Unanimous Consent Request -- Executive Calendar

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRASSLEY. Reserving the right to object--and I will object--I wish to remind my colleagues of a couple important points.

First, over the last several weeks some of my colleagues in the majority have expressed frustration because some of the nominees they support haven't been brought up for a final vote. I must say this is quite surprising to me.

As everyone knows, late last year the Senate Democrats invoked the so-called nuclear option. The stated reason for doing so of course was to strip the minority of our ability to stop any judicial or executive nominees on the floor. In fact, just before invoking the so-called nuclear option, here is what the majority leader said about it:

The change we propose today would ensure executive and judicial nominations an up or down vote on confirmation--yes or no.

The rule change will make cloture for all nominations other than the Supreme Court a majority threshold vote--yes or no.

Of course, 52 Democrats voted to take this unprecedented step, which tossed aside two centuries of Senate history and tradition, even though this President has an outstanding record of getting his nominations confirmed. In fact, prior to the President's attempt to fill the DC Circuit with judges they didn't need, the Senate had confirmed 215 of the President's judicial nominees, rejecting only 2. That is more than a 99-percent approval rating of the President's nominees.

Notwithstanding that record, however, the majority voted to cut the minority out of the process on the floor. I note there was bipartisan opposition to what the majority leader tried to accomplish. Three Democrats voted against it. I have to give credit to the Senator from Arkansas who has made this unanimous consent to be one of those who thought the minority should not be cut out of the process.

The bottom line is that under the precedent 52 Democrats voted to establish, the majority leader now can bring up at any time these nominations for a vote on the floor whenever he decides to do it. If he did, the nominees would be confirmed within no more than 2 hours of debate.

So the minority simply has no ability to stop anyone from getting a vote. There is no filibuster of any nominees anymore, which is the whole point of what the majority chose to do in November.

I object to this unanimous consent and respectfully suggest that any Senator--including the Senator from Arkansas--discuss the matter with the one individual who has the ability to bypass the minority in that matter, and that happens to be the one Senator who is the majority leader of the Senate.

I do object, and I yield the floor.

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