Leader Schumer Floor Remarks Objecting To Senator Grassley’s Unanimous Consent Request, Urging Republicans To Instead Come To An Agreement On Nominations

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor in response to Senator Grassley requesting unanimous consent to confirm 10 US Attorney nominees and urged Republicans to come to a bipartisan agreement on nominations, stating that Democrats will not move forward on these historically bad nominations without debate and a vote. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks:

Reserving the right to object.

First, let the public know what they’re talking about regarding “obstruction”: we want two hours of debate and one vote on some of the worst nominees we have ever seen. But Republicans want to pile them all together.

Some of these nominees, the people who know them in their states, are appalled that they would be nominated. Trump has chosen his U.S. Attorneys for one reason only: blind 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, because so many of these nominees are so bad.

Historically bad nominees deserve a historical response.

So, we wanted to come to an agreement to let some of the better ones through, but we couldn't. But not because of our Senate colleagues.

Senator Grassley was involved. Senator Thune was involved. We were close to an agreement. And what happened?

Donald Trump, who wants these horrible nominees, said “go to hell.” That's what he said.

So, instead of our Republican colleagues telling Donald Trump that they can work out an agreement that's fair, they said, “okay.” They held back.

And now, what's their alternative? They're ready to detonate Senate precedent all together and go nuclear on all the nominees. So much for oversight.

Before they even do that, now they want to rubber-stamp another round of nominees with no scrutiny, no debate.

Two hours of debate and a vote for someone as powerful as a U.S. Attorney – most Americans would agree that's the least we could do.

So, no scrutiny, no debate, no consent from us.

I want to be very clear. If my colleague from Iowa, who is a good man, wants to resume our negotiations – which we were ready to do, and he knows it because he was part of it – if he's willing to back off threats to go nuclear, we'll be open to having a conversation about the nominees' package, including the ones on his list.

We will 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, when we were 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, even though he has historically bad, reprehensible nominees.

So, if Republicans are dead set on going nuclear, we will not grant consent today. I object.

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