On the recordJanuary 10, 2017
as hearings for the President-elect's nominees get underway starting today, I want to reiterate that a fair and thorough vetting process is a top priority, not only for my caucus but for the American people. Chief to achieving that is a fair hearing schedule and process. First, it means hearings that are sufficiently spaced out so Members who sit on multiple committees can actually attend all the hearings. It means only holding hearings after the full committee paperwork--OGE review, FBI background check, and a full divestment plan--has been received and Senators have adequate time to review the information. That means, if there are Senators with remaining questions that weren't covered in a first hearing, they can have the nominee come back for a second day. Our caucus and much of America was alarmed and disappointed by the announcements of the hearing schedule this week, which did not meet these basic courtesies and best practices that have always been extended in the past. However, I am happy to say that after negotiating with my friend the majority leader and his respective committee chairs, we have been able to make some progress on a fair hearing process. I appreciate the majority leader's openness and efforts to accommodate our caucus in the last few days. Originally there were six hearings scheduled for this Wednesday, all especially important Cabinet posts: State, Attorney General, Education, Transportation, Homeland Security, CIA.…
