Executive Branch Nominees Held Hostage: Day 6

EXECUTIVE BRANCH NOMINEES HELD HOSTAGE: DAY 6

Jackson joins growing list of President'snominees blocked by Senate Democrats

WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the following statement Wednesday regarding the growing obstruction against the President's nominees, including Alphonso Jackson, nominated to serve as HUD secretary:

"Six days ago, the Democrat leadership of the Senate issued veiled threats to widen their years-long obstruction against the President's judicial nominees to include the President's nominees for federal agencies and cabinet positions. Now, those threats are real. Alphonso Jackson and scores of other nominees are blocked from serving their country, not because they are unqualified, but to score partisan points. Sadly, he's joined a growing list of the President's nominees held hostage in the Senate to petty partisan games.

"Like the scores of other nominees now being blocked in the Senate, Jackson is imminently qualified. He's dedicated his career to public service, and his two decades of experience in housing administration have been filled with success, accomplishment and resulted in thousands of families enjoying safe, stable housing. He was confirmed in committee by a unanimous vote. And he will receive overwhelming, bipartisan support on the Senate floor if the Democrat leadership end the obstruction and allow an up-or-down vote. Sadly, success, accomplishment and public service are no match for the dogged obstruction he now faces in the Senate.

"The Senate Democrat leadership claims they will only let the hostages go under one condition: The President of the United States must stop exercising his constitutional authority to fill judicial vacancies under the Recess Appointments Clause from the Constitution. This demand is deeply troubling.

"It is bad enough that a minority of Senators has prevented-for the first time in history, by the Democrats' own admission-a bipartisan majority of Senators from confirming well qualified judicial nominees to the federal bench. That is an affront to our constitutional system of advice and consent, which has always empowered a majority of Senators to confirm judges. Now, that same minority of Senators is trying to stop the President from exercising his constitutional authority to restore our constitutional system and to fix our broken judicial confirmation process.

"Presidents since George Washington have made more than 300 recess appointments to fill vacancies in our federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. What's more, the recent recess appointments of William Pryor and Charles Pickering are the most justified yet. They enjoy the support of a bipartisan majority of Senators, and under our constitutional system of government, they should have long been confirmed by now by the United States Senate.

"This record of obstruction is clear, and sadly, has spread from obstructing judicial nominees to blocking well-qualified administrators in the executive branch, and even to legislation that would lower gasoline and health care costs and grow jobs. This petty obstruction must end, the American people deserve far better."