Political Quotes

“I remember the Public Service Commission well and its Chairman Paul Volcker. We may need a new working group in the Senate to examine the confirmation process and ways to improve, streamline, and in some cases perhaps eliminate the confirmation process for lower level nominees. I would like to propose a new working group on executive nominations headed by Chairman Schumer and Ranking Member Alexander of the Rules Committee. We will develop the details of this effort in the coming weeks, but I think a Senate level working group is a good place to start. And I would also recommend that Senators Schumer and Alexander work on this effort in conjunction with Senators Lieberman and Collins. The Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee has held hearings on the confirmation process in the past, and Senators Lieberman and Collins have been engaged in this issue for some time. They can bring a valuable perspective here. Mr. McCONNELL. I agree the Senate should establish a working group to examine this issue. Surely, Senators Lieberman and Collins have bipartisan respect and should be a part of any such group on executive nominations. Senators Alexander and Schumer are good choices to spearhead this effort. I look forward to working with the majority leader and my colleagues in the coming weeks as we finalize this proposal. ____________________”