Chuck Schumer: “Third, on nominations, the evidence continues to mount that our Republican friends are trying to ram through the…”

“Third, on nominations, the evidence continues to mount that our Republican friends are trying to ram through the President's Cabinet nominations without a fair and complete vetting process. Totally different, I would say to my good friend the majority leader, than what happened when President Obama took office. As I said, our constitutional duty to advise and consent does not mean ramming through nominees. Here are three instances, just new ones. They pile up. Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson did not adequately respond to our questions for the record, and a number of Democrats still await more complete responses. Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos refused to return to the HELP Committee now that her ethics paperwork is in, even though her ethics agreement gains her the ability to retain interest in companies that will be directly affected by the policies of the Department of Education. Representative Price, the nominee for HHS, refused to meet with several members of the committee before his nomination is scheduled for a vote. This is not how nominations should go. Now, I know--with a swamped Cabinet of bankers, billionaires, more wealth, more potential conflicts of interest, more positions way far over from what the American people want--why our Republican colleagues want to rush these nominees through. But let me reiterate that they will have tremendous power over the lives of average Americans.…”