On the Senate floor on Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) objected to Sen. Chuck Grassley's (R-IA) calls for en bloc votes for President Trump's nominees.
00:00Madam President, for the second time in a week, I come to the floor to implore my Democratic
00:08colleagues to stop partisan obstruction of public safety officials. We have 10 highly
00:17qualified nominees on the Senate floor right now, waiting for confirmation. Several have
00:25blue slips from Democratic senators. All were reported to the floor by voice vote. There's
00:33no reason that we shouldn't get them to work for the American people today. As I explained
00:39just a few days ago, communities around our country are in desperate need of U.S. attorneys
00:46to protect the public and uphold the rule of law. 81% of the Americans think that crime
00:52is a large city and in large cities is a major problem. If we can agree to put partisanship
01:01aside, this body can take a tangible step to address this today by confirming 10 qualified
01:09law enforcement officers to their post. I'm disappointed that my Democratic colleagues
01:16have chosen to place partisan obstruction over public safety. I'm here again today to give
01:22my colleagues a chance to do the right thing. This blanket obstruction of all nominees
01:28is a misguided attempt to score political points. I know that several of my Democrat colleagues
01:35agree with me because just a few months ago, some of them stood on the Senate floor and made
01:41the same argument that I'm making today. One speech last Congress, the Democratic whip and chairman
01:49of the Judiciary Committee said, quote, don't stand up and say that you're for law and order,
01:55you're for law enforcement, and then turn around and stop the appointment of U.S. attorneys,
02:01end of quote. In another speech, the same senator said, quote, our communities desperately need top
02:09federal prosecutors in place. Interested in stopping fentanyl? Question mark? I am. Thousands of people are dying.
02:21Who's going to prosecute these cases? The U.S. attorneys, 93 of them across the United States.
02:28But you can't prosecute cases if you don't have U.S. attorneys there to lead the effort, coordinate the effort
02:35with other branches of government. My Democratic colleagues continue to claim that their obstruction
02:44is justified because two Republican senators placed hold on some U.S. attorneys in the last administration.
02:53This compares apples with oranges. One of the senators relented on his hold and allowed U.S. attorneys
03:01to be confirmed by voice vote. The other senator ultimately blocked five U.S. attorneys.
03:09A handful of U.S. attorneys being held last Congress, which I opposed, isn't comparable to the blanket hold
03:18on all 93 U.S. attorneys that we're facing today. The strategy this Congress is orchestrated
03:25by Senate Democratic leadership and is part of a broader Senate-wide assault on the functioning
03:33of the executive branch. At the end of the day, we can just look at the numbers. During the Biden
03:40administration, nearly 94 percent of his U.S. attorneys' nominees were confirmed by voice vote.
03:47So far in the second Trump administration, zero percent of his U.S. attorneys' nominees have
03:56been confirmed by voice vote. For months, I've repeatedly tried to engage my Democratic colleagues
04:03to end their obstruction. I've warned that their tactics ultimately hurt the American people
04:09and will lead to lasting damage to the Senate as an institution. I've even offered a compromise
04:16where we hold five roll call votes to compensate the five nominees' return to the president at
04:24the end of March. To my great disappointment, my colleagues haven't relented from that strategy,
04:32and I hope they'll relent today with my unanimous consent request. I mentioned last week that
04:38one of the U.S. attorneys being held up is Daniel Rosen, nominated for the District of Minnesota.
04:45Mr. Rosen was reported out of committee by voice vote. He's supported by his home state,
04:51Senators Klobuchar and Smith, both Democrats. He's qualified nominee. He should be responding
05:00to the horrific mass shooting of children at the Annunciation Catholic Church, but instead
05:06is languishing here on the Senate floor as a pawn for partisan obstruction. This needs to end. It needs
05:15to end today. So I now will ask unanimous consent to confirm ten U.S. attorneys who have been reported
05:24out of committee. I hope that my Democratic colleagues will allow these nominees to get to work. Debate
05:31disagreement about policy is to be expected, but should never be at the expense of public safety.
05:39I ask UNM's consent that the Senate proceed to consideration of the following nominations.
05:48On Mock, 176 David Waterman, Iowa. 183 Ron Parsons, South Dakota. 257 David Metcalf, Pennsylvania. 258 Bart Davis, Idaho.
06:05316 Kurt Almay, Montana. 317 Nicholas Chase, North Dakota. 318 Leslie Murphy, Nebraska. 319 David Rosen, Minnesota.
06:19320 Eric Seibert, Virginia. Kurt Wall. 321 Kurt Wall, Louisiana. That the Senate vote on the nomination en bloc,
06:31without intervening action or debate. The motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
06:39That the President be immediately notified of the objection. Preserving the right to object.
06:46Is there objection? Preserving the right to object. First, let the public know what they're talking about
06:51obstruction. Two hours of debate and a vote on some of the worst nominees we have ever seen.
06:57They want to pile them all together. Some of these nominees, the people who know them in their states,
07:07are appalled that they would be nominated. Trump has chosen his U.S. attorneys for one reason only.
07:13Blind obeisance to him. That's it. No rule of law. No independence. So of course our friends are afraid of two hours of debate and a vote.
07:25Because so many of these nominees are so bad. Historical bad nominees deserve a historical response.
07:35So, we wanted to come to an agreement with our colleagues to let some of the better ones through.
07:41But we couldn't. Not because of our Senate colleagues. Senator Grassley was involved. Senator Thune was involved.
07:48We were close to an agreement. And what happened? Donald Trump, who wants these horrible nominees, so many of them, said, go to hell.
07:58That's what he said. So, instead of our Republican colleagues telling Donald Trump, no, we can work out an agreement that's fair.
08:07They said, okay. They pulled back. And now what's their alternative? They're ready to detonate Senate precedent altogether and go nuclear on all the nominees.
08:20So much for oversight. And before they even do that, now they want to rubber stamp another round of nominees.
08:27No scrutiny, no debate. Two hours of debate and a vote for someone as powerful as a U.S. attorney.
08:34Most Americans would agree that's the least we could do. The least we could do.
08:39So, no scrutiny, no debate, no consent from us. I want to be very clear. If my colleague from Iowa, who's a good man, wants to resume our negotiations, which we were ready to do, and he knows it.
08:55He was part of it. If he's willing to back off threats to go nuclear, we'll be open to having a conversation about nominees package, including the ones on his list.
09:07We'll be open to negotiation just as we were at the end of July when we were in that room right across the hall from here and ready to have an agreement when all of a sudden Donald Trump says go to hell and the Republican leadership says, okay, we won't do it because he doesn't like it.
09:24Even though he has historically bad reprehensible nominees.
09:29So, if Republicans are dead set on going nuclear, we will not grant consent today. I object.
09:40Madam President.
09:42Senator from Iowa.
09:43Well, obviously, I'm disappointed that my request has been objected to. I hope today that we could set a new direction, put interest of the American people over partisanship.
09:56I want to offer to Senator Democratic Leader an offer he shouldn't object to because it has both Republican and Democrat supports.
10:08If we can't agree to allow ten U.S. Attorneys who've been reported on a committee to be confirmed today, I'm going to make a more modest request.
10:17David Waterman is my pick to be U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa. Highly qualified. He was reported on a committee by voice vote. No recorded objections. My state needs him to get to work.
10:35I initially recommended him to President Biden during the last administration, and he was nominated and reported out of committee last Congress. My Democratic colleagues have tried to justify their obstruction by pointing to the hold by then Senator Vance last Congress.
10:57Well, Mr. Waterman was one of the five U.S. Attorneys returned to the president from that hold. So what we're, are we going to confirm a nominee who's been submitted to the Senate by two different presidents and reported out of committee twice? Seems to me like something the Democrats should not object to.
11:21Or are my Democratic colleagues or are my Democratic colleagues going to continue the objection?
11:26Now, here's another one. They've got confidence, surely, in their two Democratic senators from Minnesota. I've already spoken about Daniel Rosen, but like Mr. Waterman, Mr. Rosen is well qualified to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota.
11:46He, too, was reported out of committee by voice vote, and he's supported by both home state Senators Klumbachar and Smith.
11:54Recently, so I encourage my Democratic colleagues to send a clear signal to the people of Minnesota that they think that they ought to have a law enforcement person at their side.
12:09The District of Minnesota needs its top federal prosecutor in place to preserve law and order, so we need to confirm Mr. Rosen.
12:20So I'm now going to ask the unanimous consent to confirm Mr. Waterman as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa and Mr. Rosen to be U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota.
12:36So I ask you to manage consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of the following nominations in block.
12:43176, David Waterman, Iowa.
12:47319, David Rosen, Minnesota.
12:50That the Senate vote on the nomination en bloc without intervening action or debate.
12:58The motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
13:03That the President be immediately notified.
13:06Is there objection?
13:09Preserving the right to object.
13:11I would, with respect, remind my colleague that all three of these people were on our list that we were negotiating.
13:18And could have been passed with our agreement.
13:22Donald Trump said, quote, go to hell.
13:25You, Republican leader, backed off.
13:29So you could have had it done with an agreement, a bipartisan agreement.
13:33Not a partisan agreement where the Republicans just choose whoever they want.
13:38No matter.
13:39So, the bottom line, once again, is simple.
13:43You want to get these things done?
13:45Negotiate an agreement in a bipartisan way.
13:48Don't bow down to Donald Trump who, as I said, has nominated for U.S. Attorney and many other places
13:54some of the worst nominees, the most conflicted nominees, the least qualified nominees we have ever seen.
14:00I object.
14:01Objection is heard.
14:03You can see the weakness of that objection.
14:05Because here's somebody that's been nominated by President Biden and President Trump.
14:11And you have two Democratic senators supporting it.
14:15At least in those two instances out of 93 that are potentially on hold could go to do their job.
14:25I want to make one final request before I yield the floor.
14:30The Senate Judiciary Committee.
14:32In that committee, it's common practice to report certain nominees by voice vote.
14:38We've been doing it for decades, particularly for non-controversial U.S. attorneys and U.S. marginal nominees.
14:45Under my chairmanship, we only conduct voice votes with explicit consent of the ranking member.
14:52And we don't do them if there are any objections to so doing.
14:57Recently, I've heard concern that nominees reported out of committee by voice vote may be challenged
15:05or face additional obstructions on the floor to further derail the functioning of the executive branch.
15:12I sincerely hope this isn't the case.
15:15Voice votes are a longstanding practice of our committee and involve complete cooperation
15:21between the majority and minority party of the committee.
15:25On the Senate Judiciary Committee, despite our differences, the ranking member and I have a good working relationship.
15:32When we reach a bipartisan agreement about how to manage our committees consistent with our norms,
15:40I hope that every member of this body will respect this agreement.
15:45So this is my unanimous request.
15:49I ask unanimous consent that no point of order lie with respect to the following U.S. attorney nominees
15:57reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by voice vote pursuant to explicit agreement between the offices of chairman and ranking member,
16:08whether those nominations are offered individually or pursuant to a resolution.
16:15David Waterman, Ronald Parsons, David Metcalf, Bart Davis, Kurt Allmay, Nicholas Chase, Leslie Murphy, Daniel Rosen, Eric Siebert, and Kurt Wall.
16:32Is there objection?
16:34Reserving the right to object.
16:36Once again, negotiate an a fair, bipartisan way with us, and many of these things could be resolved.
16:42Do it in a partisan way? Bow down to Donald Trump? No way. I object.
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