To covering live house coverage here on cspan as they gavel in eight bills today, including antilynching legislation. The speakr pro tempore the house will be in order. He prayer will be offere by our chaplain, father conroy. Chaplain onroy let us pray. Dear lord, we give you thanks foriving us another day. Use thismoment to be e reminded of your presence c1 tap the resoces needed by the members of this peos house to do their work as w as it upon those torn nation and upon the members of this assembly who struggle to see the shared hope for a Better Future in those withwhom they disagree. Fo many americans, the holy season of lent begins tomorrow d foreheads are marked this as men andwomen and as a reminder of your power to thrugh our failures all this day and through the week, may our representatives do teir best to find solutions to pressing issues facig our nation. Please hasten the day when justice and love shall dwell in the hearts of all peoples and rule the affairs of the nation
Michael horowitz testified about his report on the investigation of the 20 16th president ial campaign. He took questions from members of the Senate Homeland security and Government Affairs security. I want to thank you for all your hard work in preparing the report. Praise he receive is well deserved and i share those sentiments. This report is an important step in providing the important answers to the questions that have festered for far too long. As thorough as this report is, its scope is also narrow. Many important questions remain unanswered. Paidattention has been that the hurricane investigation did have adequate predicate. Omissions inand the applications and renewals call into question the integrity of that process. Rebuke andmatic abuses are. How the i would argue that based on what , we should beeals asking more fundamental questions. At what point should the investigation into possible collusion between russia and the Trump Campaign have been shut down . Ig concluded that
Vote the presiding officer are there any senators wishing to vote or change their vote . On this the vote the yeas are 53, the nays are 40. The nomination is agreed to and 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 actions. 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, do hereby bring to a close debate on the nomination of Lawrence Vandyke, of nevada, to be United States circuit judge for the ninth circuit. 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 Lawrence Vandyke, of nevada, to be United States circuit judge for the ninth circuit shall be brought to a close . The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. The clerk will call the rol
Vote vote the presiding officer are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or change their vote . If not, the yeas are 86, the nays are 2. The nomination is confirmed. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President . The presiding officer the majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the the president be immediately notified of the senates action with respect to the nominations confirmed during todays session of the senate. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i move to proceed to legislative session. The presiding officer the question is on the motion. All those in favor, say aye. Those opposed, say no. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. The motion is agreed to. Mr. Mcconnell i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 387. The presiding officer question is on the motion. All those in favor, say aye. Those opposed, say no. The ayes appear to have it. The
There is a good deal of complicated scheduling going on in the senate, which is particularly busy right now. So we may or may not be joined by Ranking Member, kennedy, i see as other obligations. But ive been cleared by his team to proceed with the hearing, if you can make it here i will give him the chance to make an Opening Statement at a convenient juncture. But, in the meantime, the witnesses are ready and im cleared to proceed. So we will go forward. Two weeks ago, in a speech to the american law institute, chief justice, roberts, said he wanted to assure people he was committed to making certain that the Supreme Court would adhere to the highest standards of conduct, more important, the chief justice acknowledged the court has more to do, that justices are continuing to look at things they can do to give practical effect to that ethics commitment, and that he is confident that there are ways to do that. Ways to do more. The chief justice is right. There are plenty of ways. The co