Mark Udall: “I want to start by saying that one of the fundamental roles of the Senate is to advise and consent the President of the…”

“I want to start by saying that one of the fundamental roles of the Senate is to advise and consent the President of the United States. We do not even have a chance to advise the President, much less consent, because of the anonymous holds and the slowdown tactics that have been utilized when it comes to all these important nominees. We ought to have a chance to debate on the floor of the Senate, which is the advisory role, and we may find some judges do not pass muster, but they deserve an up-or-down vote on the floor of the greatest deliberative body in the world, the U.S. Senate. That is not happening. In Colorado, we have had two vacancies on our district court for many months, going on years now. That bench is undermanned right now.”