March 24, 2025

Routine Proceedings, pages S1791-S1808 Measures Introduced

Eleven bills and three resolutions were introduced, as follows: S. 1088-1098, and S. Res. 132-134.

Measures Reported

Reported on Tuesday, March 18, during the adjournment: S. 875, to curtail the political weaponization of Federal banking agencies by eliminating reputational risk as a component of the supervision of depository institutions, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. S. 919, to provide for the regulation of payment stablecoins, with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Measures Passed

National Osceola Turkey Day: Senate agreed to S. Res. 134, designating March 15, 2025, as ``National Osceola Turkey Day''.

Appointments

Congressional Award Board: The Chair, on behalf of the Democratic Leader, pursuant to Public Law 96-114, as amended, appointed the following individual to the Congressional Award Board: Senator Lujan vice former Senator Manchin.

Message from the President

Senate received the following message from the President of the United States: A message from the President of the United States Transmitting, pursuant to law, a report relative to the designation as emergency requirements 16 appropriations (including the transfer and repurposing of funds) so designated by the Congress in the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (the ``Act'') pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as outlined in the enclosed list of accounts, and does not include the remaining 11 appropriations; which was referred to the Committee on the Budget. (PM-16)

Faulkender Nomination: Cloture

Senate began consideration of the nomination of Michael Faulkender, of Maryland, to be Deputy Secretary of the Treasury.

A motion was entered to close further debate on the nomination, and, in accordance with the provisions of Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, a vote on cloture will occur upon disposition of the nomination of Aaron Reitz, of Texas, to be an Assistant Attorney General.

Prior to the consideration of this nomination, Senate took the following action

Senate agreed to the motion to proceed to Legislative Session.

Senate agreed to the motion to proceed to Executive Session to consider the nomination.

Kratsios Nomination: Agreement

A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that notwithstanding Rule XXII, the motions to invoke cloture filed during the session of the Senate on Friday, March 14, 2025, ripen at 12 noon, on Tuesday, March 25, 2025; that at 12 noon, Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Michael Kratsios, of South Carolina, to be Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy; and that at 2:15 p.m., if cloture is invoked, Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination of Michael Kratsios.

Nominations Confirmed

Senate confirmed the following nominations: By 62 yeas to 30 nays (Vote No. EX. 136), John Phelan, of Florida, to be Secretary of the Navy.

By 60 yeas to 31 nays (Vote No. EX. 137), Christopher Landau, of Maryland, to be Deputy Secretary of State.

Nominations Received

Senate received the following nominations: Herschel Walker, of Georgia, to be Ambassador to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Alex Adams, of Idaho, to be Assistant Secretary for Family Support, Department of Health and Human Services. Stacey Feinberg, of California, to be Ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Melissa Argyros, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Latvia. Kenneth Howery, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark. Gregory Autrey, of Florida, to be Chief Financial Officer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Richard Buchan III, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco. Derek Barrs, of Florida, to be Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. David Perdue, of Georgia, to be Ambassador to the People's Republic of China. Bill Bazzi, of Michigan, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Tunisia. Callista Gingrich, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Principality of Liechtenstein. Bryan Bedford, of Indiana, to be Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration for the term of five years. Kimberly Guilfoyle, of Florida, to be Ambassador to Greece. Thomas Bell, of Virginia, to be Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services. Lynda Blanchard, of Alabama, to be U.S. Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, with the rank of Ambassador. Michelle Bowman, of Kansas, to be Vice Chairman for Supervision of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of four years. Leo Brent Bozell III, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa. Howard Brodie, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Finland. John Busterud, of California, to be Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste, Environmental Protection Agency. Crystal Carey, of New Jersey, to be General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board for term of four years. Brian Christine, of Alabama, to be an Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services. Michael DeSombre, of Illinois, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (East Asian and Pacific Affairs). Michael Dodd, of Indiana, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Lanny Erdos, of Ohio, to be Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. Karen Evans, of West Virginia, to be Under Secretary for Management, Department of Homeland Security. Arthur Fisher, of North Carolina, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Austria. Amer Ghalib, of Michigan, to be Ambassador to the State of Kuwait. Melinda Hildebrand, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Costa Rica. Julie Hocker, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor. Michel Issa, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Lebanese Republic. Michael Kavoukjian, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway. Peter Lamelas, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Argentine Republic. Benjamin Leon, Jr., of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Principality of Andorra. Jennifer Locetta, of Florida, to be Alternate Representative of the United States of America for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador. Andrea Lucas, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for a term expiring July 1, 2030. Nicholas Merrick, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the Czech Republic. Daniel Newlin, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Colombia. Jared Novelly, of Missouri, to be Ambassador to New Zealand, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Independent State of Samoa. Roman Pipko, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Estonia. Joseph Popolo, of Texas, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Michael Powers, of Virginia, to be Deputy Under Secretary of Defense. Marco Rajkovich, Jr., of Virginia, to be a Member of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission for a term of six years expiring August 30, 2030. Luigi Rinaldi, of New York, to be Ambassador to the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. Thomas Rose, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Poland. Michael Rutherford, of Florida, to be an Assistant Secretary of Transportation. Brent Sadler, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Maritime Administration. Jonathan Snare, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission for a term expiring April 27, 2029. Katherine Sutton, of Illinois, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Bryan Switzer, of Virginia, to be a Deputy United States Trade Representative (Asia, Textiles, Investment, Services, and Intellectual Property), with the rank of Ambassador. Adam Telle, of Mississippi, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Army. Derek Theurer, of Virginia, to be a Deputy Under Secretary of the Treasury. Christine Toretti, of Pennsylvania, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden. Usha-Maria Turner, of Oklahoma, to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Edward Walsh, of New Jersey, to be Ambassador to Ireland. William White, of New York, to be Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Belgium. James Woodruff II, of Florida, to be a Member of the Merit Systems Protection Board for the term of seven years expiring March 1, 2032. 1 Army nomination in the rank of general.

Nomination Withdrawn

Senate received notification of withdrawal of the following nomination: Leo Brent Bozell III, of Virginia, to be Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media, which was sent to the Senate on March 10, 2025

Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:

Record Votes

Two record votes were taken today. (Total--137)

Adjournment

Senate convened at 3 p.m. and adjourned at 7:14 p.m., until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (For Senate's program, see the remarks of the Majority Leader in today's Record on page S1807.)