Blog

Thursday, August 3, 2017

7:01 p.m. The Senate stands adjourned.

S. 756 – Reauthorize Marine Debris Act (as Amended)
H.R. 873 – Authorize global War on Terror Memorial fund

Senator Murkowski laid out the pro forma session for the August recess:

Pro forma session:

August 4 9:45 am

August 8 2:30 pm

August 11 3:30 pm

August 15 4:30 pm

August 18 10:00 am

August 22 7:00 am

August 25 11:30 am

August 29 2:30 pm

September 1 3:30 pm

The Senate will reconvene on September 5th at 3:00 pm. The next vote is scheduled for 5:30 pm on calendar #171, nomination of Timothy Kelly, DC, to be US District Judge.

6: 45 p.m. The Senate passed the following by unanimous consent:

S. 1141 – To promote participation of woman in mediation and negotiation to prevent violent conflict

S 1099 – improper payments (as amended)

S. Con Res 15 – Oct 28, 2017 – 1st responders day (as amended)
S. 810 – bridge construction in Missouri
S. 1182 – American legion commemorative coin (as amended)

S. 1617 – naming of checkpoint of US border patrol in Texas

HR 374 – remove sunset provision

S. Res 209 – Silicon Valley trade association commemoration
S. Res 230 – week of Sept 16 as national estuaries week

Passed en bloc – S. Res 247, 248 and 249

1st reading – S. 1757 – Border Security

6:29 p.m. Senate passed en bloc and by unanimous consent the following nominees:

Neil Chatterjee, KY, member of FERC and Robert Powelson, PA, to be member of FERC.

4:30 p.m. Senate passed the following bills by unanimous consent:

S. 19 – Broadband investment

S. 96 – Authorizing FERC regarding hydroelectric license for Mahoney Lake project  in Alaska

S. 174 – To amend Communications Act of 1934 – reporting obligations for FCC

S. 134 – expanding caller ID (as amended)

S. 123 – To amend Communications Act of 1934 regarding 911 calls

The Senate passed S. 88 – Spectrum Planning (as amended) by voice vote.

3:49 p.m. Senator Carper spoke about health care.

3:43 p.m. S. 65, penalties for the sale of a purple heart, passed by voice vote. Senator Perdue spoke about the bill.

3:11 p.m. S. Res. 1616, Bob Dole gold medal, passed by voice vote. Senator Roberts spoke about Bob Dole.

2:50 p.m. Senator Hatch spoke about antitrust laws.

2:30 p.m. Senator Cornyn spoke about the nominations the were confirmed.

2:08 p.m. The Senate confirmed the following nomination en bloc:

  • #185 Brooks Tucker to be Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  • #186 Michael Allen to be Judge of the US. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
  • #187 Amanda Meredith to be Judge of the US. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
  • #188 Joseph Toth to be Judge of the US. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
  • #189 Thomas Bowman to be Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs
  • #190 James Byrne to be General Counsel Department of Veterans Affairs
  • #111 David Malpass to be Under Secretary of the Treasury
  • #113 Brent James McIntosh to be General Counsel for the Department of Treasury
  • #114 Andrew Maloney to be Deputy Under Secretary of the Treasury
  • #184 David Kautter to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
  • #244 Christopher Campbell to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
  • #96 Mira Radielovic Ricardel to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration
  • #240 Richard Ashooh to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce
  • #242 Neal Rackleff to be an Assistant Secretary of HUD
  • #243 Anna Maria Farias to be Assistant Secretary of HUD
  • #118 Vishal Amin to be Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, Office of the President
  • #160 Stephen Elliot Boyd to be Assistant Attorney General
  • #180 Beth Ann Williams to be an Assistant Attorney General
  • #181 John W. Huber to be US Attorney for Utah
  • #182 Justin Herdman to be US Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
  • #183 John E. Town to be US Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama
  • #163 Claire M. Grady to be Under Secretary for Management, DHS
  • #177  David Pekoske to be an Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security
  • #165 David Jame Glawe to be Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, DHS
  • #225 Susan Gordon to be Principal Deputy Director of Nation Intelligence
  • #166 Mark Andrew Green to be Administrator of the USAID
  • #228 Sharon Day to be Ambassador to Costa Rica
  • #229 Nathan Alexander Sales to be Coordinator for Counterterrorism with the rank of Ambassador at Large
  • #230 George Edward Glass to be Ambassador to Portugal
  • #231 Robert Wood Johnson to be Ambassador to the UK
  • #232 Luis Arreaga to be Ambassador to Guatemala
  • #233 Krishan Urs to be Ambassador to Peru
  • #234 Kay Bailey Hutchison to be NATO Representative
  • #236 Ray Washburne to be President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
  • #237 Kelley Eckels Currie to be Representative of the US on the Economic and Social Council of the UN
  • #238 Kelley Eckels Currie to be Alternate Representative to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the UN
  • #245 David Steele Bohigian to be Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
  • #289
  • #290
  • #291
  • #239 Carl Risch to be an Assistant Secretary of State
  • PN674
  • #253 Elizabeth Walsh to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service
  • #256 Mark Buzby to be Administrator of the Maritime Administration
  • #258 Robert Sumwalt III to be Chairman of the NTSB
  • #279 Michael Platt to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce
  • PN567 Peter Louis Oppenheim to be Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs, Department of Education
  • #262 James Sullivan to be a member of OSHA
  • #264 Heather MacDougall to be a member of OSHA
  • #265 Elinore McCance-Katz to be Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance  Use, HHS
  • #266 Lance Allen Robertson to be Assistant  Secretary for Aging, HHS
  • #267 Jerome Adams to be Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health  Service and to be Surgeon General of the Public Health Service
  • #268 Robert Kadlec to be Medical Director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and be Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, HHS
  • #255 Jessica Rosenworcel to be a member of the FCC
  • #259 Brendan Carr to be a member of the FCC
  • #272 Brig. Gen. Mark D. Camerer to be Major General for Air Force
  • #273 Rear Adm. DeWolfe H. Miller, III to be Vice Admiral for Navy
  • #274 Rear Adm. John D. Alexander to be Vice Admiral for Navy
  • #275 Vice Adm. John C Aquilino to be Vice Admiral for Navy
  • #276 Lt. Gen. Robert P Ashley Jr to be Lieutenant General
  • #277 Brig. Gen. Darrell J. Guthrie to be Major General
  • #278 Col. Brian E. Miller to be Brigadier General
  • #161 J. Christopher Giancarlo to be Chairman of the Commodity Futures Commission.
  • #269 Brian Quintenz to be a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
  • #271 Rostin Behnam to be Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
  • #98 Althea Coetzee to be Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration

1:51 p.m. Senator Sullivan spoke about the Alaskan of the week.

1:16 p.m. Senator Fischer spoke about North Korea.

1:11 p.m. Senator Bennett spoke about the Rare act.

1:09 p.m. The Senate passed H.R. 2430 94-1. Senator Sanders voted no. Senators Burr, Hoeven, Inhofe, Isakson, and McCain did not vote.

12:35 p.m. The Senate began voting on passage of H.R. 2430.

12:35 p.m. The Senate confirmed the Brouillette nomination 79-17. Senator Heller joined Senator Sanders and 15 Democrats voting no. Senators Burr, Hoeven, Inhofe, and McCain did not vote.

12:01 p.m. The Senate began voting on the Brouillette nomination to be Deputy Secretary of Energy.

12:01 p.m. Senator Murkowski spoke supporting the Brouillette nomination.

11:48 a.m. Senators Murray, Alexander, Isakson, and Tester spoke supporting H.R. 2430.

11:48 a.m. The Senate resumed consideration of Executive Calendar #103, Dan R. Brouillette, of Texas, to be Deputy Secretary of Energy.

11:47 a.m. Senator Donnelly spoke supporting S. 204.

11:41 a.m. Senator Johnson asked u.c. the Senate proceed to consideration of S. 204, a bill to authorize the use of unapproved medical products by patients diagnosed with a terminal illness in accordance with state law as amended (Johnson-Donnelly amend) and passed.

11:40 a.m. Senator Alexander asked u.c. that following the disposition of the nomination the Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 2430, all postcloture time be expired and the motion to proceed be agreed to and following use or yielding back of time the Senate vote on adoption of the bill. Senator Alexander asked u.c. that the Senate proceed to S. 581, a bill to include information concerning a patient’s opioid addiction in certain medical records. Senator Alexander asked u.c. to consider S. 1052, a bill to strengthen the use of patient experience data within the benefit risk framework for approval of new drugs.

11:35 a.m. The Senate invoked cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. by a vote of 96-1. Senator Sanders voted no. Senators Burr, Inhofe, and McCain did not vote.

10:59 a.m. The Senate began voting on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R.2430.

10:41 a.m. Senator Collins spoke about the FDA User Fees bill.

10:30 a.m. Senator Schumer spoke about nominations and taxes.

10:08 a.m. Senator Durbin spoke about for-profit colleges.

10:02 a.m. Majority Leader McConnell spoke about nominations, veterans, and the FDA User Fee bill.

****

The Senate will convene at 10:00 AM. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R.2430, FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017, with the time until 11:00 AM equally divided between the two Leaders or their designees.

If no agreement is reached, under the regular order, at approximately 11:00 AM, the Senate will proceed to a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R.2430.

Further, at 12:00 PM  the Senate will proceed to a roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #103, Dan R. Brouillette, of Texas, to be Deputy Secretary of Energy.