March 16, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1541 Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unan- As my colleagues are well aware, necessarily absent: the Senator from imous consent, the mandatory quorum trade is an issue that impacts every Wyoming (Ms. LUMMIS). call has been waived. corner of our country and, indeed, The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there The question is, Is it the sense of the every corner of our globe. Roughly 75 any other Senators in the Chamber de- Senate that debate on the nomination percent—listen to this—75 percent of siring to vote? of Katherine C. Tai, of the District of the world’s purchasing power and over The result was announced—yeas 81, Columbia, to be United States Trade 95 percent of the world’s consumers lie nays 17, as follows: Representative, with the rank of Am- outside of our country’s borders. If the [Rollcall Vote No. 121 Ex.] bassador Extraordinary and Pleni- United States is going to continue to YEAS—81 potentiary, shall be brought to a close? be successful, we need to be able to tap Baldwin Hassan Peters The yeas and nays are mandatory into those markets and expand trading Barrasso Heinrich Portman under the rule. opportunities while ensuring a level Bennet Hickenlooper Reed The clerk will call the roll. playing field for American businesses Blumenthal Hoeven Romney The legislative clerk called the roll. Blunt Hyde-Smith Rosen and, I might say, for American con- Booker Inhofe Rounds Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the sumers as well. Brown Johnson Sanders Senator from Hawaii (Ms. HIRONO) is In Delaware, the First State, and Burr Kaine Schatz necessarily absent. throughout our Nation, trade policies Cantwell Kelly Schumer Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is Capito King Shaheen affect how American businesses, both Cardin Klobuchar Shelby necessarily absent: the Senator from large and small—be they financial Carper Lankford Sinema Wyoming (Ms. LUMMIS). services, tech companies, workers, Casey Leahy Smith The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there farmers, manufacturers—can compete Cassidy Luja´ n Stabenow any other Senators in the Chamber de- Collins Manchin Sullivan in the global economy. But thanks to Coons Markey Tester siring to vote? President Trump’s haphazard trade Cornyn Marshall Thune The yeas and nays resulted—yeas 98, wars over the last 4 years, American Cortez Masto McConnell Tillis nays 0, as follows: Cramer Menendez Toomey farmers, manufacturers, producers, and Duckworth Merkley Van Hollen [Rollcall Vote No. 122 Ex.] consumers too often have been left Durbin Moran Warner YEAS—98 hanging in the balance—a situation Ernst Murkowski Warnock Baldwin Grassley Portman that has been exasperated by this pan- Feinstein Murphy Warren Barrasso Hagerty Fischer Murray Whitehouse Reed demic. Bennet Hassan Gillibrand Ossoff Wicker Risch Now more than ever, all of them are Blackburn Hawley Graham Padilla Wyden Romney Blumenthal Heinrich in need of greater certainty and pre- Grassley Paul Young Rosen Blunt Hickenlooper Rounds dictability. For the last 30, 40 years NAYS—17 Booker Hoeven Rubio that I have served as Delaware’s Treas- Boozman Hyde-Smith Blackburn Daines Rubio Sanders urer, Congressman, Governor, and Sen- Braun Inhofe Boozman Hagerty Sasse Sasse Brown Johnson ator, when I ask businesses what they Braun Hawley Schatz Scott (FL) Burr Kaine want or need, more often than not, Cotton Kennedy Schumer Scott (SC) Cantwell Kelly Crapo Lee Scott (FL) they say ‘‘certainty and predict- Tuberville Capito Kennedy Cruz Risch Scott (SC) Cardin King ability.’’ For the last 4 years, we have Shaheen Carper Klobuchar had too little of both. NOT VOTING—2 Shelby Casey Lankford Sinema Instead of the chaotic approach of Hirono Lummis Cassidy Leahy Smith the last 4 years, we need strategic and The nomination was confirmed. Collins Lee Coons Luja´ n Stabenow thoughtful trade policies. That is why The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Cornyn Manchin Sullivan President Biden has nominated Kath- ator from New Jersey. Cortez Masto Markey Tester erine Tai, an experienced public serv- Mr. MENENDEZ. Madam President, I Cotton Marshall Thune Tillis ant and trade expert, to serve as our ask unanimous consent that the mo- Cramer McConnell Crapo Menendez Toomey Nation’s top trade official. Katherine tion to reconsider be considered made Cruz Merkley Tuberville will be a steady hand at the U.S. Trade and laid upon the table and that the Daines Moran Van Hollen Rep’s Office, and as a key member of President be immediately notified of Duckworth Murkowski Warner Durbin Murphy Warnock the Biden administration, she will the Senate’s action. Ernst Murray Warren make sure that our trade policies ben- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Feinstein Ossoff Whitehouse efit all Americans and leave no one be- objection, it is so ordered. Fischer Padilla Wicker Gillibrand Paul Wyden hind. She will work hard to help jump- f Graham Peters Young start our economy and ensure that American goods and services can reach CLOTURE MOTION NOT VOTING—2 international markets and that we can The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant Hirono Lummis compete on a level playing field. to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this Katherine comes to this role with an Senate the pending cloture motion, vote, the yeas are 98, the nays are 0. exceptional breadth and depth of rel- which the clerk will state. The motion is agreed to. evant trade expertise. She has earned a The senior assistant legislative clerk f remarkable reputation as an expert in read as follows: EXECUTIVE CALENDAR her field and is a leader who is re- CLOTURE MOTION spected by Democrats and Republicans We, the undersigned Senators, in accord- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The alike in this Chamber and in the House ance with the provisions of rule XXII of the clerk will report the nomination. of Representatives. Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby The legislative clerk read the nomi- In her previous role, Katherine was move to bring to a close debate on the nomi- nation of Katherine C. Tai, of the Dis- chief trade counsel for the House Ways nation of Executive Calendar No. 29, Kath- trict of Columbia, to be United States erine C. Tai, of the District of Columbia, to and Means Committee. There, she was be United States Trade Representative, with Trade Representative, with the rank of a lead negotiator on the USMCA, U.S.- the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Ambassador Extraordinary and Pleni- Mexico-Canada-America Trade Agree- Plenipotentiary. potentiary. ment, which notably passed Congress Charles E. Schumer, Chris Van Hollen, The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- with overwhelming bipartisan support, Michael F. Bennet, Jack Reed, Tammy ator from Delaware. in no smart part because of her efforts. Duckworth, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jeff NOMINATION OF KATHERINE C. TAI Members of my own staff are grateful Merkley, Christopher A. Coons, Rich- Mr. CARPER. Madam President, I am for the opportunity to work with Kath- ard Blumenthal, Patrick J. Leahy, Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, Brian delighted to rise today in full support erine to secure historically strong en- Schatz, Robert Menendez, Richard J. of Katherine Tai, President Biden’s vironmental provisions, including new Durbin, Martin Heinrich, Maria Cant- nominee to be our next U.S. Trade Rep- monitoring and enforcement tools in well. resentative. the USMCA, which will help make sure

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:56 Mar 17, 2021 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A16MR6.001 S16MRPT1 ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE S1542 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 16, 2021 that alleged environmental violations Given Katherine’s track record and and we are lucky to have her. She will will be investigated and remedied in a many years of experience working succeed if confirmed. She will succeed timely manner. These new tools and re- across the aisle in Congress, I am con- Robert Lighthizer and Michael sources will help ensure that environ- fident that she has the broad support Froman, our immediate past two Trade mental protections are not just words necessary to be a highly skilled and ef- Reps. Those are big shoes to fill, but on a piece of paper but policies that fective U.S. Trade Representative as she is very well prepared to fill them. will actually be put into practice and she takes on the many trade challenges With that, I suggest the absence of a consistently maintained well into the that we face, and I invite my col- quorum. future. leagues to join me in voting to confirm The PRESIDING OFFICER. The As chairman of both the Environ- Katherine Tai to serve as our next clerk will call the roll. ment and Public Works Committee and Trade Representative. The bill clerk proceeded to call the the Finance Subcommittee on Inter- If I could, do I have a few more min- roll. national Trade, I look forward to work- utes to speak? Mr. COTTON. Madam President, I ing with my colleagues and with Kath- The PRESIDING OFFICER. You do. ask unanimous consent that the order erine Tai and her team to build on the Mr. CARPER. Madam President, my for the quorum call be rescinded. progress that was made in the USMCA. legislative director is a woman named The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Another immense trade challenge Xiao. Lucy is her first name, Lucy objection, it is so ordered. that we face now is to effectively Xiao. She said to me several months NOMINATION OF XAVIER BECERRA counter China’s unfair trade practices ago, after the election—Joe Biden was Mr. COTTON. Madam President, the and its expanding influence in inter- elected—she said: You know, we were Senate is considering the nomination national trade. Since joining the World working on the USMCA last year. We of California Attorney General Xavier Trade Organization, the WTO, in 2001, worked with a woman who was a very Becerra to be Secretary of the Depart- China has proven to be a bad actor senior member of the House Ways and ment of Health and Human Services. time and again. I believe that, working Means Committee staff to help make Without question, the Senate should with our allies in the Pacific Rim in a sure the environmental provisions in reject this nomination. spirit similar to the Trans-Pacific the law are not only strong but en- In the midst of this pandemic, Amer- Partnership, we can more effectively forceable. ica deserves a Health Secretary who is ensure that China adheres to its trade She said: The woman we worked with solely—solely focused on getting shots commitments with us and with the rest is a top staff person on the House Ways in arms, getting kids back to school, of the world. and Means Committee. Her name is and getting parents back to work. But Katherine has the expertise to help Katherine Tai. that is not Mr. Becerra. make that happen. Her prior experi- Lucy said to me: I think that Kath- Over his long career in politics, his ence as U.S. Trade Rep’s Chief Counsel erine Tai might make a good U.S. primary passion has been ramming for China Trade Enforcement, where Trade Rep and may make a very inter- through a radical, far-left agenda and she led efforts to hold China account- esting human story as well. using the power of his office to per- I have huge respect for Lucy’s judg- able at the WTO for its unfair trade secute his political enemies. ment, and I turned around and I called practices, is going to prove to be a tre- Mr. Becerra would be in charge of ad- on the phone the chairman of the Ways mendous asset for our Nation. ministering the Nation’s health pro- and Means Committee, an old col- We would be lucky to have Katherine grams, but he has virtually no experi- league from my days in the House, Tai, a committed public servant, rep- ence or expertise in healthcare. His RICHARD NEAL. resent our Nation on the world stage. only experience responding to the pan- I said: RICHARD, does the name As a daughter of immigrants and the demic, as far as I can tell, has been his ‘‘Katherine Tai’’ mean anything to first woman of color to be nominated enforcement of California’s excessive you? and traumatizing lockdowns over the to serve as U.S. Trade Rep, Katherine He said: Oh, yes. She is a great mem- often cites her parents, also both pub- last year. ber of my staff. Mr. Becerra has been California’s top lic servants, as her inspiration. I said: She has been suggested as cop, overseeing the most draconian and In her testimony to the Finance someone who might serve as the U.S. unconstitutional series of lockdowns Committee that I serve on, Katherine Trade Rep. What do you think? said—I want to quote her. Here is what He said: She would be excellent. She anywhere in our country. He has shut- she said. Speaking of her parents, she would be excellent. tered churches while liquor stores and said: The next call I made was to Ted marijuana dispensaries remain open. I am proud of their service to the nation Kaufman, former U.S. Senator, former He has destroyed small, family-owned that welcomed them. And I am proud to live chief of staff to Joe Biden for many businesses while enriching massive cor- in a country where, in just one generation, years, and the interim Senator in this porations. their daughter could grow up to represent body for 2 years after Joe was elected In the false name of public health, he the United States and our interests around has rigorously enforced unscientific the globe. Vice President. I called former Senator Kaufman, who was in charge of the and unproductive measures that have Those are her words. transition for the Biden team, and I ruined the lives of Californians. Today, I, too, am proud to serve in a country said: Ted, I think I have a good name California’s unemployment rate stands where this is possible. for Trade Rep. at 9 percent—45 percent higher than Simply put, Katherine has decades of I explained who Katherine Tai was the national average, nearly two times experience in trade, years of experience and her history and her work experi- higher than our unemployment rate in working in trade in a bipartisan fash- ence and what Chairman RICHARD NEAL Arkansas. That is the result of bad pol- ion, and a keen understanding of the said about her. icy. And jobless Californians have Xa- role Congress can play alongside the I said: She might be a keeper. vier Becerra and Gavin Newsom to administration to implement success- A week later, he called me and he thank for their struggles. ful trade policies. said: We are getting all kinds of great If Mr. Becerra’s record as attorney As the world grapples with the great- comments about Katherine Tai. general is any indication, every Amer- est economic downturn since the Great He said: You know, I think you don’t ican should be alarmed by how this Depression, it is more important now always have the best judgment, TOM nominee would fight the pandemic— than ever to have a leader at the U.S. CARPER, but I think in this case, maybe not with science, compassion, or com- Trade Rep’s Office who will work with you are like a blind squirrel that occa- mon sense but with crushing political Congress to advance a trade agenda sionally finds a nugget. force. Few Americans believe that Cali- that uplifts American workers in every And I think maybe in this case, I fornia’s lockdown commissar deserves corner of our country, spurs domestic have, with the strong support and help a promotion. Unfortunately, the Sen- manufacturing, and improves environ- of Lucy. ate may just give him one. mental and labor standards throughout So that is the story. That is my Mr. Becerra is also a vocal advocate the world. Katherine Tai story. She is a keeper, for the socialist takeover of healthcare

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