After a very contentious debate on the Senate floor, the chamber voted to confirm Wednesday evening Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as the next Attorney General of the United States by a vote of 52-47. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) was the only Democrat to vote in favor of Sessions. Senator Sessions abstained from voting for himself.
The Senate now turns to the nomination of Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) as Secretary of HHS.
Senators Tom Cotton (R-AK) and David Perdue (R-GA) have introduced the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Act. The legislative text has not yet been posted.
The measure would lower overall immigration to 637,960 in its first year and to 539,958 by its tenth year-a 50 percent reduction from the 1,051,031 immigrants who arrived in 2015.
According to Senator Cotton’s website, the measure would:
Legislative text is not yet available. Federal Relations will continue to update on this legislation and other immigration developments.
During the second long night of debate (Democrats having debated the DeVos vote all night long), the Senate, which is normally very collegial and staid, voted to silence Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Tuesday evening during her her speech on Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL)’s nomination for Attorney General. Senator Warren was reading a letter from Mrs. Corretta Scott King, late wife of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who wrote in the 1980s in opposition to then Senator Session’s nomination to a federal judgeship.
The Senate voted 49-43 that Warren violated chamber rules against impugning a fellow Senator after during her speech in opposition to the Sessions nomination.
Sessions is expected to be confirmed as the next attorney general at some point today but the vote could come as late as this evening if Democrats use all of the debate time.
Senate Democrats are expected to continue their tactics of using all the debate time, which results in grueling all night debates, with the remaining Cabinet appointees.
Today, the Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. The vote was 51-50 — a tie that forced Vice President Mike Pence to cast the deciding vote. The Vice President has never had to cast the deciding ballot in a confirmation vote before.
DeVos becomes the nation’s 11th Secretary of Education after long and contentious confirmation process.
Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted with the all the Senate’s Democrats and independents in voting against DeVos. They are the first Republican lawmakers to break with their party in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet confirmation process.
Senate Democrats held the floor throughout the night and Tuesday morning, a final push in a vocal campaign by DeVos’ opponents to convince one more Republican to vote against DeVos’ confirmation.
Here’s a selection of committee hearings that are taking place this week.
House Education & the Workforce
HIGHER EDUCATION
Feb. 7, 10 a.m., 2175 Rayburn Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing
House Energy & Commerce
HEALTH CARE ISSUES
Feb. 7, 10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn Bldg.
Subcommittee Markup
House Science, Space & Technology
MAKING EPA GREAT AGAIN
Feb. 7, 11 a.m., 2318 Rayburn Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing
House Small Business
HEALTH CARE MARKETPLACE
Feb. 7, 11 a.m., 2360 Rayburn Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing
Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation
IMPROVING FEDERAL AGENCIES
Feb. 8, 10 a.m., 253 Russell Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing
Senate Environment & Public Works
INFRASTRUCTURE MODERNIZATION
Feb. 8, 10 a.m., 406 Dirksen Bldg.
Full Committee Hearing