April 11, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 63 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages S2422-S2425]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           EXECUTIVE SESSION

                                 ______
                                 

                           EXECUTIVE CALENDAR

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session 
to consider Calendar No. 36.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion.
  The motion was agreed to.
  The clerk will report the nomination.
  The bill clerk read the nomination of Joshua Wolson, of Pennsylvania, 
to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of 
Pennsylvania.


                             Cloture Motion

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The cloture motion having been presented under 
rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

                             Cloture Motion

       We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the 
     provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, 
     do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination 
     of Joshua Wolson, of Pennsylvania, to be United States 
     District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
         Mitch McConnell, David Perdue, Shelley Moore Capito, John 
           Barrasso, John Boozman, Mike Crapo, Richard C. Shelby, 
           Mike Rounds, John Cornyn, Roger F. Wicker, Pat Roberts, 
           John Thune, John Hoeven, Roy Blunt, Marco Rubio, Tim 
           Scott, Kevin Cramer.

  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum 
calls for the cloture motions be waived.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                    Confirmation of David Bernhardt

  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, we just voted in a very important vote 
on the Senate floor--a bipartisan vote--to confirm Mr. David Bernhardt 
as the next Secretary of the Interior for the United States of America. 
It was a strong vote--56 to 41.
  I want to begin my remarks this afternoon by rising to express my 
gratitude and appreciation to Mr. Bernhardt for stepping up to the 
plate to continue to serve his country and to continue to serve the 
Department of the Interior now in the role of Secretary, the individual 
who is going to be running the Department of the Interior for the 
United States.
  I thank my colleagues. It was a bipartisan vote in the Senate, which 
I think is important for voting for now-Secretary Bernhardt. Actually, 
I would like to be the first Senator to call him Secretary Bernhardt. 
If you and your family are watching, Mr. Secretary, thank you.
  I also want to mention that I have been listening to some of the 
speeches made by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. To be 
perfectly blunt, I find what we just witnessed a bit disheartening. I 
would like to say at the outset that we can and should disagree on 
policy disputes. Certainly issues like land issues are really important 
to me in my State, that is for sure. We can disagree about the 
direction of how we are going to move some of those policies forward. 
What is disheartening, though, is when you have someone like Mr. 
Bernhardt, who is willing to serve his country again--and I am going to 
talk about that--essentially getting his reputation dragged through the 
mud on the Senate floor. It is not a good thing. It doesn't encourage 
people to want to serve.
  So, Mr. Secretary, thank you. I know this wasn't an easy confirmation 
process.
  When you look at his background, this is actually one of the most 
qualified individuals to serve as the Secretary whom we have had in 
many years. He was the Solicitor General under President George W. 
Bush, confirmed by the Senate; he was the Deputy Secretary for the last 
2 years, confirmed by this body; and now he is the Secretary. I would 
say those are very high qualifications. I just want to talk about him 
for a little bit.
  Why do I support Mr. Bernhardt? The Secretary of the Department of 
the Interior is really important to America. It is critically important 
to my State, the great State of Alaska. We have over 200 million acres 
of land under the Department of the Interior's control in Alaska--200 
million acres. That is over two times the size of California. In fact, 
one-quarter of all the lands that the Department of the Interior 
manages for the United States reside in Alaska. Let me repeat that. 
One-quarter of all the lands that the Secretary of the Interior manages 
in America are in my State.
  So we take this role of Secretary of the Interior very, very 
seriously, which is why I wanted to come to the floor and again thank 
Secretary Bernhardt

[[Page S2423]]

and let him know that even though there were a lot of Senators down 
here really ripping into him, the vast majority of us--56 of us, at 
least--think he is going to do a great job.
  Why do we think that, Mr. Secretary? Well, certainly with regard to 
Alaska, sometimes Secretaries of the Interior understand our State and 
that we are different and unique and that Federal laws passed by this 
body say so. Other Secretaries of the Interior don't. They don't 
understand that in Alaska you have to balance conservation with 
resource development and economic opportunity. Secretary Bernhardt does 
understand this, and this is refreshing. Secretary Zinke did. This was 
refreshing. It was a refreshing break from the previous administration, 
the Obama administration, where Secretaries of the Interior, like Sally 
Jewell, went out of their way to tilt Federal power in a way that 
disadvantaged the State of Alaska, despite Federal law saying you 
shouldn't do that.
  Well, we just had a U.S. Supreme Court decision 2 weeks ago saying 
that that practice of the Department of the Interior and their 
different officials tilting the law against Alaskans had to stop. It 
was a huge case that I talked about on the floor last week, Sturgeon v. 
Frost, which says that in the laws of the Federal Government, 
particularly as they relate to Alaska--the Supreme Court stated it 
several times in a 9-to-0 opinion--Alaska is unique and Alaska is 
different. When it comes to the Department of the Interior, it is very 
different.
  Well, Mr. Secretary Bernhardt knows that, and that is one of the 
reasons why I am so pleased to have voted for him and supported his 
confirmation, which we just saw on the Senate floor. It is not just me 
who supports him. Let me provide some quotes from letters and support 
groups, because, again, after listening to some of my colleagues the 
last couple of days, you would have thought that everybody was against 
him. Actually, most groups who care about conservation were for him. 
Let me give one really important group--the Alaska Federation of 
Natives, an extremely important group in my State. The Secretary of the 
Interior has trust responsibilities to lower 48 Indians and Alaska 
Natives. This group had this to say about Mr. Bernhardt:

       He listens well. He is articulate in his responses. He 
     draws reasonable conclusions. Moreover, he has established a 
     trusting relationship with the Alaska Native community around 
     the issues of resource development and subsistence hunting 
     and fishing.

  So they have been complimentary and supportive.
  The American Farm Bureau says:

       This President's nomination of David Bernhardt as Secretary 
     of the Interior is great news for American agriculture. He 
     understands the needs of America's farmers and ranchers and 
     is an excellent choice for Interior Secretary.

  The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies--who are they? Those 
are the men and women in each State who manage fish and game like the 
Department of the Interior. Here is what they had to say:

       The Association is appreciative of Mr. Bernhardt's 
     continued support for the great work of state fish and 
     wildlife agencies in conserving our nation's natural 
     resources.

  The Congressional Sportsmen Foundation says:

       Mr. Bernhardt has demonstrated he is a true advocate for 
     sportsmen and women across the country by working with the 
     community throughout his career in natural resources 
     management, and implementing Secretarial Orders that promote 
     sportsmen's access to public lands.

  That is a very big issue in my State.
  Even a group like Ducks Unlimited says: ``His integrity in following 
the law is beyond reproach.'' Let me say that one again. ``His 
integrity in following the law is beyond reproach.'' David Bernhardt is 
a champion of conservation and the right person for the job.
  When I was the commissioner of natural resources in the great State 
of Alaska--which actually is a job similar to the Secretary of the 
Interior, where we manage an enormous portfolio of land, water, oil, 
gas, minerals, and timber--I had the opportunity to actually hire Mr. 
Bernhardt when he was in the private sector as an attorney helping the 
State of Alaska with a big complicated lands issue. He did a great job. 
He was a hard worker. He was a man of integrity. So the list goes on 
and on of the supporters.
  So, again, Mr. Secretary, we just want you to know that given your 
background as former Solicitor of the Department of the Interior and 
former Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Interior and as 
someone who has gotten rave reviews from groups all across the country, 
and now as the Secretary of the Interior, my view is that you are 
actually one of the most qualified individuals to hold this position. 
So congratulations. You certainly earned it. We appreciate your service 
to this great Nation of ours, your service to the Department of the 
Interior, and your service to my State, the great State of Alaska, and 
we certainly look forward to working with you as you continue your 
public service for our country, for Interior, and for Alaska. I just 
wanted to come to the floor to commend you on a strong bipartisan 
support, and we are going to look forward to working with you.


                      Tribute to Cynthia Erickson

  Mr. President, it is Thursday afternoon, and it is one of the times 
that I enjoy the most here in the Senate because it is the time when I 
get to come down to the floor and do a little bragging about my State 
and, most importantly, do a little bragging about the people who make 
Alaska such a wonderful place and such a unique place.
  Now, we have all heard the stories about the grandeur, size, and 
beauty of the great State of Alaska, and they are all true, as you 
know. To anyone watching, we would love for you to come on up for a 
visit. You will love it. It will be the best trip of your life. Right 
now, for example, what is happening in Alaska is that it is a wonderful 
time of the year. We are gaining sunlight every day. The snow is 
melting. The birds are beginning their huge migration back to Alaska. 
Some flowers are even starting to bloom in parts of the State. It is a 
wonderful and incredible time.
  Like any State, and we all come down here and like to talk about our 
States, it is the people who truly make my State so special. It is 
generous people who work tirelessly day in and day out to help one 
another. So each week, I come down to the Senate floor and talk about 
one of these individuals, and I call that person ``Alaskan of the 
Week.''
  Today, that person is a wonderful leader and a good friend of mine, 
Cynthia Erickson. As I mentioned, we live in a great State--great State 
to raise a family, build a good exciting life of service and meaning. 
But Alaska, like all States, has its share of challenges, and one of 
the biggest and most pernicious challenges in Alaska is that we, 
unfortunately, have some of the highest rates of domestic violence and 
sexual assault in the country--as a matter of fact, in a lot of 
categories, the highest, including child abuse.
  Now, when I was attorney general, we made confronting this issue a 
very big priority. We are continuing to push these initiatives in the 
Senate. Just yesterday, Senator Gillibrand and I introduced a bill that 
would seek to change the culture around sexual assault and domestic 
violence through a national ad campaign. We called that bill the Choose 
Respect Act, and we introduced it yesterday. This is a bill that will 
be part of a whole series of bills focused on trying to bring respect 
to our country with regard to these issues. Stay tuned on that.
  Here is a fact. We can do all of those kinds of important pieces of 
legislation here in the Senate on these kinds of critical issues, but 
as I think we all know that it is really the work done on the ground by 
members of the community and the grassroots that ultimately has the 
biggest and most lasting impact on these critical issues--the biggest 
and most lasting impact on changing the culture that we need to change, 
not just in Alaska but in the country, on these issues of abuse and 
domestic violence.
  I am happy to say that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of 
people across my State--heroes all, no doubt--who have banded together 
using their passion, creativity, and energy to be there for victims and 
survivors and to help them break out of cycles of violence that often 
can be generational cycles.
  Let's talk about one of those heroes, a very special woman, Cynthia 
Erickson, and today's Alaskan of the Week, who has spent countless 
hours

[[Page S2424]]

helping to stop the generational cycle by helping Alaskan children, one 
child at a time, who are victims of abuse themselves and who are living 
in households where violence is prevalent.
  Confronting the abuse of children can be a very difficult issue. It 
is so heartbreaking and so tragic that we often don't want to talk 
about it and you want to sweep it under the rug. But Cynthia, with a 
group of children she has gathered, is working to break that culture of 
silence one kid at a time. I can't think of anything more important 
than that.
  Before I talk about what she is doing and what she has been doing, 
let's talk a little bit about her background. Her family is from Ruby, 
in Western Alaska, on the mighty Yukon River. She was raised in Tanana, 
a village of about 300 people near the confluence of the Yukon and 
Tanana Rivers, where she has been living for the past 33 years.
  Many years ago I had the opportunity to visit with Cynthia and her 
husband in Tanana. She hosted me and some other State of Alaska 
officials. I remember being so welcomed by her and her family but also 
coming away thinking: This is a woman who is a leader and a woman of 
spirit and a woman of energy and a woman of passion.
  We see that a lot in Alaska with Cynthia. She received a degree in 
elementary education from the University of Fairbanks. Her family owns 
a store that she worked at, but she never lost her love for children. 
Her house was a place where children throughout the town in Tanana 
went. She had things for them to do, but it was also one of those 
homes--and we all know the homes we are talking about in different 
communities throughout Alaska and the country--that kids felt safe in. 
That was her home.
  About 5 or 6 years ago, when there was a series of suicides in her 
village and in nearby villages, she knew she had to do something. She 
called the local politician. He talked her into coming to Juneau, our 
State capital, to work for him. She did that for a few months, and she 
gathered as much information as she could about programs available to 
help children in crisis. But she wasn't satisfied. She concluded that 
there wasn't nearly enough being done.
  When she got back home, she took matters into her own hands. Amassing 
a group of children, she started a 4-H club, which eventually morphed 
into a nonprofit called ``Setsoo `Yeh.'' That is Athabaskan for ``My 
Grandmother's House.'' In Cynthia's house, kids gather to crochet, to 
sew, to cook, and to be. They glide on the snow outside in the winter, 
and they swim together in the summer. She told a reporter recently, 
when she was being honored: ``Between all the swimming and the sewing 
and the beading--we all sewed our own kuspuks--in between all that, we 
talk about our problems.''
  Why? Why did she call it ``My Grandmother's House''? Because every 
child that she spoke to who was having problems--and she spoke to a lot 
of them--had fond memories of a grandmother's home--a place where soup 
is served, bread is baked, mukluks are sewn, and a place of love and 
safety. Currently, Cynthia's ``My Grandmother's House'' is a virtual 
space for kids in far-flung villages, but she envisions real houses all 
across the State--houses where children can go and be safe.
  First, she had to raise awareness of these issues that affect so many 
children in Alaska. In 2014 she and seven of these brave kids went to 
the Alaska Federation of Natives conference. That is the biggest 
gathering of indigenous people in North America every year. AFN comes 
together for the conference, usually in Anchorage or Fairbanks, and 
these young kids spoke on stage about what they had experienced. I 
remember this. It was so powerful. The stories they told of abuse that 
they or their friends had experienced were heartbreaking and very 
difficult to listen to. Importantly, they implored the elders in the 
audience to stop turning a blind eye to the abuse. That took so much 
courage from these children and their courageous leader, Cynthia.

  When the presentation was over at AFN, it received a standing 
ovation. People cried, they thanked Cynthia, and they thanked these 
courageous young kids for at long last having the courage to speak 
out--remarkable.
  Last summer, Cynthia and 11 children and a doctor--a mental health 
therapist--traveled on a plane, a bus, a boat--we have a very big 
State--to Fairbanks and to the villages of Minto, Tanana, Ruby, and 
Galena. It was a healing journey, they called it. At the villages, the 
kids formed a talking circle to talk about their experiences. Again, 
this is courage. It is not easy for young children to do this. They ate 
together, danced, prayed together, and talked some more. Cynthia said 
about this journey:

       It's empowering the children. It's giving them a voice. 
     It's grassroots. There are so many programs out there to help 
     kids, but there are not boots on the ground [on the 
     frontlines]. They aren't grassroots. These kids have had 
     enough. They are sick of waiting for help. I tell them all 
     the time, `We are the ones we've been waiting for' [for the 
     help].

  That is a beautiful statement and a powerful statement: We are the 
ones we have been waiting for. It is a grassroots movement to do what 
we all know is right--to work to stamp out this kind of horrible abuse.
  We just learned last night that Cynthia has been appointed to the 
Alaska State Commission for Human Rights. It is no surprise to me. This 
is a woman of energy, passion, and inspiration who has done so much for 
these kids--and, by the way, a woman of courage. I am confident she 
will do a great job in that new position--a very important position in 
Alaska. She will bring her empathy, her common sense, and her passion 
to protect Alaskans--particularly our children--across the State.
  Cynthia, from the bottom of my heart, my friend, thanks for all the 
great work you do. Thanks for your courage. Thanks for your energy. 
Thanks for being an inspiration for all of us. Thank you for protecting 
our most precious asset, our most precious resource--our kids in 
Alaska. Thank you for creating My Grandmother's House. Everybody needs 
a grandmother's house. Thank you. And congratulations on being our 
Alaskan of the Week.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Braun). The Senator from Wyoming.
  (The remarks of Mr. Enzi pertaining to the introduction of S. 1770 
are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. ENZI. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                     Nomination of Drew H. Wrigley

  Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, in a little bit, we are going to have the 
opportunity to vote to confirm Drew Wrigley as the next U.S. attorney 
for the District of North Dakota. First of all, I want to thank Leader 
McConnell and Leader Schumer for providing this opportunity to vote to 
confirm this outstanding candidate.
  A little bit about Drew. First of all, he is a good personal friend. 
Drew is a sincere public servant. He has served our State as our 
Lieutenant Governor and previously as U.S. attorney for North Dakota 
under President George W. Bush. He has a servant's heart.
  The thing I like so much about Drew is, besides being a professional 
prosecutor--and prior to even being a U.S. attorney, he was a longtime 
prosecutor in Philadelphia in the district attorney's office. He is 
good at his job. He is smart. He is compassionate. He cares as much as 
anything about the rule and the letter of the law and the victims of 
crimes. But the thing I like the most about Drew is that he is a 
courageous prosecutor. He doesn't just take the layups. He is willing 
to push to the edge for victims, for justice. He takes the tough cases, 
and he takes them on. Win or lose, he fights as hard as he can for the 
cause of justice and for the victims of crimes.
  So it is a great honor for me today to advocate for Drew's 
confirmation, and I look forward to the opportunity in a little bit to 
vote for it.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.

[[Page S2425]]

  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________