Chuck Grassley

I always welcome the opportunity to have oversight of the Justice Department.

Twenty-five percent of the Federal prisoners are gang Members.

We should be very careful about any action we take in changing sentencing laws, whether based on cost or other concerns.

Anyone who is concerned about reducing prison costs should make lowering that number a priority.

The cries for increased judicial discretion are actually cover language for leniency.

I want to illustrate why this seat doesn't need to be filled. These are the other circuits. The average of those other circuits is 383 caseloads. The DC Circuit has 149, so workload doesn't demand it. Secondly, we are in a situation where…

Since 1978, Congress has voted to raise the debt ceiling 53 times. In 27 of those, or 51 percent, the debt limit increase was tied to other reforms.

Both you and President Obama have repeated the talking point that negotiating deficit reduction policies on the debt ceiling increase is unprecedented.

Negotiation means you are willing to give serious consideration to the other side's ideas.

If you look at long-term projections, spending on our health care entitlements demands our attention.

I just have one question for you, Mr. Smith.

Some Senators have gotten in trouble for trying to make those political interferences.

How can you justify preventing an agency of the Government from meeting with Senators and the GAO?

Your office has a history of interfering with agencies at the Department of Justice to prevent them from meeting with me and my staff.

Would you agree to review whether the Department's so-called policy against Ranking Members receiving Privacy Act information is required by the law?

But should you be confirmed, your political history might concern future litigants.

People have a right to bear arms under the Second Amendment, and as a trial judge, I would enforce that right.

The Ninth Circuit has a high rate of cases being overturned by the Supreme Court.

There is not such a thing as an institution of Government that is separate from the interests of the American people.

You know, the Government Accountability Office is part of the U.S. Government, and you call that a third party.

One hundred Senators, not just those 55 in the majority. If they are in the minority sometimes, it is going to be just as irritating to them.

Will you answer the questions in my letter and provide the documents I requested? And if not, why not?

Fair housing must be recognized as a human right.

I think it is very non-political.

Before this incident, I or my staff had never heard of the so-called third-party meeting policy.