Recks

CS.

Nay.

Madam President pro tempore,

I rise to a point of order. This motion to appeal the Ruling of the Chair to abolish the filibuster is frankly out of order.

If the Senate Majority wants to go “nuclear”, they have it in their power to amend the Senate Rules. But these very Rules specify that a three-fifths vote is required for cloture on a Supreme Court nominee.

I read from Rule V, Voting Procedure:

“3. A bill, resolution, motion, or appeal shall pass if a majority of present Senators support it, except as provided in Paragraphs 4 and 5.

[…]
 

“5. A motion for cloture requires the support of 3/5 of present Senators to pass, except with regards to each of the following:

[…]

“(b) A resolution amending these Rules.

“(c) A resolution confirming a Presidential nominee, provided the nomination is not to the Supreme Court of the United States.”

If the Senate Majority wants to amend the Rules mid-session to accomplish their goal of forcing cloture on a rushed Supreme Court process, they should be required to follow the Senate’s established process for amending the Rules. They should not be allowed to ignore our Rules willy-nilly.

I request the opinion of the Senate Parliamentarian on this matter. And I yield for the time being.

10 minutes ago, Gamerboy said:

Aye

Whip Card.

Nay.

Aye.

Mr. President pro tempore,

For a Senator who likes to be involved in floor debates and the like, I believe that I have been relatively quiet about this nomination process. Of course, I believe that the Senate Majority Leader committed a grievous error when he refused to take up the nomination of Judge Lagoa - an eminently qualified jurist who would make a great Supreme Court Justice.

At the same time, I was not - and am not - eager to rush to condemnation of this nominee for the sins of the Majority Leader. To do so would be to ignore the importance of separation of powers. After all, the Senate Majority Leader's grave disrespect for the Judiciary doesn't mean that Judge Nguyen is unqualified, nor does it mean that the Executive has the same level of disrespect for the independent, impartial judicial branch.

However, recent allegations that have been brought to light by the journalists at NINC have raised questions in my mind about the respect, or lack thereof, shown to the Judiciary by the Mulroney-Bu administration. If the accusations are to be believed, the Vice President - while he was still a member of this body, I might add - pressured Associate Justice Kennedy into retiring.

Now, I don't know the degree of truth behind these allegations, but what I do know is that the obfuscating half-denials from Vice President Bu and the judicious use of language by Justice Kennedy do not rule out the possibility that the Mulroney-Bu transition team didn't seek to force another vacancy on our high court. If the allegations are true, and the Mulroney-Bu White House has as little respect for the Supreme Court as has been shown, I would have real concerns confirming a Supreme Court Justice that was hand-picked by that very same White House.

At the same time, Senator Bu of Florida has raised a number of important and thoughtful questions that I would like to see asked of Judge Nguyen. That is why I move to recommit the nomination of Judge Nguyen to the Judiciary Committee for a hearing period no less than 96 hours. This will allow these questions to be asked: both of the nominee to the highest court of the land, and of the Mulroney-Bu administration.

I yield in hopes of a second.

On 2/4/2023 at 4:18 PM, Recks said:

PAC Application 2 of 3 (2020)

My prior PAC application from last IG year was not funded, and I would ask that it be.

PAC Application 1 of 3 (2021)

ASSOCIATION OF CONSERVATIVE LABORERS

• On the backs of the Senate passing a Republican-led bill to take away China's developing nation status, I have introduced the most comprehensive bill to take on China, anti-American rival which is against our workforce.
  • My bill will hold China accountable, for instance by preventing them from hiring select lobbyists (Sec. 104), imposing sanctions (Title II), and taking away special tax handouts that American workers are paying for (Title IV).
  • It also takes a serious stand against their currency manipulation at the International Monetary Fund (Sec. 302).
  • I have also ensured that my Counter CCP Influence Act is docketed in the House, putting it closer to passage.
• I am highly supportive of trade schools and alternatives to traditional 4-year degrees.
  • That is why my Education Savings Act of 2021 allows 529 plans to be used for Registered Apprenticeship Programs.
  • I have ensured that bill is docketed in the House for expedited consideration.
  • I have also ensured that the Workforce Pell Act, an important Republican-led that allows Pell Grants to be used for trade schools and workforce certificates, is docketed in the House.
• I have also led efforts to oppose a select few nominees of President Mulroney, specifically an overly-regulatory nominee for the EPA and a nominee for the Department of Transportation who isn't even an American citizen.
  • While Democrats were able to pass these nominees thanks to the nuclear option in the Senate Rules, the opposition I raised was pro-American and pro-worker.

AMERICAN BANKERS ASSOCIATION

• As the Senate Minority Leader, I have tried to be a leading voice for commonsense proposals that can garner the necessary bipartisan support to pass.
  • Many bills haven't been brought up in the House, under the Hastert rule, because of GOP opposition.
  • I will use this same influence to oppose any major regulatory efforts that seek to attack our financial institutions.
• Having formerly worked at Berkshire Hathaway, I understand investments and believe that savings is a key pathway towards social mobility.
  • That is a key idea behind my Education Savings Act, which encourages investment in the stock market and other securities in order to pay for more educational uses.
  • I have secured the docketing of this bill in the House, and will continue to fight for its advancement.
• I support legislation that would increase retirement security, for instance by raising IRA contribution caps. Tax-advantaged investment vehicles are of great importance to the industry and to Americans.
• I have also made sure that that the Unborn Child Financial Services Act is docketed in the House, to provide additional financial resources to families so they can begin to save early on for their new child.

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE UNION

• I am a firm conservative in the tradition of Ronald Reagan: social, economic, and foreign policy. I vote and govern with the principles of the American founding foremost in my mind.
  • I have introduced legislation  that will enact the Mexico City Policy in law, after publicly calling out President Mulroney's Executive Orders.
  • This bill has garnered wide support from conservative Republicans in my caucus and from all intra-party factions.
• Continuing on my support for life, I have led the House to docket the Unborn Child Financial Services Act.
  • This is a pro-life bill that will support expecting parents.
• I have also led Speaker Cheney to docket  the anti-welfare America Works Act.
  • This bill will establish a Medicaid and food stamp work requirement for able-body adults.
• Beyond introducing bills and a number of amendments that have been adopted, my Senate colleagues and I have killed liberal Democratic bills - both on the Senate floor by rejecting cloture and in the House.
• Finally, I am the lead sponsor of the most comprehensive anti-Chinese influence bill in Congress.

Aye.

Aye.

Nay.

Nay.

Nay.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Mr. President,

I rise to second the amendment offered by my colleague, the Senator from Georgia.

I yield.

Mr. President pro tempore,

The partisan rejection of my amendment, which was made in good faith in an attempt to bring my caucus on board with this bill, is disappointing.

I will not be able to support this bill in its current form, as it effectively revokes existing contracts and agreements that were freely entered into. This would amount to the federal government undermining the right to enforce existing contracts, and would be a terrible precedent to set.

That is why I am opposed to this bill in its current form.

I yield.

46 minutes ago, Brady said:

 

The point of order is not well taken. It was clear both from the reference to the Intelligence Committee and to the context of the appointments, which conformed to the special rules of the Intelligence Committee, that the appointments made were to the Intelligence Committee rather than the Judiciary Committee, regardless of the lone reference to the Judiciary Committee that was clearly a clerical error. The composition of the Judiciary Committee did not change. This matter was already settled in committee, and the nomination has been reported to the full Senate.

Mr. President,

I move to appeal the ruling of the Chair.

I yield.

Name: Senate Minority Leader Daniel Fisk

Media/Outlet: Fox News

Reason: Vice President Bu's Trip to North Korea

• The progress made in the Korean peninsula under former President Bailey's watch was an important first step, but as long as North Korea has nuclear weapon capabilities and ballistic ambitions, we cannot let ourselves grow complacent.
• Vice President Bu visiting North Korea is seen as a major press victory, a major legitimization of the regime over there. It is being taken as America's, as President Mulroney's, stamp of approval.
• The reality is that giving credence to North Korea, and the reported fact that Vice President Bu won't even mention nuclear disarmament on his visit, is extremely wrong-headed and a sign of the Mulroney Administration's weakness when it comes to taking on North Korea.
• Until North Korea ceases its nuclear ambitions, until it finally stops with the saber-rattling against the United States and our allies in East Asia, we must stand firm in opposition to the Kims' hermit kingdom.

Mr. President pro tempore,

I rise to a point of order: according to the most recent roster for the Committee on the Judiciary, as announced to me and to the public, the membership of the Committee on the Judiciary was modified mid-vote.

As such, I believe that the final vote was 2 voting members of the Committee in favor, and 2 opposed.

Therefore, I would ask that the President pro tempore clarify whether or not a failed nomination may be reported to the full Senate?

I yield.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.