Mr. President, I come to the floor today concerned that the Senate's advice and consent role is being undermined. It is being undermined by obstruction from Senate Democrats that threaten to keep the Justice Department from functioning as the American people expect and the American people deserve. The Office of Legislative Affairs serves as the crucial bridge between the Justice Department and this Congress. This relationship is essential not only for the legislative process, but for maintaining constitutional oversight and accountability. The Office of Legislative Affairs ensures that we, as lawmakers, have the timely information needed to craft legislation, conduct oversight, and fulfill our constitutional duties. When we seek answers, whether it is on criminal justice or immigration or national security, it is the Office of Legislative Affairs that takes our questions and returns the responses. This function can't run on autopilot. Yet, today, the Office of Legislative Affairs is hobbled. It lacks a Senate-confirmed Assistant Attorney General to lead that office. Why? Because Senate Democrats have decided to impede the confirmation of all justice nominees without exception. That is not the constitutional role of advice and consent. That is obstruction. Every Senator has the right to raise concerns about nominees. That is our constitutional role. That is our duty. And holds of specific nominees for specific reasons at times is very appropriate. It is an appropriate tool for any Senator to use. I have even used that tool, and I have also done it on nominees. But the process demands fairness; it demands common sense. We should weigh each nominee individually, not slam the brakes on an entire Agency, especially one for keeping Americans safe. So I am here at the floor because the nomination of Patrick Davis has been pending on the Senate Calendar now for 2 months. This is regrettable because he is an exceptionally qualified nominee. And this Senator should know because he worked for this Senator. Mr. Davis brings a strong record of public service and a deep understanding of the legislative process gained from his time working for me on the Senate Judiciary Committee. I am confident he will lead the Office of Legislative Affairs with diligence, with fairness, and with integrity. He should be confirmed today, and I am here to ask my colleagues to do just that. Obstructing his nomination serves absolutely no one. Many Senators-- myself included--have outstanding requests to the Justice Department that we expect answers to. I understand that some Senators may complain that they haven't received a response to their own outstanding request. I have made such complaints myself over the years under both Republican and Democrat administrations. But I don't believe that obstructing this particular qualified nominee who can help get the responses we need will address their concerns. I also understand that some Senators are unhappy with the current administration and are using Justice Department nominees to make their displeasure known. To these colleagues, I will simply say that the obstruction of qualified nominees to lead the Office of Legislative Affairs makes it harder for the Department of Justice to engage with Congress and harder for Congress to do its job. This, ultimately, ends up hurting the American people. I am asking this body to uphold a fair confirmation process so that the Justice Department can effectively engage with Congress. Blocking the confirmation of Patrick Davis does not serve the Senate; it does not serve the interest of justice; and it does not serve the American people. Mr. President, I am here to ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of the following nomination: Executive Calendar No. 92, Patrick Davis, to be Assistant Attorney General; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there an objection? The Democratic leader. Mr. SCHUMER. Reserving the right to object, I will object for two reasons. First, a few weeks ago, I announced I am placing holds on all DOJ political nominations because the Attorney General refuses to answer fundamental questions about Donald Trump seeking a luxury plane from Qatar to use as Air Force One. This is a grave national security threat, as everyone knows. The bottom line is very simple on this plane: The President of the United States accepted a luxury jet from a foreign government to use as his personal Air Force One. It wasn't just unethical. It reeked of corruption, of bribery, and threatened our national security. That whole plane will have to be taken apart piece by piece to make sure listening devices aren't in it and be even more expensive. And yet the Justice Department didn't just look the other way; they approved it. That is so typical of this Justice Department and something that I think if a Democratic President did it, the Senator from Iowa would be the first on the floor to stand here and object. Now we hear silence--silence. They won't even answer serious questions about this. This plane should be withdrawn, and I have introduced legislation to do that. But that is not the only reason. Donald Trump has turned the Justice Department upside down. It is politicized. It is weaponized. It is hollowed out. Donald Trump and his acolytes in the Justice Department are less interested in prosecuting criminals and more interested in prosecuting Trump's perceived political opponents. This is an absolute disgrace. Both sides in past administrations, Democrat and Republican, have worked together to uphold the rule of law at DOJ. But now, the rule of law has been replaced by loyalty tests. Career public servants who have dedicated years to prosecuting criminals are just shoved aside because when Donald Trump asks them to break the law, to undo the law, to set aside rule of law, they refuse. Investigations and prosecutions are dictated by political convenience and not justice. And now Republicans want the Senate to quietly rubberstamp a political nominee for the DOJ by unanimous consent--no hearing, no debate, no scrutiny. On an important position like this, this should happen regularly that there should be debate. But with this Justice Department, as horrible as it is, as political as it is, as destructive of American values as it has been--no way. The nominee is a former staffer for the very same Senator making the request. Now, as my colleague noted, in the past he has been up there when other administrations made ethical violations and did the wrong thing in his judgment. But now there is just silence from my colleague and from all of the Republican Senators. And they know what is going on. They know what is going on. But blind obeisance to Donald Trump is wrong when it comes to something as sacred as this: rule of law and a Justice Department that seeks to enforce the law, not just go after political enemies. If Donald Trump and Republicans want to poison and politicize our justice system, I am not participating. I object. I add one more point with deep regret. What is happening to the Judiciary Committee and the Justice Department is shameful. Inspectors general have been dismissed with no accountability. Again, my colleague who used to uphold the inspectors general and praised them--tons of them are dismissed now. The American Bar Association has been sidelined. And today, up in the Justice Department, unqualified judicial nominees--some barely out of law school--are being rushed through confirmation. This is not how the Senate should work. It didn't work that way when there was a Democratic President and my friend was chairman of the Judiciary Committee. There should be no special treatment--none; not for political allies; not for former staffers; not for anyone. What Trump and Bondi are doing to the Justice Department and the rule of law is dangerous. It undermines the public trust and erodes the rule of law. The Senate should not be complicit. I object. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard. The Senator from Iowa. Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I am sorry to hear the objection. I would like to correct the one thing that Senator Schumer said, that Patrick Davis didn't have a hearing before the committee. We did hold a hearing on Patrick Davis. I yield the floor. Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I continue to object for the many reasons that I have listed. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 95 (Wednesday, June 4, 2025) CLOTURE MOTION

Mr. President, this month of April is National Donate Life Month. This month is the time to raise awareness about the lifesaving importance of organ donation. There are over 103,000 Americans on the national organ transplant waiting list. We should have confidence that our organ transplant system is efficient and fair. Sadly, my oversight dating way back to 2005 has uncovered decades of corruption and mismanagement in this donation system. It has left vulnerable patients to die on waiting lists while unused organs from generous American donors go to waste. Speaking of waiting lists, I have been concerned about the reports of those on the waitlist being skipped over. This furthers the distrust in the organ donation system. Through my bipartisan oversight and also the 2023 U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network law, the Federal Government is making long-overdue changes so that we take care and clean this mess up. The law improved the management and the oversight of our organ transplant system and encouraged participation from competent and transparent contractors. To build onto those reforms, in March, the President signed a continuing resolution that provided authority for the Department of Health and Human Services to collect registration fees from organ transplant member institutions. This ensures the 2023 law can be implemented properly. I encourage all Americans to consider being an organ donor and understand the impact that it can have on saving lives. Of course, in addition to oversight of the new legislation, I am keeping my very close eye on how the Federal Government is implementing these new laws to give more people the chance of lifesaving transplants. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. DAINES. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Britt). Without objection, it is so ordered. Mr. DAINES. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the rollcall vote begin now. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Vote on Meador Nomination The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Meador nomination? Mr. DAINES. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient second. The clerk will call the roll. The bill clerk called the roll. Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), and the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin). Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) is necessarily absent. The result was announced--yeas 50, nays 46, as follows: [Rollcall Vote No. 209 Ex.] YEAS--50 Banks Barrasso Blackburn Britt Budd Capito Cassidy Collins Cornyn Cotton Cramer Crapo Cruz Curtis Daines Ernst Fischer Graham Grassley Hagerty Hawley Hoeven Husted Hyde-Smith Johnson Justice Kennedy Lankford Lee Lummis Marshall McConnell McCormick Moody Moreno Murkowski Paul Ricketts Risch Rounds Schmitt Scott (FL) Scott (SC) Sheehy Sullivan Thune Tillis Tuberville Wicker Young NAYS--46 Alsobrooks Baldwin Bennet Blumenthal Blunt Rochester Booker Cantwell Coons Cortez Masto Duckworth Durbin Fetterman Gallego Gillibrand Hassan Heinrich Hickenlooper Hirono Kaine Kelly Kim King Klobuchar Lujan Markey Merkley Murphy Murray Ossoff Padilla Peters Reed Rosen Schatz Schiff Schumer Shaheen Slotkin Smith Van Hollen Warner Warnock Warren Welch Whitehouse Wyden NOT VOTING--4 Boozman Moran Mullin Sanders The nomination was confirmed. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Moreno). Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is made and laid upon the table, and the President will immediately be notified of the Senate's actions. The Senator from Mississippi. Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I seek recognition to make a unanimous consent request. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Unanimous Consent Request--Executive Calendar

Mr. President, today, I come to the floor to support National Crime Victims' Rights Week. For many years, I have pressed the Department of Justice to do its part to shore up what is called the Crime Victims Fund. That fund supports victims and survivors of crime across the Nation. On Monday, I, along with Senators Ernst, Crapo, and Risch, sent a letter to the Department of Justice. That letter urges the Department of Justice to ensure that criminal fines and penalties are collected and deposited into the Crime Victims Fund. I made this request because last Congress, my oversight revealed Biden administration failures. Specifically, since the enactment of the Victims of Crime Act Fix in 2021, the Biden Justice Department failed to collect and deposit more than $1 billion in criminal fines and penalties, which belongs to this fund. Instead, the Biden administration allowed the fines to be paid to foreign governments and elsewhere. Since my oversight shined the light on the Biden Justice Department's failures and misguided approach, the Department of Justice inspector general opened its own independent audit. And at my request, the Government Accountability Office also agreed to review the Department of Justice's administration of this Crime Victims Fund. History has shown that sunshine is the best disinfectant. Since my Crime Victims Fund oversight began, the balance increased from $1 billion in 2023--the lowest in over a decade--to its current balance of $4-3/10 billion. Now, those figures that I just gave you came from the Department of Justice statistics. The Department of Justice must ensure that the Crime Victims Fund has adequate resources, and if the Department of Justice doesn't, organizations across the Nation helping survivors and helping victims of crime are at serious risk of potentially closing their doors and not being able to continue this help. The Department of Justice shouldn't allow the mistakes of the Biden administration to happen again. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 64 (Wednesday, April 9, 2025) LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Madam President, today, we are going to take a procedural vote on Kash Patel's nomination to be Director of the FBI. I want to take a few minutes to express my support for his nomination and to urge my Democratic colleagues to consider voting for this nomination. Mr. Patel's resume doesn't look like a normal one for an FBI Director, but everybody knows in this Congress and maybe in the United States that we are not living in normal times. As I have exposed through my oversight work, the FBI has been infected by politicalization, and this storied Agency has been weaponized against political opponents. Mr. Patel is the right man at the right time. His career has been a study in fighting for unpopular but righteous causes, exposing corruption, and putting America first. Mr. Patel has served as a public defender, a counterterrorism prosecutor under President Obama, and a House staffer. In the House, he worked to expose Crossfire Hurricane as a political hit job that was based on discredited information paid for--would you believe it?--by the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign. After exposing the Russiagate scandal in Congress, Mr. Patel then went on to serve as Senior Director of Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Chief of Staff to the Acting Secretary of Defense. He has fought for transparency and accountability in government. I have fought for this in Congress for decades. That is the right approach because everybody knows that more transparency in government brings accountability by those of us serving in the government. In other words, the public business should be public. Because of his efforts in exposing corruption, Mr. Patel has been relentlessly attacked, as we have seen over the last 2 months. These smears began long before his confirmation hearing. I understand why he has been targeted in this way. He exposed a threat to the existing system--a system that has retaliated against whistleblowers, engaged in unprecedented lawfare against the President and the American people, and obstructed congressional oversight. Mr. Patel will end these abuses. He will restore the FBI to its essential mission of keeping Americans safe. Mr. Patel's vision for a new FBI is why he has been endorsed by organizations representing more than 680,000 law enforcement officers and by dozens of former and current FBI agents, State attorneys general, and U.S. attorneys. They trust Mr. Patel, and we should as well. I urge all of my colleagues to support Mr. Patel's nomination. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 32 (Tuesday, February 18, 2025) EXECUTIVE SESSION--Motion to Proceed