John Kerry: “I thank the Chair and I thank the chairman of the Commerce Committee, the Senator from West Virginia. I strongly support…”

“I thank the Chair and I thank the chairman of the Commerce Committee, the Senator from West Virginia. I strongly support the nomination of John Bryson to serve as Secretary of Commerce. I think he is an exceptional choice by the President, and I am absolutely confident, having served with many Commerce Secretaries through the years, that he is going to be one of our best. I think he is the right person at this moment in time to be taking the helm at the Department of Commerce. It is a critical, defining moment in many ways for our economy. The challenges are well known by everybody here in the Senate, and the decisions we make or fail to make on new energy sources, on infrastructure, technology, research--all of the items the Senator from West Virginia mentioned-- all of those are going to play a critical part in defining the United States leadership role in the global economy. The experience of John Bryson in the private sector has won him broad support in the business community. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a letter from former Secretaries of Commerce serving both Republican and Democratic administrations alike be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: Hon. Harry Reid, Majority Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Hon. Mitch McConnell, Republican Leader, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. October 20, 2011.…”