December 18, 2025

Routine Proceedings, pages S8877-S8940 Measures Introduced

Twenty-two bills and six resolutions were introduced, as follows: S. 3558-3579, and S. Res. 568-573.

Measures Passed

Diplomatic Relations between the United States and Vietnam: Committee on Foreign Relations was discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 321, commemorating 30 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam on July 11, 2025, and the resolution was then agreed to, after agreeing to the following amendments proposed thereto:

Thune (for Merkley/Daines) Amendment No. 4140, in the nature of a substitute.

Thune (for Merkley/Daines) Amendment No. 4141, to amend the preamble.

Naval Air Station Pensacola Terrorist Attack

Senate agreed to S. Res. 571, remembering the December 6, 2019, terrorist attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola and commemorating those who lost their lives, and those who were injured, in the line of duty.

Honoring National Guard Members killed in Syria

Senate agreed to S. Res. 572, honoring the service and sacrifice of United States Army Sergeant William Nathaniel Howard and United States Army Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, who were killed in action in Palmyra, Syria, in a targeted assault against United States service members on December 13, 2025.

Trafficking Survivors Relief Act

Senate passed H.R. 4323, to provide for the vacating of certain convictions and expungement of certain arrests of victims of human trafficking.

Veterans Accessibility Advisory Committee Act

Senate passed S. 1383, to establish the Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access, after agreeing to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Gold Star and Surviving Spouse Career Services Act

Committee on Veterans' Affairs was discharged from further consideration of S. 1204, to amend title 38, United States Code, to make certain spouses eligible for services under the disabled veterans' outreach program, and the bill was then passed.

Fast Vets Act

Committee on Veterans' Affairs was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 4446, to amend title 38, United States Code, to modify the conditions under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs is required to redevelop the individualized vocational rehabilitation plan for a veteran, and the bill was then passed.

VA Budget Shortfall Accountability Act

Committee on Veterans' Affairs was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 1823, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Comptroller General of the United States to report on certain funding shortfalls in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the bill was then passed.

VetPAC Act of 2025

Senate passed S. 787, to amend title 38, United States Code, to establish a commission to review operations at the Veterans Health Administration and submit to Congress reports with respect to that review, after agreeing to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, and the following amendment proposed thereto:

Thune (for Moran) Amendment No. 4142, to remove the authorization of appropriations for such sums as may be necessary.

Improving Veteran Access to Care Act

Senate passed S. 607, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and implement a plan to improve the process for scheduling appointments for health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, after agreeing to the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, and the committee amendment to the title.

Measures Failed

Policy on Adhering to the Text of the Administrative Procedure Act: By 50 yeas to 50 nays (Vote No. 654), Senate failed to pass S.J. Res. 82, providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services relating to ``Policy on Adhering to the Text of the Administrative Procedure Act''.

Appointments

United States-China Economic and Security Review: The Chair announced, on behalf of the Majority Leader, pursuant to the provisions of Public Law 106-398, as amended by Public Law 108-7, and in consultation with the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Armed Services and the Senate Committee on Finance, the reappointment of the following individual to serve as a member of the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission: The Honorable Randall Schriver of Virginia.

Authorizing Leadership To Make Appointments: Agreement

A unanimous- consent agreement was reached providing that, notwithstanding the upcoming adjournment of the Senate, the President of the Senate, the President pro tempore, and the Majority and Minority Leaders be authorized to make appointments to commissions, committees, boards, conferences, or interparliamentary conferences authorized by law, by concurrent action of the two Houses, or by order of the Senate.

Pro Forma Sessions: Agreement

A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that the Senate convene for pro forma sessions, with no business being conducted on the following dates and times: Friday, December 19, 2025, at 11:30 a.m.; Tuesday, December 23, 2025, at 8:30 a.m.; Friday, December 26, 2025, at 1:30 p.m.; Tuesday, December 30, 2025, at 11 a.m.; Friday, January 2, 2026, at 3 p.m.; Saturday, January 3, 2026, at 12 noon; and that when the Senate adjourns on Saturday, January 3, 2026, it next convene at 3 p.m., on Monday, January 5, 2026.

Simmons Nomination: Agreement

Senate resumed consideration of the nomination of Joshua Simmons, of Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency.

During consideration of this nomination today, Senate also took the following action

By 53 yeas to 43 nays (Vote No. EX. 656), Senate agreed to the motion to close further debate on the nomination.

A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that notwithstanding Rule XXII, if cloture is invoked on the nominations of Joshua Simmons, of Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency, Keith Bass, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense, Alexander C. Van Hook, of Louisiana, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana, and Sara Bailey, of Texas, to be Director of National Drug Control Policy, all post- cloture time be expired, and Senate vote on confirmation of the nominations at a time to be determined by the Majority Leader, in consultation with the Democratic Leader, no earlier than January 5, 2026.

Bass Nomination: Agreement

Senate resumed consideration of the nomination of Keith Bass, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense.

During consideration of this nomination today, Senate also took the following action

By 58 yeas to 36 nays (Vote No. EX. 657), Senate agreed to the motion to close further debate on the nomination.

A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that at 5:30 p.m., on Monday, January 5, 2026, Senate execute the order of Thursday, December 18, 2025, in relation to the nomination.

Van Hook Nomination

Senate resumed consideration of the nomination of Alexander C. Van Hook, of Louisiana, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana.

During consideration of this nomination today, Senate also took the following action

By 60 yeas to 35 nays (Vote No. EX. 658), Senate agreed to the motion to close further debate on the nomination.

Bailey Nomination

Senate resumed consideration of the nomination of Sara Bailey, of Texas, to be Director of National Drug Control Policy.

During consideration of this nomination today, Senate also took the following action

By 51 yeas to 42 nays (Vote No. EX. 659), Senate agreed to the motion to close further debate on the nomination.

Nominations: Agreement

A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that, the only nominations received by the Senate during the 119th Congress, first session, to remain in status quo, notwithstanding the provisions of Rule XXXI, paragraph 6, of the Standing Rules of the Senate, be the following: Exec. Cal. No. 241 and 503, and PN No. 415, 446, 587, 588, 593, 595, 620, 621, 622, 658, 675, 676, 677, 680, 681, 682, 685, 686, 687, 688, 689, 690, 691, 696, 697, 698, 699, 700, 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 706, 707, 708, 709, 710, 711, 712-1, 712-2, 713, 714, 715-1, 715-2, 716, 717, 718, 719, and 720.

Nominations Confirmed

Senate confirmed the following nominations: By 53 yeas 43 nays (Vote No. EX. 655), Senate confirmed the following nominations en bloc: Robert Kadlec, of New York, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Henry Mack III, of Florida, to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor. Ethan Klein, of New Jersey, to be an Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Harry Kumar, of New York, to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce. James Percival, of Florida, to be General Counsel, Department of Homeland Security. Andrew Veprek, of Louisiana, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Population, Refugees, and Migration). Melissa Argyros, of California, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Latvia. Thomas Bell, of Virginia, to be Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services. Leo Brent Bozell III, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa. Crystal Carey, of New Jersey, to be General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board for term of four years. 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. Michael Powers, of Virginia, to be Deputy Under Secretary of Defense. Derek Theurer, of Virginia, to be a Deputy Under Secretary of the Treasury. Marc Berkowitz, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Anthony D'Esposito, of New York, to be Inspector General, Department of Labor. Joseph Jewell, of Indiana, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Benjamin Kohlmann, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Joyce Meyer, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs. Brendan Rogers, of Connecticut, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Navy. David Beck, of Tennessee, to be Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs, National Nuclear Security Administration. Jonathan Greenstein, of New York, to be a Deputy Under Secretary of the Treasury. Amy Henninger, of Virginia, to be Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, Department of Defense. Charles Young III, of West Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Department of the Army. Pedro Allende, of Florida, to be Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security. Charles Arrington, of Illinois, to be a Member of the Federal Labor Relations Authority for a term expiring July 1, 2030. Michael Borders, of Florida, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force. Stephen Carmel, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Maritime Administration. Mary Anne Carter, of Tennessee, to be Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts for a term of four years. Kirsten Davies, of Tennessee, to be Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense. David Denton, Jr., of Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Department of the Navy. Jeffrey Hall, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Benjamin Hobbs, of Ohio, to be Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. William Kirk, of Maryland, to be Inspector General, Small Business Administration. Ronald Kurtz, of Georgia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. William Lane III, of Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force. Jeremiah Workman, of Ohio, to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training. Derrick Anderson, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. John Bartrum, of Indiana, to be Under Secretary for Health of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Mindy Brashears, of Texas, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety. Jonathan Burke, of Georgia, to be Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing, Department of the Treasury. Jeffrey Goettman, of Virginia, to be a Deputy United States Trade Representative (Africa, Western Hemisphere, Europe, the Middle East, Environment, Labor, and Industrial Competitiveness), with the Rank of Ambassador. Platte Moring, of South Carolina, to be Inspector General, Department of Defense. John Noh, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Chris Pilkerton, of Maryland, to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Investment Security. Stella Herrell, of New Mexico, to be an Assistant Secretary of Agriculture. Yehuda Kaploun, of Florida, to be Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, with the rank of Ambassador. Morvared Namdarkhan, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Consular Affairs). Bernardo Navarro, of Puerto Rico, to be Ambassador to the Republic of Peru. Darryl Nirenberg, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to Romania. Braden Boucek, of Tennessee, to be United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee for the term of four years. James Caggy, of New York, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. David Courcelle, of Louisiana, to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana for the term of four years. Dominick Gerace II, of Ohio, to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio for the term of four years. Mitch Graves, of Tennessee, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority for a term expiring May 18, 2029. Jeff Hagood, of Tennessee, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority for a term of expiring May 18, 2029. Randall Jones, of Alabama, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority for a term expiring May 18, 2028. James Kruger, of Mississippi, to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi for the term of four years. Scott Leary, of Mississippi, to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi for the term of four years. James Mazol, of Virginia, to be a Deputy Under Secretary of Defense. Adam Mildred, of Indiana, to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana for the term of four years. Arjun Mody, of New Jersey, to be Deputy Commissioner Social Security for the term expiring January 19, 2031. Rosario Palmieri, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor. Bryan Stirling, of South Carolina, to be United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina for the term of four years. Thomas Wheeler II, of Indiana, to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana for the term of four years. Julie Callahan, of the District of Columbia, to be Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Office of the United States Trade Representative, with the rank of Ambassador. Jerome Francis Gorgon, Jr., of Michigan, to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan for the term of four years. Arthur Graham, of Florida, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority for the remainder of the term expiring May 18, 2026. Paul Hollis, of Louisiana, to be Director of the Mint for a term of five years. Ryan Anthony Kriegshauser, of Kansas, to be United States Attorney for the District of Kansas for the term of four years. Scott Mayer, of Pennsylvania, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board for the term of five years expiring December 16, 2029. James Murphy, of Maryland, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board for the term of five years expiring December 16, 2027. John Walk, of Virginia, to be Inspector General, Department of Agriculture. Thomas Albus, of Missouri, to be United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri for the term of four years. Timothy Dill, of Ohio, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Andrew Duva, of Florida, to be an Assistant Attorney General. Thomas Ferguson III, of North Carolina, to be United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina for the term of four years. Michael Payne, of Virginia, to be Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Department of Defense. Maurice Todd, of Florida, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Douglas Troutman, of Maryland, to be Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances of the Environmental Protection Agency. Edward Forst, of Florida, to be Administrator of General Services. Francis Cassidy, of Pennsylvania, to be an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Joseph Gormley, of Maryland, to be President, Government National Mortgage Association. Timothy Petty, of Indiana, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. Tammy Bruce, of California, to be the Deputy Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador; the Deputy Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations; and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations, during her tenure of service as Deputy Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations. Brent Christensen, of Virginia, to be Ambassador to the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Stephen F. Rickard, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years. Elana S. Suttenberg, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years. John Cuong Truong, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years. Laura DiBella, of Florida, to be a Federal Maritime Commissioner for a term expiring June 30, 2028. Peter Metzger, of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Department of the Treasury. Trent Morse, of Florida, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for a term expiring May 30, 2030. Christopher Yeaw, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Stability). Michelle A. Schultz, of Pennsylvania, to be a Member of the Surface Transportation Board for a term expiring November 30, 2030. Erin Creegan, of New Hampshire, to be United States Attorney for the District of New Hampshire for the term of four years. Travis Hill, of Maryland, to be Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for a term of five years. Michael Selig, of Florida, to be Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Michael Selig, of Florida, to be a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for a term expiring April 13, 2029.

, 8903-04 1 Coast Guard nomination in the rank of admiral.

Nominations Received

Senate received the following nominations: 95 Army nominations in the rank of general. 11 Marine Corps nominations in the rank of general. 1 Navy nomination in the rank of admiral.

Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:

Record Votes

Six record votes were taken today. (Total--659)

Adjournment

Senate convened at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 10:07 p.m., until 11:30 a.m. on Friday, December 19, 2025. (For Senate's program, see the remarks of the Majority Leader in today's Record on page S8939.)