July 22, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 123 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages S4957-S4958]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NOMINATION OF MARK T. ESPER

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, the Senate's first order of business 
this week will be confirming a thoroughly well-prepared nominee to a 
post of vital national importance. Later today, we will vote to advance 
the nomination of Dr. Mark Esper to serve as Secretary of Defense, and 
we will vote on his confirmation tomorrow.
  When Dr. Esper was nominated in July of 2017 to serve as Secretary of 
the Army, he already possessed an impressive record that spanned public 
service, the private sector, and, of course, his distinguished service 
in uniform. As a student, he excelled at West Point. He served 
honorably in combat during the Gulf war as an infantry officer with 
Kentucky's own 101st Airborne, the Screaming Eagles. He then later 
obtained a master's degree from the Kennedy School at Harvard and a 
Ph.D. from George Washington University.
  In the years since, Dr. Esper has continued to serve his country, 
compiling an outstanding record in public service. He has served as 
Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Pentagon; as a Senate-appointed 
member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission; and, 
of course, as a trusted staff expert right here in the Capitol.
  As a result, many of our colleagues have been familiar with this 
nominee for more than a decade. Members on both sides remember Mark 
Esper from his time on staff with our former colleague Chuck Hagel. 
Some knew him during his tenure with the Foreign Relations Committee or 
with what was

[[Page S4958]]

then the Governmental Affairs Committee, and many of us inevitably 
crossed paths with the smart and level-headed national security adviser 
for Majority Leader Bill Frist.
  So, when President Trump first nominated Dr. Esper to be Secretary of 
the Army 2 years ago, my colleagues and I were well acquainted with his 
expertise, his professionalism, and his patriotic dedication to the men 
and women who serve to keep us safe. It is no wonder that this body 
confirmed him to that post by an overwhelming bipartisan margin. Since 
then, Secretary Esper has continued to impress. He has continued to 
earn the praise of experts and colleagues from every corner of the 
national security landscape.
  ``He's highly regarded inside the Army. Soldiers like him.''
  He is ``someone who can work across the aisle . . . somebody who can 
work with Congress.''
  Additionally, he is ``superbly well qualified by experience and 
temperament for the position.''
  Another quote: ``The nation would be lucky to have Mark serve in any 
capacity . . . He is particularly well-suited to step into one of the 
most important jobs in the world.''
  This is high praise from former Pentagon officials of the Obama years 
and from widely recognized national security professionals. Just last 
week, our colleagues on the Armed Services Committee offered a ringing 
endorsement of their own by voting by voice to favorably report his 
nomination to the floor.
  It would be hard to draw up a more compelling case than the one in 
front of us for confirming Dr. Mark Esper, and it is hard to imagine a 
more persuasive argument for doing it right away--with no further 
delay--than the front pages of newspapers all around the world every 
day.
  The world is full of serious threats to America, to our allies, and 
to our interests. Not the least among them, obviously, is Iran's 
insistence on continuing to ratchet up tensions in the Middle East. 
Having a Senate-confirmed Secretary of Defense, especially one of this 
quality, could not have come a moment too soon.
  In closing, when Secretary Esper took his last job, he wrote Army 
personnel a letter that laid out three priorities: readiness, 
modernization, and reform. Since then, he has played an active role in 
this administration's efforts to restore the primacy and lethality of 
America's fighting forces, and the success of defense authorizations 
and ongoing operations abroad bear his fingerprints.
  We are reminded every day that this work continues, and we are 
reminded why. My colleagues should be proud to join me today in voting 
to advance the Esper nomination and in putting the right man on the 
job.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.

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