Bob Menendez: “I shortly am going to make a unanimous consent request on S. Res. 404, a resolution I submitted honoring the life and…”

“I shortly am going to make a unanimous consent request on S. Res. 404, a resolution I submitted honoring the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez. This resolution has been blocked by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle every time it has come up for the last 7 consecutive years--every time. Now, today, on what would have been Cesar Chavez's 87th birthday, I ask my Republican colleagues to find it in their hearts to honor a man who really made a difference in our country. Frankly, I do not understand their reluctance. I do not understand their obstructionism. I do not understand how they can look back at that time in history, at the sacrifices Cesar Chavez made for our country, asking for nothing more than fair treatment and justice. I realize it is uncommon to make a live unanimous consent request for a commemorative resolution, but if Republicans are going to object yet again--for an eighth year in a row--to honoring, in my view, a great American hero, I really want it to be on the record. I think Republicans need to answer to the American people as to why, as a party, they can agree to passing resolutions honoring World Plumbing Day or congratulating the Penn State Dance Marathon--both Senate resolutions that were adopted this month by unanimous consent--but insist on standing in the way of honoring a civil rights trailblazer who changed the course of our Nation's history. Cesar Chavez was a man before his time, and he deserves proper recognition.…”