April 10, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 62 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages S2349-S2350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              NOMINATIONS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, the Senate continues to build on last 
week's progress in restoring our normal tradition regarding lower level 
nominations. We are moving several well-qualified nominees more 
promptly through floor consideration. We are clearing the considerable 
backlog of those who had been mired for months in our Democratic 
colleagues' across-the-board obstruction campaign.
  Make no mistake, there is still a very long way to go. There are 
still too many vacancies on the President's team. There are still too 
many would-be public servants waiting for partisan barriers to fall. 
But this body should be proud of the progress we are already making and 
the healthier precedent we are setting for the future.
  Yesterday the Senate voted to confirm both Daniel Domenico, the 
President's choice to serve as U.S. District Judge for the District of 
Colorado, and Patrick Wyrick to be a district judge in the Western 
District of Oklahoma.
  Today we will turn our attention to Cheryl Stanton's nomination to 
lead the Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division. It has been 1 year, 
7 months, and 5 days since Ms. Stanton's nomination arrived in the 
Senate. In that time the nomination has been favorably reported by the 
HELP Committee not once, not twice, but three

[[Page S2350]]

times--three times through committee for this graduate of Williams 
College and the University of Chicago Law School and two times sent 
back to the President for the former executive director of the South 
Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. Well, hopefully the 
third time will be the charm, and we can finally do the prudent thing 
on the Senate floor. I hope each of my colleagues will join me in 
support of the Stanton nomination later this week.
  Later this week, as I noted yesterday, we will finish with the 
nomination of David Bernhardt to join President Trump's Cabinet as 
Secretary of the Interior. Speaking of procedures coming in threes, 
this would be the third time Mr. Bernhardt will have been confirmed by 
the Senate. He served previously as the Department's Solicitor and as 
its Deputy Secretary. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, 
his ``proven leadership'' in these roles ``has helped restore the 
multiple use of America's public lands.''
  They are not alone. Over his tenure, Mr. Bernhardt developed a 
reputation among sportsmen, conservation groups, and western Native 
American Tribes as a strong leader and partner in their efforts. So 
once again, I hope each of my colleagues will join me in voting to 
confirm David Bernhardt later this week.

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