful new chapter. We have turned were placed in conservatorship during Dr. Calabria made a commitment to the page on the kind of systematic ob- the financial crisis, the FHFA has also carrying out the clear intent of Con- struction and purely partisan delays served as conservator of these mort- gress in protecting taxpayers while that were completely foreign to this gage giants, charged with preserving also underscoring the importance of Chamber a few years ago but have and conserving their assets and helping maintaining access to affordable hous- since become a daily routine. Now to return them to stable financial foot- ing. Before considering any action, Dr. more progress can take place. ing. Calabria has said he will first ask: Yesterday, after two unopposed com- As long as Fannie and Freddie re- What does the statute say? mittee votes and more than a year and main in conservatorship, the FHFA Di- He is also committed to working a half after Jeffrey Kessler was named rector will play an integral role in set- with me and other Members of this as President Trump’s choice for Assist- ting the strategic direction, the guard- body to reach a comprehensive solution ant Secretary of Commerce, his nomi- rails, and the day-to-day management on ending the conservatorship of nation was subjected to a cloture vote, of these companies, which have a com- Fannie and Freddie once and for all. He 95 to 3. Because of our new procedures, bined $5 trillion in assets. agrees with me and many others that he was confirmed by voice vote just 2 It is critically important for the Sen- the action on housing finance reform hours later. Then we voted to end de- ate to quickly confirm a qualified, ex- that is needed today is the prerogative bate on the nomination of Roy Altman perienced individual to this important of Congress and that after over a dec- to serve on the U.S. District Court for post. Fortunately, Mark Calabria ade of conservatorship, it is long over- the Southern District of Florida—an- meets these requirements. due. other uncontroversial, bipartisan Dr. Calabria is a leading expert on As Fannie and Freddie continue to nominee. Today we will confirm him as housing and mortgage finance and a re- dwell in government control, it appears well. Then we will vote to end debate spected Ph.D. economist. He has al- that the old, failed status quo is slowly on the nomination of Mark Calabria to most 30 years of experience interacting beginning to take hold again, with the direct the Federal Housing Finance with the housing market from nearly government in some ways expanding Agency, and then we will vote to con- every perspective—academia, industry, its reach even further, entering new firm him too. trade associations, think tanks, as a markets where it has never been be- Nominees will now be moving at a congressional staffer, and as a regu- fore. more reasonable pace, and important lator. This status quo is not a viable op- jobs are finally being filled. Already He has dedicated the majority of his tion, and finding a comprehensive solu- there is real progress thanks to yester- career to public service, including as tion remains a top priority for me and day’s pivot back to the Senate’s his- Deputy Assistant Secretary of the De- the Banking Committee.