Vote the clerk mr. Merkley, aye. The clerk ms. Collins, aye. Mr. Schumer, aye. The clerk mr. Cramer, aye. The clerk mr. Ossoff, aye. The clerk mrs. Fischer, no. The clerk mrs. Capito, aye. Mr. Cassidy, aye. The clerk mr. Rubio, aye. Ms. Stabenow, aye. The clerk mr. King, aye. The clerk ms. Hassan, aye. Mr. Coons, aye. Mr. Murphy, aye. The clerk mr. Scott of florida, aye. The clerk mr. Mullin, no. Mr. Whitehouse, aye. Mr. Bennet, aye. The clerk mr. Brown, aye. Mr. Kelly, aye. Mr. Sanders, aye. Ms. Ernst, aye. Mr. Fetterman, aye. The clerk mr. Moran, aye. The clerk mr. Booker, aye. The clerk ms. Cantwell, aye. Vote the clerk ms. Rosen, aye. The clerk mr. Menendez, aye. The clerk mr. Risch, no. The clerk mr. Budd, aye. The clerk mr. Barrasso, aye. The clerk mr. Kennedy, aye. The clerk mr. Hawley, no. Mr. Schmitt, no. Mr. Daines, no. The clerk mr. Hickenlooper, aye. The clerk ms. Murkowski, aye. Mr. Sullivan, no. Mr. Hagerty, no. The clerk mr. Braun, no. Ms. Lummis, aye. The clerk mr. Mcconnell, aye. The presiding officer on this vote, the yeas are 77, the nays are 20, and the nomination is confirmed. Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the president will be immediately notified of the senates action. The clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. The clerk cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 514, marjorie a. Rollinson, of virginia, to be chief counsel for the Internal Revenue service and assistant counsel in the department of treasury, signed by 17 senators. The presiding officer by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. The question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of marjorie a. Rollinson of virginia to be chief counsel for the Internal Revenue service and assistant counsel in the department of treasury be brought to a close. The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rules. The clerk will call the roll. Vote the clerk ms. Baldwin. Mr. Barrasso. Mr. Bennet. The clerk mrs. Blackburn. Mr. Blumenthal. Mr. Booker. Mr. Boozman. Mr. Braun. Mrs. Britt. Mr. Brown. Mr. Budd. Ms. Butler. Ms. Cantwell. Mrs. Capito. Mr. Cardin, mr. Carper. Mr. Casey. Mr. Cassidy. Ms. Collins. Mr. Coons. Mr. Cornyn. Ms. Cortez masto. Mr. Cotton. Mr. Cramer. Mr. Crapo. Mr. Cruz. Mr. Daines. Ms. Duckworth. Mr. Durbin. Mr. Durbin. Ms. Ernst. The clerk mr. Fetterman. Mrs. Fischer. Mr. Graham. Mr. Grassley. The clerk mr. Hagerty. Ms. Hassan. Mr. Hawley. Mr. Heinrich. Mr. Hickenlooper. Ms. Hirono. Mr. Hoeven. Mrs. Hydesmith. Mr. Johnson. Mr. Kaine. Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kennedy. Mr. King. Ms. Klobuchar. Mr. Lankford. Mr. Lee. Mr. Lujan. Ms. Lummis. Mr. Manchin. Mr. Markey. Mr. Marshall. Mr. Mcconnell. Mr. Menendez. Mr. Merkley. Mr. Moran. Mr. Mullin. Ms. Murkowski. Mr. Murphy. Mrs. Murray. Mr. Ossoff. Mr. Padilla. Mr. Paul. Mr. Peters. Mr. Reed. Mr. Ricketts. Mr. Risch. Mr. Romney. Ms. Rosen. Mr. Rounds. Mr. Rubio. Mr. Sanders. Mr. Schatz. Mr. Schmitt. Mr. Schumer. Mr. Scott of florida. Mr. Scott of south carolina. Mrs. Shaheen. Ms. Sinema. Ms. Smith. Ms. Stabenow. Mr. Sullivan. Mr. Tester. Mr. Thune. Mr. Tillis. Mr. Tuberville. Mr. Van hollen. Mr. Vance. Mr. Warner. Mr. Warnock. Ms. Warren. Mr. Welch. Mr. Whitehouse. Mr. Wicker. Mr. Wyden. Mr. Young. The clerk senators voting in the affirmative baldwin, bennet, brown, butler, cardin, carper, cortez masto, duckworth, fetterman, hickenlooper, hirono, cain, kelly, king, lujan, menendez, murphy, murray, ossoff, reid, romney, rosen, schatz, sinema, tillis, warner, whitehouse, and wyden. Senators voting in the negative braun, brit, budd, capito, cornyn, daines, graham, grassley, hagerty, hawley, hydesmith, johnson, kennedy, lankford, mcconnell, mullin, murkowski, paul, ricketts, risch, rubio, scott of florida, sullivan, and thune. Mr. Young, no. Mr. Cotton, no. The clerk mr. Cassidy, no. Mr. Barrasso, no. The clerk mr. Moran, no. Mr. Rounds, aye. Ms. Lummis, no. Mr. Lee, no. The clerk ms. Warren, aye. The clerk ms. Ernst, no. The clerk mr. Cassidy, aye. Ms. Stabenow, aye. The clerk mr. Crapo, no. The clerk mr. Tester, aye. Vot test. Vote the clerk mrs. Gillibrand, aye. Mr. Markey, aye. Mr. Merkley, aye. The clerk mr. Welch, aye. The clerk mr. Hoeven, no. The clerk mr. Vance, no. The clerk mr. Blumenthal, aye. The clerk mrs. Shaheen, aye. Mr. Scott of south carolina, no. The clerk mr. Padilla, aye. Ms. Hassan, aye. The clerk mr. Cramer, no. Mr. Wicker, no. The clerk mr. Boozman, no. Ms. Cantwell, aye. The clerk ms. Collins, aye. Mrs. Blackburn no mr. Van hollen, aye. Mr. Durbin, aye. The clerk mr. Casey, aye. Vote the clerk mr. Schmitt, no. The clerk mr. Cruz, no. The clerk mr. Coons, aye. The clerk mr. Heinrich, aye. The clerk mr. Schumer, aye. The clerk mr. Booker, aye. Vote cleric clock mr. Peters, aye. The clerk mr. Peters, aye. The clerk mr. Warnock, aye. The clerk mrs. Fischerprille j. The presiding officer the yeas are 52. The nays are 42h the motion is agreed to. The clerk will report the nomination. The clerk nomination, department of the treasury. Marjorie a. Rollinson of virginia to be chief counsel for the Internal Revenue service and assistant general counsel. Mr. Merkley madam president. The presiding officer the senator from oregon. Mr. Merkley madam president , ann bancroft, the first woman to reach both the north and the south poll poles said, it looks like i do these journeys alone but it takes great support from people in the wings pushing you along appeared helping. The same can be said of us here in the u. S. Senate. It might look like senators here in this chamber lead and legislate alone, but in fact were only able to do our work with the support of the people in the wings, our dedicated, our tireless staff. Tonight im here to bifarewell to one of the to bid farewell to one of the senates most dedicated staffers and one of the longestserving members of team merkley, my communications director, martina mclenon. March tina, like ann bancroft, is a daughter of minnesota. March tina, like ann bancroft, then connected with oregon and by attending the university of oregon, and march tina, by serving the people of oregon, for the last 13 years. She joined our Communications Team in 2011. Back then, president obama and i were still in our first terms, social media was still pretty new, our world and our media landscape has in fact changed a lot since then. Along the way, martina has done every role in communications, writing speeches, drafting press releases, creating social media content, crafting opeds, jotting talking points, compiling newsletters, pitching reporters on both coasts and reading and translating my handwriting, which may have been the most difficult task of all because i cant read it five minutes after the ink dries. All the while, thoughtfully advising and gently guiding me. She has been by my side through some of the biggest and most challenging moments of the time that ive been here in the senate, helping secure more funding for the u. S. Forest service to fight wildfires in 2012, supporting janet yellen to be the first woman to chair the federal reserve, ensuring that regulators actually implemented our stronger volker rule in 2013, mourning with the citizens of roseburg, oregon, after the Umpqua CommunityCollege Shooting in 2015, ensuring that we led the resistance at rallies and protests following president trumps election in 2016. Preparing and staffing me through the night do you remembering my 15 hour and 27 minute marathon speech against Brett Kavanaughs nomination in 2017. Travelling to the southern border together with me in 23018 to show the in 2018 to show the world how the Trump Administration was ripping innocent children out of their parents affirms. Writing, editing, annotating our offices comprehensive 80page report on the Trump Administrations attacks on immig immigration and asylum in 2019. Reorienting our entire commun indications operation to a virtual operation when the pandemic hit. Supporting oregon communities after the labor day wildfires in 2020. Cleaning up my hideaway after it was ransacked by insurrectionists on january 6, 2021. And through it all, filling in for long stretches when we were down a digital director or speechwriter or deputy press secretary. As one of our team members put it, shes unstoppable. And my staff talked about how, in addition to her communications at that moments, shes always the first to welcome and support a new member of our team, whether that member is in washington, d. C. , or in oregon. In 2017, the first year of the Trump Administration, the turnout of our town halls was with stwoerd including extraordinary. Martina flew out from d. C. To support our new oregon team with her years of experience, wisdom and lightningquick wit. And every year when senate staff dress up their dogs in Halloween Costumes for senator tilliss annual puppy parade through the atrium of the hart office building, martina goes down to take the pictures and share the joy with our team on both coasts. As one of our former oregon team members put it, i look forward to each halloween because martina would send pictures keeping state side staff informed about the best day of the year in washington, d. C. Im not sure what it says about our work here when the best day is when there is a puppy parade. She is also a brilliant writer. One of our team conservatively estimates that she has written millions of words for our Office Putting dry policy lamping into punchy plain english with stunning speed, navigating thorny political issues with elegance and grace. One of her longtime colleagues said i always liken her to a piano virtuoso, taking their seat in a concert hall and banging out mozart and making it look effortless while i struggled just to keep up. Her colleagues will line up to tell you that working every day in the chaos of the senate, martina is refreshingly calm and thoughtful, kind, and an encyclopedic fountain of knowledge rarely seen without a smile or funny remark even in the most stressful times. When she speaks in a meeting, people listen. I listen. She was one of the very first in our office to speak about the need for what has become our diversity, equity, and inclusion steering committee. And generations of our staff have stories about her quiet gestures of kindness and support that have meant so much to so many over so many years. Thats especially true of her Communications Team past and present, some of whom have been able to join us tonight. Even in the toughest moments shes always there to laugh and commiserate while still delivering the most professional and Effective Communications operation in the senate. Whether its been struggling through latenight shutdown shenanigans while she and another colleague were battling the flu to encouraging new Staff Members to offer Creative Ideas even if the office never tried anything like that action before, shes always been there for her team. As one said, i am still in major denial. I have never felt like i was more part of a team than here and a huge part of that is martina. Another said its hard for me to put into words the difference martina has made in my life. And she has continued to mernlt and guide me, always a text message or email away with invaluable insights. Yet another colleague summed it up by saying, i feel constantly lucky to have worked with, for, and alongside martina. I always admired and respected the way she approached her work with humility, grace, and humor, and more than a little bit of sarcasm. And i consider myself extraordinarily fortunate to have not only been able to call her a colleague, but to be able to continue to call her a very dear friend. I couldnt have said that better myself. Next week for the first time in 13 years ill attend a state of the Union Address without martina by my side. For more than a decade we have elbowed our way through the Television Cameras and crowded statuary hall, rushing from interview to interview late into the night. Im going to miss her next week. And then there is those thousands of floor charts and hundreds of interviews that have occurred over more than two terms in the senate. Tonight martina is here staffing me on the senate floor for the last time. At the beginning of my remarks i quoted ann bancroft who went on to say the following stay cur curious, keep learning, and keep experiencing. Life is wild and wonderful and its good to challenge yourself now and then. And ann went on to say, i always say that my best advice is to get lost, because thats when the good life stories are created. And youll always find your way back. Soon martina will be following Ann Bancrofts advice as she sets off for Southern California and the start of the Pacific Crest trail which shell follow north all the way to canada, with Ann Bancrofts words in her ears saying its good to challenge yourself now and then. And her best advice is to get l lost. Thats where good life stories are created. And you will find your way back. I look forward to her stopping on the Pacific Crest trail in oregon and saying hello. For now, though, ill simply say its with deep gratitude that team merkley and i thank Martina Mclennan for her many years of service in the United States senate and to the people of oregon. We toast her tonight with an appropriate saying happy trails. Thank you, madam speaker. Madam president. I am no longer in the oregon house. The presiding officer the clerk will call the roll. Quorum call the clerk ms. Baldwin. Test. Test. Test. Mr. Schumer madam president. The presiding officer the democratic leader. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed from the quorum. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent that the senate consider the following nomination. Calendar 516, aprille joy ericsson to be assistant secretary of defense. That the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, that the president be immediately notified of the the presiding officer is there objection . Without objection, the clerk will report. The Clerk Department of defense, aprille joy ericsson, of new york, to be an assistant secretary. The presiding officer the question occurs on the nomination. All those in favor say aye. All opposed say no. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. The nomination is confirmed. Mr. Schumer madam president , i ask unanimous consent that the senate consider the following nominations en bloc calendar numbers 520, 521, 522, 523, 524, 525, 526, 527, with the exception of colonel ralph j. Rizzo jr. , and all nominations on the secretarys desk in the air force, army, marine corps, and navy. That the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations, and that the president be immediately notified of the senates action. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer madam president , i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer madam president , i have 12 requests for committees to meet during todays session of the senate. They have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. The presiding officer duly noted. Mr. Schumer madam president i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of s. Res. 568, which is at the desk. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk senate resolution, 568 designating the week of february 26 through march 1, 2024, as Public Schools week. The presiding officer without objection. The senate will proceed to the measure. Mr. Schumer i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer and finally, madam president , i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its Business Today it stand adjourned until 10 00 a. M. On thursday, february 29, that following the prayer and pledge the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day and morning business be closed. Further, that following the conclusion of morning business, the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the rollinson nomination, postcloture, that all time be considered expired at 11 30 a. M. And that if the nomination is confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senates action. Further, that following disposition of the rollinson nomination, the senate resume legislative session and execute the order of january 31, 2024, with respect to the veto message on s. J. Res. 38, and the Senate Immediately vote on passage of the joint resolution, the objections of the president to the contrary notwithstanding. Further, that following disposition of the veto message, the senate resume executive session to proceed to the consideration of executive calendar number 518, ronald t. Keohane, to be assistant secretary of defense. The presiding officer without objection, so ordered. Mr. Schumer if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. Following the remarks of senator raphael g. Warnock, a senator from georgia. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Schumer i yield the floor. Mr. Warnock madam president. The presiding officer the senator from georgia. Mr. Warnock madam president , i rise tonight in anguish and in sorrow over the heinous and horrific attack by hamas on the people of israel on october 7, and also in respo