Nominations

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, on nominations, in a few moments, we are going to begin confirming a slew of nominees to serve in the Biden administration that, up until now, have been needlessly obstructed by a handful--just a handful--of Senate Republicans. But under the rules, they can do that.

Confirming these nominees is one of the most basic constitutional responsibilities of the U.S. Senate. It is bigger than the interests of any one Senator. It is about ensuring our government is able to effectively serve the American people here at home and advance the American interests overseas.

For decades, both sides--both sides--have understood that each President, regardless of party, deserves to have their administration filled, and we have worked together to make that happen, particularly for noncontroversial and less senior nominees. But today's blockade is a beast of a different nature.

Right now, over 150--150--of President Biden's nominees are stalled by a handful of Republican Senators who have hijacked the rules of the Senate for no other reason than obstruction for its own sake. Many received bipartisan support in committee.

These aren't low-priority nominees--whatever that means. Many of these men and women would deal with matters of diplomacy and national security. That is what Republicans are blocking. Some of them would help implement the bipartisan infrastructure bill. That is what Republicans are blocking.

From fighting inflation to relieving supply chains, to advancing U.S. national security, many of the men and women who are nominated would be the ones who would actually do this work. Let me repeat that. For all the howling and hollering we hear from Republicans about inflation, national security, and economic recovery, they are blocking the very same people whose jobs it would be to tackle these issues. It is ``Alice in Wonderland'' logic.

There are no justifications for their delay--none. Listening to the other side twist themselves into pretzels, it is clear that their game is simple, cynical, self-interested obstruction. And I thank my colleagues on this side of the aisle for coming to the floor day after day to shine a spotlight on the real-world impact of Republicans' obstruction.

This is the consequence of Republican obstruction. We are going to keep voting in this Chamber as we work to get these nominees confirmed.

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