Cenex. Executive nominations are on the agenda for today with consideration of Steven Andrew angle to the assistant attorney general. First, a vote to debate and a final vote is scheduled for 5 3. Life to the floor of the u. S. Senate here on cspan2. The president pro tempore the president pro tempore the senate will come to order. The chaplain dr. Barry black will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. O god, you are our god. Keep our lawmakers composed please draw near to all who are affected by the violence in your house of worship in Sutherland Springs, texas. Comfort those who mourn. Bring healing to the injured. And shower your mercy upon us all. Lord, keep our lawmakers composed even in lifes storms. May they acknowledge their need of your power, your wisdom and your might. May they run towards lifes challenges and hardships, knowing that they are never alone. Satisfy their souls with good things and transform the mundane into the meaningful. Lord, purify their hearts, creating within them a hunger and thirst for righteousness. Reveal to them your plans for their wellbeing, providing them with a future and a hope. We pray in your loving name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The presiding officer under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. Morning business is closed. Under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the engel nomination, which the clerk will report. The clerk nomination, department of justice, Steven Andrew engel of the district of columbia to be an assistant attorney general. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President. The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask consent that the order of november 2, which notwithstanding rule 22, be modified to have all executive session cloture motions ripen following the disposition of the gibson nomination. Further, that if cloture is invoked on the engel nomination, the time postcloture be counted as if invoked at 5 30 on monday. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell most to most americans, church is a place of worship and love, a place where the faithful go to feel mercy and compassion. Which is why what happened in texas yesterday is so difficult for many to comprehend. Why would an individual do this . Families lost so much. Our hearts go out to them in this time of untold grief. Our gratitude also goes out to the civilians and First Responders who answer the call when others are in need. As we continue to learn the details of yesterdays tragic n events, i, along with all members of the senate, will keep the victims of this tragedy and their families in our prayers. Now, on a completely different matter, last monday, i said the senate would confirm four excellent judicial nominees by the end of the week. Thats just what we did. Amy barrett, confirmed. Joan larsen, confirmed. Allison eid, confirmed. Stephanos bibas, confirmed. After eight years of a president who selected judges based upon an ideological litmus test designed to find nominees who favor certain groups or individuals over others, we now have a president who is sending over nominees who will ensure that the judiciary is actually living up to the role we expect in our democracy. Treating everyone equally, giving every litigant a fair shake, applying the law as its actually written, not as a judge wishes it might be. The four Circuit Court nominees the Senate Confirmed last week will do just that. Democrats have put up a lot of procedural roadblocks to prevent the senate from moving forward all year. We have moved ahead anyway. As a result, despite all the obstacles from the other side, were making significant progress. Of course, none of this would be possible without the hard work and notable leadership of Judiciary Committee chairman juk grassley, and i want to thank him again for everything hes done. Were not finished yesterday. Were going to keep pressing forward on judicial nominees. Were going to keep confirming the other nominees before us as well. This week, the senate will consider some of President Trumps other qualified nominees for various positions throughout the federal government. Each of these individuals will help lead their agencies to fulfill their particular mission in running the government. First, we will advance the nomination of steven engel to serve as assistant attorney general for the office of legal counsel. Mr. Engel has previously worked in the o. L. C. , having done so under president bush. He has also served as Deputy Assistant attorney general and counsel to the assistant attorney general. He obviously has a lot of experience advising senior policymakers on a wide variety of legal issues facing the executive branch. Thats good, because the role he has been nominated to has the responsibility for providing legal advice to the executive branch on all constitutional questions and reviewing pending legislation for constitutionality. I look forward to advancing mr. Engels nomination tomorrow so that he can begin putting his experience to work for our country as soon as possible. Then well turn to the various other nominees before us so they can begin doing the same. Confirming the president s nominees is an important part of the senates business, and i urge all of our colleagues to Work Together so we can get this done. Now, on one final matter. Today our colleagues on the house ways and Means Committee begin marking up the tax reform legislation they unveiled last week. Under chairman bradys leadership, the committee is continuing its work to get our economy reaching again for its true potential. This is yet more momentum for our countrys once in a Generation Opportunity to update our tax system, deliver relief to hardworking American Families and get our economy to create more opportunities and more prosperity. Under chairman hatchs leadership, the Senate Finance committee has continued to move forward on its own legislation to increase opportunity and to provide more takehome pay for American Families. In an open process through regular order, members of the committee will continue to have input and writing of this tax reform legislation. So both chambers are working with the president and his team to overhaul our countrys complex and outdated tax system. Were united around a commonsense set of goals. Make taxes lower, simpler, fairer. Take more money out of washingtons pockets and put more money in the pockets of americas middle class. Level the Playing Field for American Workers and businesses so they can compete against foreign competitors on an equal footing. And not only create more jobs in america but keep them here, too. These are goals shared by so many across our country, regardless of party. Its time to deliver real tax relief for hardworking families, and were going to keep working together to do just that. I have suggest the absence of a quorum. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call a senator mr. President. The presiding officer the senator for new york. Mrs. Gillibrand i ask unanimous consent to vitiate the quorum call. The presiding officer without objection. Mrs. Gillibrand mr. President , i rise to speak about the mass shooting in texas yesterday. The latest mass shooting in what seems like a neverending gun violence in our country. My heartbreaks for the victims and their families and for the community of Sutherland Springs in texas. We are still gathering all the facts about this specific crime. We are still learning about what happened, how this murderer was able to purchase a gun, whatever his twisted rationale was for walking into a house of worship in a small town and slaughtering more than 20 people, including Young Children, with an assault weapon. Our incredible Law Enforcement officials are working hard to answer all of that. But the most important fact of all is something we already know very well. This is yet another case where someone on american soil who had absolutely no business getting his hands on a weapon of war was able to get one and use it to commit heinous mass murder. Of the five worst Mass Shootings in our history, three of them have occurred in just the past 17 months. Think about that. In a small town america, nearly 7 of the towns population was slaughtered just because they went to church that day. The weapon he used was based on a military weapon designed for a war zone, but this was not a war zone. It was a church. People were singing and praying and savoring life. I reject the notion that it is too soon to act. If not now, then when . We should ban assault weapons and bump stocks today. People who dont want to have an honest conversation say we need to wait, well for how long . Because we wait, we wait, and we will see evil rear its ugly head over and over again, and we are told to wait again. We have enough information today for congress to do its job and try to keep our constituents safe from gun violence. We had enough information before yesterday to act. But what congress does not have is the political will to act. My friends, this must change. Thoughts and prayers are not going to stop the next mass shooting. Merely talking about something, something for the mentally ill to obtain guns isnt going to stop the next deranged person with hate in their soul from committing yet another mass murder. And the Second Amendment does not mean that americans should have to risk getting shot because they walk down the wrong street in a city or decided to go to a Music Festival in las vegas or a nightclub in orlando or an Elementary School in newtown, or a Movie Theater in aurora, or a church on sunday in texas. After each of these horrific acts of violence, what happened here in congress . Nothing. More than a month after las vegas, we still cant even tackle the most obvious fixes, like banning bump stocks. Plain and simple, americans are being slaughtered and congress is refusing to protect them. And i hear my colleagues who rightly say we cant pass laws after every incident of a deranged gunman who wants to kill nbt men, women and children like our other laws wont necessarily stop instances of crime but there is no excuse for not trying. Everyone in this chamber knows that a shooting in a church is something that should never happen in this country. Mr. President , i think you would agree with that. I think everyone who serves in this chamber would agree with that. So then why arent we doing anything to stop this violence . Why arent we making it harder for a crazed, evil person to get their hands on a weapon of war . It makes me wonder what our colleagues are waiting for. Are they waiting for the n. R. A. To come in and give them cover and tell them its okay to act . Are they waiting for the n. R. A. To give them permission to stand up and do something . If the n. R. A. Said today Assault Rifles or bump stocks should be banned, it would be done tomorrow. That is the sad truth of this place. But we know the n. R. A. Wont say that because they want to keep selling these weapons of war to anyone who is willing to buy them, no matter how unsafe it makes it for the rest of us. Congress has caved in over and over again to the enormous pressure by the n. R. A. And the gun industry which just wants to protect their profits and has ignored the vast majority of americans. Gun owners and nongun owners alike who support commonsense measures to keep their fellow americans safe. These mass slaughters continue, and congress has done nothing. Absolutely nothing. To me, this is a monumental failure of leadership, and its no wonder that gun violence and Mass Shootings happen here at a higher rate than any other developed country in the world. This has to change. Its not enough to solve the individual crime after the fact. We have to take meaningful, real action to prevent the next one. This is what has to happen. And, mr. President , to those who doubt that congress can actually get something done, we already know that depending on the motivation, depending on whom congress is actually listening to, congress is fully capable of moving quickly to enact change. Instead of acting like its hands are tied and refusing to do anything, which is what is happening right now, far more often than not, Congress Listens to the special interests instead of the people who actually elect them to keep them safe. Listen to the shameful state of our gun laws now and tell me if you think these laws came about because families in our states demanded them or was it because the n. R. A. Demanded them . Congress has turned a collective back on strengthening and expanding our National Background check system. We should be fixing the holes in the system, whatever necessary. Not just shrugging our shoulders and saying theres nothing that can be done. Who do you think demanded that we dont fix the background check system . Was it families in your state or was it the n. R. A. . Congress refuses to ban high magazine, high capacity magazines which are literally made for war and let killers fire dozen of rounds without having to stop and reload. Who do you think demanded that . Families or the n. R. A. . Congress still refuses to ban assault weapons which are designed for war, designed to kill as many people as possible, as rapidly as possible. But are given different names so they can be sold in a civilian world. Who do you think demanded that . Our families or the n. R. A. . Congress is on the verge of passing legislation to make it easier right now for killers do buy suppressers, known by many of us as silencers, to attach to their weapons and make it harder for the police to do their jobs and catch violent criminals. And who do you think demanded that . Certainly not the police. Not our families. The n. R. A. Congress is dragging its feet on banning bump stocks, the inexpensive piece of equipment that the killer in las vegas used to turn its already powerful firearm into an automatic weapon capable of firing hundreds of rounds per minute. Who do you think demanded that . Families or the n. R. A. . Just this february, congress overturned a rule that had prevented people who were so incapacitated that they could no longer handle their own finances from getting their hands on a gun. Who do you think demanded that . Families or the n. R. A. . Congress even went so far as to pass a law that blocked the centers for Disease Control from studying from studying the issue of gun deaths the way that theyre allowed to study any other cause of death in this country. Why . Because its an attempt to hide the overwhelming data showing that keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people would decrease gun crime. Who do you think demanded that . Who do you think demanded that, that congress suppress the facts and the alarming data about gun violence . Do you think it was families or the n. R. A. . Mr. President , this really has to change. Congress needs to start protecting the people that we were elected to represent. Their voices matter, and it really, it really does matter who you are listening to. Their voices matter, and they must be heard. We must listen and enact change that actually would help to keep our states safer from gun violence. We are the ones that need to act. We cant ignore our responsibility to keep our country safe from this kind of violence. And to all the people who are watching us right now, i would say this. After all of these massacres, Pay Attention to what your elected leaders are saying. Pay attention to what they are actually doing. Watch how they react. Look closely at how they use their time here. Listen to what they say or dont say. After these Mass Shootings, did they tell you that we were going to bow our heads for a moment of silence and leave it there . Or did they tell you that we were going to fight with every bit of energy to break, to actually fix these broken gun laws and protect american citizens . Democracy only works when regular people stand up and demand action. I urge everyone listening today to demand that action to hold elected leaders accountable and to ask them to pass meaningful gun reform now. I yield the floor. Mr. Cornyn mr. President. The presiding officer the senator from texas. Mr. Cornyn mr. President , today we join the stunned community of Sutherland Springs, texas, a small town near stoant, in mourning the near san antonio in mourning the loss of too many innocent lives. One innocent life is too many. I listened to the impassioned comments of our colleague from new york, asking us to do something. But i actually think its important that we understand exactly what did happen and that once the fog of this terrible tragic event lifts, after the Law Enforcement agencies can do the appropriate investigation, then i think it is appropriate for us to say what could we do consistent with the constitution and laws of the United States, what could we do to make Something Like this less likely. I wish i was optimistic that there was some magic wand we could wave and that we could prevent terrible tragedies like this, but in a free and open society, unfortunately we dont have that magic wand. On the other hand, we have arrived at a consensus, i think, in this country that background checks, for example, are appropriate for people suffering from Mental Illness, people who committed previous felonies, those people are banned from possessing or purchasing firearms. And there is a consensus that they should be. There are some early reports t