[Page S1807]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Nominations

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, yesterday the Senate confirmed a 
well-qualified jurist chosen by President Trump to serve on the Third 
Circuit Court of Appeals. Paul Matey of New Jersey will bring a wealth 
of experience to the bench, and I was proud to support his nomination.
  We also voted to advance the nomination of Neomi Rao to the DC 
Circuit. This nominee is yet another of the President's excellent 
choices to serve as a Federal judge.
  Ms. Rao graduated with honors from Yale and the University of Chicago 
School of Law. Her record includes a distinguished tenure in academia, 
public and private sector legal experience, as well as a clerkship on 
the U.S. Supreme Court.
  Most importantly, in testimony before our colleagues on the Judiciary 
Committee, she demonstrated a commitment to maintaining the public 
trust and upholding the rule of law. So the committee favorably 
reported Ms. Rao's nomination, and soon the Senate will have an 
opportunity to continue fulfilling our advice and consent 
responsibilities by voting to confirm her to the Federal bench.
  We will also vote this afternoon on the nomination of William Beach, 
who has been waiting for over a year to take his post as Commissioner 
of Labor Statistics. Our colleagues on the HELP Committee recommended 
Mr. Beach to the floor in December of 2017. A full year later, with no 
progress, he was returned to the White House. Now he is finally getting 
a floor vote. This pointless obstruction needs to change, but I am glad 
we can at least confirm Mr. Beach this week.