5:01 p.m. The Senate adjourned and will next convene on Monday, September 21 at 3:00 p.m. Following leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the Meyers nomination.
At 5:30 p.m. the Senate will vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Edward Hulvey Meyers to be Judge for the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.
During wrap-up:
Adopted by unanimous consent en bloc:
- S. Res. 702 – Designating September 2020 as ‘‘National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month’’.
- S. Res. 703 – Designating the week beginning September 14, 2020, as National Hispanic- Serving Institutions Week.
- S. Res. 704 – Honoring the accomplishments of General Thomas P. Stafford and recognizing his contribution to the U.S. Space Program.
- S. Res. 705 – Proclaiming the week of September 21 through September 25, 2020, to be ‘‘National Clean Energy Week’’.
- S. Res. 706 – Expressing support for the designation of September 2020 as ‘‘Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month’’ in order to educate communities across the United States about sickle cell disease and the need for research, early detection methods, effective treatments, and preventative care programs with respect to complications from sickle cell disease and conditions related to sickle cell disease.
- S. Res. 707 – Recognizing September 1, 2020, as “National Poll Worker Recruitment Day”.
S. 1646 – To designate the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in St. Augustine, Florida, as the “Leo C. Chase Jr. Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic”, and the Rubio amendment, was passed as amended by unanimous consent.
S. 4072 – To designate the clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Bend, Oregon, as the “Robert D. Maxwell Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic”, was passed by unanimous consent.
S. 924 – To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to require training and education to teachers and other school employees, students, and the community about how to prevent, recognize, respond to, and report child sexual abuse in primary and secondary education, and the Cornyn substitute amendment, was passed as amended by unanimous consent.
S. 1160 – To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to increase support for mental health, with the Smith substitute amendment, was passed as amended by unanimous consent.
S. 4618, Emergency supplemental appropriations (Portman), was placed on the calendar under Rule 14.
****
4:50 p.m. Majority Leader McConnell filed cloture on the following nominaitons:
- Exec. Cal. # 603, Edward Hulvey Meyers, MD, to be a Judge for the U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- Exec. Cal. #706, Andrea R. Lucas, VA, to be a Member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Exec. Cal. #708, Jocelyn Samuels, MD, to be a Member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Exec. Cal. #709, Keith E. Sonderling, FL, to be a Member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Exec. Cal. #588, John Charles Hinderaker, AZ, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Arizona
- Exec. Cal. #815, Roderick C. Young, VA, to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia
3:47 p.m. Senator Sullivan spoke on his Alaskan of the Week.
3:32 p.m. Senator Alexander spoke about FAFSA.
3:12 p.m. Senator Cardin spoke about the International Day of Democracy.
2:46 p.m. Senator Lee spoke about the Air Force’s birthday and spoke about the Military Spouse Licensing Relief Act.
2:33 p.m. Senator King spoke about the pandemic.
2:20 p.m. Senator Lankford spoke on the recent agreement between Israel and Bahrain and the UAE.
2:15 p.m. Senator Cotton spoke on most favored nation status and China.
2:14 p.m. The Johnston nomination was confirmed, 77-14.
Senators voting against: 14 Democrats: Blumenthal, Booker, Cantwell, Gillibrand, Hirono, Klobuchar, Markey, Menendez, Merkley, Schatz, Schumer, Van Hollen, Warren and Wyden.
Senators not voting: 6 Republicans: Burr, Capito, Hyde Smith, Moran, Perdue, Scott of Florida; 2 Democrats: Harris and Tester, 1 Independent: Sanders.
1:24 p.m. Roll call began on the confirmation of Iain Johnston to be a judge for the northern district of Illinois.
12:59 p.m. Senator Sullivan spoke about the Protect Our Heroes Act and asked unanimous consent to pass S.1135 and the Sullivan substitute amendment. Senator Udall objected and then spoke on the Violence Against Women Re-authorization Act. Senator Udall then asked unanimous consent that the Senate pass S. 2843 Violence Against Women Re-authorization Act. Senator Toomey objected.
12:43 p.m. Senator Cantwell spoke about the aviation industry and wildfires.
12:37 p.m. Senator Blackburn spoke about pandemic relief legislation.
12:32 p.m. By a vote of 68 to 26, the Senate confirmed the Valderrama nomination.
Voting NO: Barrasso, Blackburn, Braun, Cotton, Cramer, Cruz, Daines, Enzi, Ernst, Gardner, Hawley, Hoeven, Johnson, Lankford, Lee, Loeffler, Paul, Perdue, Rounds, Rubio, Sasse, Scott (FL), Scott (SC), Sullivan, and Thune.
NOT voting: Burr, Capito, Harris, Moran, Sanders, and Sinem
11:43 a.m. Roll call began on confirmation of Franklin Ulyses Valderrama to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of IL.
11:36 a.m. Senator Cortez Masto spoke about the wildfires and paid tribute to the two pilots, David Blake Haynes and Scott Thomas, who crashed while fighting wildfires in July.
11:28 a.m. Senator Stabenow spoke about farmers.
11:27 a.m. Senator Cornyn received unanimous consent to withdraw the cloture motion regarding the Valderrama nomination. The vote on confirmation of the Valderrama will occur at 11:45 a.m.
11:06 a.m. Senator Wyden spoke about the wildfires in Orgeon. He spoke about Medicare.
10:36 a.m. Senator Thune began a colloquy on the needs of farmers and ranchers. Also speaking: Senators Roberts, Hoeven, Fischer, Ernst, Hyde-Smith and Barrasso.
10:30 a.m. Senator Thune spoke about a South Dakota veterans’ facility.
10:20 a.m. Majority Leader McConnell spoke about coronavirus relief and election security.
10:07 a.m. Minority Leader Schumer spoke about the president’s remarks on coronavirus deaths in “blue” states.
9:47 a.m. Senator Grassley spoke about charges of Russian meddling in the 2016 elections. He spoke about the 2020 elections.
***
The Senate will convene at 9:45 a.m.
At 11:30 a.m., the Senate will proceed to 2 votes:
1. Motion to invoke cloture on nomination of Franklin Ulyses Valderrama to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of IL;
2. (If cloture is invoked) confirmation of the Valderrama nomination.
At 1:30 p.m., the Senate will vote on confirmation of Iain D. Johnston to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois.
