Chuck Schumer

I believe that is what the President is intending to do.

I think a lot of us would share that preference.

No Federal court has struck down Executive action. The most recent Federal court to hand down a decision supported it.

Exactly. Every prosecutor, whether it is the Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney's Office, sets priorities and has to, and that is just what the President did in my opinion in the Executive order.

There is a myth out there that prosecutorial discretion policies are tantamount to an illegal failure to enforce the law.

Some of my friends across the aisle seem to be suggesting that the President's announcement of the enforcement policies for the Department of Homeland Security is tantamount to an announcement that we will not enforce our immigration laws…

And specifically if a court happens to strike down Executive action, will you respect that court decision?

Will you commit to following court decisions and legal process?

I do not think that is a responsible use of taxpayer dollars, but at least Speaker Boehner and I agree on one thing: if Republicans disagree with President Obama over the legality of this policy, they can sue him and let the courts decide.

If we cannot confirm Loretta Lynch, then I do not believe we can confirm anyone.

Let me be clear: Attempts to politicize this nomination, to turn this exceptional nominee into a political point-scoring exercise, are a disservice to the qualified candidate we have before us today.

It is my great privilege to introduce Loretta Lynch, a proud New Yorker and the nominee to be the next Attorney General of the United States.

I oppose mandatory minimums. I hope we can find a way to face this mass incarceration problem.

A significant factor leading to this budget imbalance is the unnecessary creation of more and more mandatory minimum sentences.

Her nomination is historic. When she is confirmed as the 83rd Attorney General of the United States, she will be the first African-American woman to lead the Department of Justice.

I hope we all remember that she is the nominee for Attorney General, and that is why I am focusing on her.

I believe Loretta Lynch will be a strong and effective Attorney General.

Guess who did it in 1982? Ronald Reagan.

The agreement must contain stronger language that allows inspections anywhere, anytime, unannounced.

We are working to build on the recent strong export performance of our agricultural sector and provide new and expanded opportunities for U.S. farm products, including dairy products in all of the TPP markets.

I appreciate the value of our engagement in the Asia-Pacific region through TPP. However, I am skeptical about supporting another trade deal based on the results of our existing agreements.

If we enter into TPP without strong currency language, that is exactly what we are doing.

I cannot support a TPP agreement if we do not, at the same time, enact new statutory law that includes objective criteria to define and enforce against currency manipulation.

There are no more important values than the speedy application of justice and the right to petition the Government for redress of grievances.

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. CHARLES E. SCHUMER, A U.S. SENATOR FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK, INTRODUCING LAWRENCE J. VILARDO.