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Floor Speech
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Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, Senate Democrats continue to dutifully advance the Biden administration's radical nominees.
This week, the Senate will decide whether to give yet another leftwing lawyer a lifetime appointment to the Federal bench: Natasha Merle, who is an activist lawyer with a penchant for staking out extreme and inflammatory positions that are thoroughly divorced from reality. For example, she attacked widely popular election integrity measures, claiming ``it's inconsistent to denounce White supremacy but not repudiate voter ID laws.''
Alongside the self-proclaimed ``wild-eyed leftist'' Democrats just confirmed to the bench last week, Ms. Merle went after the State of Alabama for daring to verify the identities of people who cast ballots in elections. Meanwhile, Ms. Merle has found time to attack what she calls ``unfounded yet repeated public assertions that there is a widespread lack of respect for law enforcement'' and criticize efforts to promote law and order as ``an illegal attempt to advance a false narrative that law enforcement was being attacked.''
Well, Madam President, President Biden's first year in office saw the largest number of law enforcement deaths in the line of duty in 20 years. But Ms. Merle doesn't appear to like grappling with facts that don't suit her narrative. Normally, a record like this would be shockingly disqualifying, but under the Biden administration, it is not an outlier. It is an essential qualification.
Unfortunately, the President's affinity for radical nominees applies to folks already on the job as well. Last week, Democrats on the EPW Committee rammed through the nomination of Jeffery Baran to another term as Commissioner at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Mr. Baran already has an extensive record as the NRC's resident liberal obstructionist. While his colleagues collaborate on regulatory frameworks that encourage safe and efficient energy production, this nominee prides himself on being a stick in the mud.
Even leading climate activists understand that Mr. Baran's dedication to hindering nuclear development ``harm[s] the environment in the process.'' They know that reducing carbon emissions means embracing safe nuclear energy. Mr. Baran, however, does not.
At every opportunity, this nominee has opposed commonsense efforts to revise regulations and keep pace with the smaller and more affordable nuclear technologies of the future. He has shown that his blanket antinuclear approach is both a tired relic and an active obstruction to American prosperity.
So no wonder even some Senate Democrats are thinking twice about rubberstamping Mr. Baran's nomination. I would urge each of our colleagues to oppose it.
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