Connecticut, new york and vermont. The president pro tempore the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Black, will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Eternal father, the source of light and life, we praise your holy name. Because of you we live, and move, and have our being. Remind us that we are not adequate for our daily tasks without your strength and abiding presence. Lord, empower our senators this day to think clearly, speak wisely, and live faithfully. May they strive to do their best and then leave the results to you. Eternal god, we are trusting you to fulfill your purposes for our nation and world. We pray in your powerful name. Amen. The president pro tempore please join me in the pledge of allegiance. 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. Mr. Grassley madam president . The presiding officer the senator from iowa. Mr. Grassley id ask for one minute in morning business, please. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Grassley a fiveyear decline in farm income, retaliatory tariffs on u. S. Ag commodities disrupted renewable biofuel policies, devastating natural disasters, and now shortages of lp gas needed to drive harvested grain add to the growing burdens weighing heavily on the minds of iowa and american farmers. Mounting pressure to pay bills, to get the crops out and make ends meet can be overwhelming. We have expressed lately lots of worries and pressures that come from increasing farm bankruptcies or increase in rural and farm suicides. There are many uncertainties in farming that are beyond human control but there are other areas where congress can help. As a farmer and as a senator representing the number one agricultural state, im fighting to build Mental Health resources as an example, the grassle grassleytester bill to help preempt suicides. Uphold the r. F. S. By fighting with the e. P. A. , and to pass the u. S. Mexicocanadian agreement. These are issues are tops on the minds of iowans and not just the farmers. I yield the floor. Mr. Mcconnell madam president . The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell while our Senate Democratic colleagues continue blocking this body from considering funding for our armed forces, the senate has taken advantage of this time to confirm more of President Trumps well qualified nominees for federal service as well as the judiciary. Yesterday we confirmed chad wolf to serve at the department of Homeland Security following President Trumps decision to designate him acting secretary. He is now heading up the department. I want to take a moment to thank the outgoing acting d. H. S. Secretary kevin mcaleenan, his tenure leading the department of Homeland Security capped off a distinguished career in Public Service, including nearly two decades rising through the ranks of the customs and border patrol. His leadership at d. H. S. Saw significant progress in mit gaifting major aspects of our Border Security and humanitarian crisis, a strong focus on Cyber Security, and hard work to strengthen the department all across the board. So i thank the outgoing acting secretary for his years in Public Service and particularly for his leadership in this recent chapter. Now today well vote on confirmation of Steven Menashi to the Second Circuit court of appeals. Mr. Menashi won major support from the Judiciary Committee, majority support on the Judiciary Committee on the basis of strong academic and legal qualifications. Degrees from dartmouth and stanford, clerkships on the appellate level, and the Supreme Court and experience in both teaching and practicing law. I would urge all of our colleagues to vote to confirm this impressive nominee this afternoon. As my colleagues know, i have no qualms about spending floor time on the personnel business. Our democratic colleagues have made it necessary by subjecting this president s nominees to unprecedented systematic delays and obstruction. And so the majority has been willing to do things the hard way. Were giving the American People the government they voted for as chosen by the president they elected. But my republican colleagues and i wish that we could also be spending floor time on productive Bipartisan Legislation that the American People need to actually become law. We want to pass the usmca and the 176,000 new american jobs it would create, but Speaker Pelosi continues to block it. The far left objects to their passing anything, anything that the president likes. We want to pass a conference report for the ndaa, critical legislation for our national defense. Congress has passed a bipartisan ndaa every single year since 1961. But now its another casualty of the impeachment obsession. House democrats steamrolled republicans in order to pass a wholly partisan bill. I believe this may be the First Time Ever that either chamber has passed a purely partisan ndaa. Now theyre stalling the Conference Committee and jeopardizing the whole process. And we want to pass the defense funding bill that our democratic colleagues have now filibustered twice so that our Service Members and commanders get what they need. Back in the summer the republican and Democratic Leaders in the house and senate all agreed and all signed on to an agreement with President Trump, a bicameral, bipartisan agreement. Everybody signed it. We brokered this deal to make sure the appropriations process did not, did not get bogged down with bickering over policy issues. We all agreed to keep poison pills out so the government funding could move forward. But just a few months later, our democratic colleagues are now insisting on exactly the kinds of poison pills they foreswore when they signed on to the agreement this summer. Theyre holding up funding for our men and women in uniform because they disagree with the president s views on Border Security. They want to chip away at the exact president ial authorities that they specifically agreed not to be touched. Let me say that again. They want to chip away at the exact president ial authorities that they specifically agreed not to be touched. In short, my friends and Democratic Leadership smelled an opportunity to pick a political fight. Our Service Members need their funding. American workers and Small Businesses need their new trade deal. Our armed forces need the authorizing legislation thats been a bipartisan slamdunk every year for almost 60 years. 60 years. We cannot cease all legislation just because democrats would rather fight with the president. We wont neglect the business of the American People just because the House Committee is holding some public hearing. If theyre going to keep plowing ahead with their impeachment obsession, they cannot abdicate their basic government responsibilities at the very same time. Now on another matter, last tuesday was election day and dozens of states and localities including my home state of kentucky. But there was one important aspect of election day that didnt get much attention. Unlike in 2016, last weeks elections were not, not marred to the same extent by foreign interference from our nations adversaries. And neither were the 2018 midterm elections last year. As of now, no reports of foreign intrusion into voter records. No reports of significant and successful disinformation efforts on social media or anywhere else. By any reasonable standard, by all available evidence, the past two elections have gone a whole lot more smoothly than back in 2016. Now this wasnt for lack of tryintrying, madam president. Russia and our other adversaries have tried for decades to interfere in our politics, to undermine the confidence of the American People in our democracy. And they will not likely let up any time soon. This fight is nowhere near over. But make no mistake, our defenses are a whole lot stronger. A massive coordinated effort to confront this threat have brought together the congress, the Trump Administration, all 50 states, the private sector, and more than 2,000 local jurisdictions. Weve worked to address the weaknesses russia sought to exploit during the Obama Administration and proactively strengthen our defenses. Last week the attorney general, the secretary of defense, the acting Homeland Security secretary, the acting dmplets nmplets implets and the heads of the phish, the n. S. A. , u. S. Cyber command and Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a statement. Heres what it said. Election security is a top priority. In an unprecedented level of coordination, the u. S. Government is working with all 50 states and u. S. Territories, local officials, and private sector partners to identify threats, share information, and protect the democratic process. Now i know my colleagues already know about these significant efforts thanks to the groundwork laid by the Intelligence Committees painstaking investigation. We know about it because we have provided 380 million to help modernize state election systems. Back in september i cosponsored an amendment in committee that will bring the total to more than 600 million. And we know about the progress because weve had a bipartisan allmember briefing from administration experts. Senators literally broke into applause in appreciation for what the administration was doing to protect our elections. The story is not finished. The crucial work continues, but the progress is undeniable. No longer is Threat Intelligence siloed within the federal government. This administration has moved to share Vital Information systematically with everyone from states and localities to social media companies. No longer is interference cost free for adversaries. The administration has sanctioned and prosecuted russians engaged in election interference and issued an executive order that paves the way for additional sanctions on those who seek to interfere. The department of Homeland Security now runs a national Cyber Security and Communications Integration center, a physical war room of sorts on election day for sharing information and coordinating action. Thats a long list, an Online Platform that 200 jurisdictions reportedly tapped into last week. And long before election day, this administration was connecting with all 50 states and more than 2,000 localities to deploy new cybersecurity tools, new training for election workers, provide threat alerts. The list, madam president , goes on and on. Our adversaries are still at the door but two election days in a row now we have benefited from stronger defenses. Progress like this should earn bipartisan applause. And like i said, behind closed doors it did but in public, our democratic colleagues have not loudly cheered these successes. Instead theyre trying to use the very serious issue of Election Security to repackage their longheld liberal view that washington, d. C. Needs far more power over elections. Look, madam president , nobody really believes that all the partisan proposals from Speaker Pelosi and company are some kind of tailored response to russian meddling. Not when they transparently serve the same goals the democrats have wanted since way before 2016. For goodness sake, the New York Times was editorializing for federalizing elections right after election day 2012. Even when they liked the outcome. That was the same election cycle, by the way, in which president obama mocked, mocked his republican opponent for being too tough on russia. So lets not mistake these longheld liberal policy goals with some new targeted response to russian meddling. Election security is too important to become a trojan horse for ideological goals that democrats have wanted for many years. We need to continue the serious work that federal, state, and local officials are engaging in every day, work that is already yielding results, and we need to stay vigilant because our adversaries will not stop. So i want to salute the federal, state, and local professionals who helped make last week an apparent Election Security success, and i urge Senate Democrats to stop blocking the bipartisan appropriations process so that we can secure hundreds of millions of dollars more for the folks out there on the front lines. 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 to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. The clerk nomination, the judiciary, steven j. Menashi of new york to be United States circuit judge for the Second Circuit. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call quorum call mr. Durbin madam president . The presiding officer the assistant democratic leader. Mr. Durbin i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be suspended. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Durbin madam president , last month we lost kay hagan after a long illness. Kay was always a fighter, starting with her days in the North Carolina state legislature and continuing to when she answered the call of serving in the senate during the perilous days of the great recession. Kay was the right person to might for North Carolina when she was needed the most. She came from a family that knows service and sacrifice. Her uncle was lawton chiles, former representative and governor of florida. Her father and brother served in the navy, her fatherinlaw was a Major General in the marine corps. Her husband is a vietnam veteran who used his g. I. Bill to pay for law school. When kay spoke about veterans issues, she spoke from the heart. As a young girl, she was putting bumper stickers on the car for her uncle. Her father won an election to become mayor of lakeland, florida. While interning for her uncle, she learned the ups and downs about congress. She operated an elevator in this building. North carolina governor hunt encouraged her to run for office. In 1998 she unseated a republican incumbent and won a North Carolina seat in the u. S. Senate. She earned a reputation for a commonsense hard worker interested in results, not partisan fighting. As cochair of the state budget committee, she increased the states Rainyday Fund and balanced five straight budgets. She also helped make record investments in education, raised the pay for teachers, and increased the minimum wage. She was one of the most versatile women in her state. She juggled girl scout events, winning reelection four times, raising her growing family, and serving as a sunday school teacher. In 2008, kay ran for and won a United States senate seat, becoming the states first female democratic senator. With her familys military background, it surprised no one that kay fought hard in the senate for military families and veterans. When she heard about 9yearold jamie ensberger passing away from leukemia because of contaminated water at the base at camp le jeune, she helped pass an act to help those affected receive health care. Kay also introduced a bill that was close to my heart. It would ban forprofit colleges from using the phrase g. I. Bill in their aggressive Marketing Efforts aimed at separating veterans and Service Members from hear hardearned from their hardearned education benefits. Kay made the toughest votes count, knowing the continents to her own career. As long as it helped people of North Carolina and the United States, she was always a crucial partner. The Affordable Care act and the 2009 economic stimulus package were politically difficult for many, but kay stepped up and supported them. She was brave to the highest degree. Historians will remember that bravery. She stepped up when america needed her and today because of it america is stronger and better. We will all remember kay hagan, her friendship and that we had the privilege to call her a friend an colleague. She is survived by her husband chip, three children, jeanette hagan, tilden, and carrie hagan, her father joe p. Rifken. It was my honor to serving with kay hagan and to memorialize her service to North Carolina and to the United States in this statement today. And i yield the floor. Mr. Thune madam president . T