Wednesday, February 15, 2017

9:17 a.m. The Senate adjourned until 10 a.m. Thursday. At about 10:30 a.m., the Senate will vote on confirmation of the Mulvaney nomination.

The Senate will then vote on cloture for the nomination of Scott Pruitt to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

9:03 p.m. Senator Whitehouse spoke against the Mulvaney nomination

8:46 p.m. Senator Hirono spoke against the Mulvaney nomination.

8:13 p.m. Senator Schatz spoke about the Mulvaney nomination.

7:49 p.m. Senator Merkley spoke about the Mulvaney nomination.

7:16 p.m. Senator Sanders spoke against the Mulvaney nomination.

7:05 p.m. Senator Sullivan spoke on the Alaskan of the Month.

6:52 p.m. Senator Perdue spoke about the tax code.

6:41 p.m. Senator Peters spoke against the Mulvaney nomination.

6:40 p.m. The Senate is expected to vote on the nomination of Mick Mulvaney to be Director of OMB at approximately 10:30 a.m. Thursday, February 16th. Following disposition of the Mulvaney nomination, there would be a vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Pruitt nomination. If cloture is invoked, time would count as if it was invoked at 7:00 a.m. with all post-cloture time expiring at 1:00 p.m. Friday.

6:21 p.m. Senator Carper spoke on the Mulvaney nomination.

6:08 p.m. Senator Johnson spoke in favor of the Mulvaney nomination.

5:55 p.m. Senator Shaheen spoke against the Mulvaney nomination.

5:45 p.m. Senator Cotton spoke in favor of the Mulvaney nomination.

5:21 p.m. Senator Durbin spoke against the Mulvaney nomination.

5:01 p.m. Senator Hatch spoke on the Gorsuch nomination.

4:51 p.m. Senator McCain spoke against the Mulvaney nomination.

4:47 p.m. Senator McCaskill spoke about the Mulvaney nomination.

4:34 p.m. Senator Wyden spoke against the Mulvaney nomination.

4:23 p.m. Senator Murray spoke about Pudzner and the Mulvaney nomination.

3:56 p.m. Senator Markey spoke opposing the Mulvaney nomination.

3:43 p.m. Senator Blunt spoke about the confirmation process and the Mulvaney and Pruitt nominations.

2:58 p.m. Senator Warren spoke about the Pudzner nomination and against the Mulvaney nomination.

2:41 p.m. Senator Flake spoke in support of Judge Gorsuch.

2:15 p.m. Senator Blumenthal spoke against the Mulvaney nomination.

2:09 p.m. Senator Reed spoke against the nomination of Mulvaney.

2:02 p.m. Senator Cornyn spoke in favor of Mulvaney nomination and also spoke about NAFTA.

2:00 p.m. The Senate reconvened and resumed consideration of the nomination of Mick Mulvaney to be Director of OMB.

12:40 p.m. The Senate stands in recess until 2:00.

12:26 p.m. Senator Moran paid tribute to Ladd Seaberg and then also spoke about the Appropriations process and the current state of the Senate.

12:21 p.m. Senator Rounds paid tribute to Clint Roberts.

12:00 p.m. Senator Kaine spoke against the Mulvaney nomination.

11:36 a.m. Senator Nelson spoke against the Mulvaney nomination.

11:30 a.m. Senator Enzi spoke supporting the Mulvaney nomination.

11:27 a.m. The Senate invoked cloture on the nomination of Mick Mulvaney by a party line vote of 52-48. By a previous u.c. agreement 30 hour post cloture started at 1:00 a.m. today.

11:04 a.m. The Senate began voting on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Mick Mulvaney to be Director of OMB.

11:03 a.m. The Senate approved H.J.Res 40 by a vote of 57 – 43. (Democrats Donnelly, Heitkamp, Manchin, Tester, and Independent King voted in favor).

10:30 a.m. The Senate began voting on H.J.Res. 40 disapproval resoltion re: NICS.

10:25 a.m. Senator Wyden spoke about the CRA re: NICS.

10:20 a.m. Senator Grassley spoke supporting the bipartisan disapproval resolution, H.J.Res. 40 (CRA re: NICS).

10:13 a.m. Minority Leader Schumer spoke about the need for an independent investigation into General Flynn.

10:03 a.m. Majority Leader McConnell spoke about PM Netanyahu’s visit, the utilization of CRA’s, and far left resistance.

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The Senate will convene at 10:00 a.m., and following any Leader remarks, will resume consideration of H.J.Res.40 (CRA re:NICS) with a vote on the resolution at approximately 10:30 a.m.

Following disposition of H.J.Res.40, there will be 10 minutes of debate prior to a cloture vote on the Mulvaney nomination to be Director of OMB.  If cloture is invoked, the time will be counted as if invoked at 1:00 a.m.

As a reminder, cloture has also been filed on the following cabinet nominations:

1)      Scott Pruitt (Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency)

2)      Wilbur Ross (Secretary of Commerce)

3)      Ryan Zinke (Secretary of Interior)

4)      Ben Carson (Secretary of Housing and Urban Development)

5)      James Richard Perry (Secretary of Energy)

Each cloture petition will ripen upon disposition of the previous nomination, and each nomination is subject to 30 hours of post-cloture debate.