Chuck Schumer

I rise to discuss the issue of our budget. Later this week, the House will vote on its fiscal year 2012 budget resolution. Congressman Paul Ryan, the author of that blueprint, calls it a path to prosperity.

The Senate as a body can help alleviate this crisis by acting on, I believe, 44 judicial nominations that have been referred to us.

First, it is an honor to introduce Dr. William F. Kuntz II, to the Committee today.

Well, thank you, and I know my colleagues are waiting. I apologize for being late.

I am disheartened, however, today that the Senate stands poised to spend 30 hours over the coming days engaged in a protracted post-cloture debate regarding the nomination of one U.S. district court judge.

This guy's credentials are just incredible.

First, I thank him for his outstanding remarks. My question is this: Isn't it true we have had many, many Republicans in the House, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, some Presidential candidates, erstwhile potential Presidential candidates, as…

In short, there could be no one better suited to this job than Denise O'Donnell.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I am really honored to introduce one of the most dedicated and talented public servants the State of New York has to offer: Denise O'Donnell.

The job of managing the Bureau of Justice Assistance is like taking a thousand points of light and making sure they all stay lit.

She is a nonpartisan, on-the-merits person, the kind of person Senator Grassley mentioned.

I know Denise well. She is just a superlative public servant, a superlative human being.

As you know, I have been working on legislation on this for a long time.

This is not about who should own a gun. This is once there is a consensus that say a felon or somebody who is adjudicated mentally ill not get a gun, that they be on the list so they will not be sold a gun.

The President himself has noted information included in our gun check system, NICS, which is supposed to prevent guns from being sold to the wrong people, is 'often incomplete and inadequate.'

So I hope you will do everything you can to do that.

OK. And if you are having any space problems, we will find it for you.

So can you commit to consider Newburgh closely as the location for the FBI resident agency location?

As you know, 2 years ago Newburgh saw gang activity and a violent crime spike.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to thank you, Director, for your service.

I am pleased that your Committee has reviewed this bill and I fully support its passage.

I thank the chairman, and thank you, Mr. President. First, I express my gratitude and thanks to the chairman of our Judiciary Committee, Senator Leahy. Senator Leahy has conducted his chairmanship, as head of the Judiciary Committee, with…

Sometimes my colleagues and I--hopefully not me--will put a hold on someone's name in order to get some kind of leverage for an entirely unrelated item.

I think we are going to try to take about 400 or 450 out of that so that we reduce by about 30, 35 percent the number of positions that require confirmation.

Yes, that is why I want to get involved. It is not rocket science, so I can probably deal with it.