John Hoeven

Mr. President, I rise today in support of Judge Daniel Traynor's nomination to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Judge Traynor is seeking to fill a seat being vacated by Judge Ralph Erickson, who will be taking senior status upon Judge Traynor's confirmation. I want to take this opportunity to thank Judge Erickson for his many years of serving on the bench. Whether at the State district court, the Federal district court, or as a circuit court judge, Ralph Erickson has been a dedicated public servant, and we thank him for his hard work over the decades.

Mr. President, I rise today to highlight and ask unanimous consent to pass a resolution I introduced to call for greater action from the Canadian Government to fight the almost annual wildfires that send smoke over the border, blanketing much of the United States. Over the past several days, more than 100 million people nationwide have been under air quality alerts due to the smoke from Canadian wildfires. This smoke has real impacts to the health and well-being of individuals and families. In my home State of North Dakota, this is an issue we are very familiar with.