Chuck Schumer

There are abuses on both sides, and we tend to focus on some and you tend to focus on others.

Rather than accept the will of the voters who are rejecting the policies enacted by the 111th Congress, the senator from New Mexico and many of our colleagues on the other side simply want to abolish the Senate as we have understood it for…

The ability of a majority that has so many votes to run over the minority and not take their views into account.

By filibustering the ability of the Senate to begin debate on the DISCLOSE Act, yesterday's minority denied the American people a full airing of the recent Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC and how that decision might affect…

At the essence of the Senate is the ability of the Minority to amend.

Again, these are very interesting ideas. I know you, Senator Bennet, have been pushing this for a long time.

The American people want to see their elected representatives work together.

You can keep the place collegial just by keeping it open.

We want full, fair, and robust debate.

I do believe there are enormous problems in enforcing any kind of a prohibition on secret holds.

The threat of a filibuster has become so common and constant.

It is ingenious, and many people say, well, if you are going to filibuster, you ought to get up there and be required to talk about it.

I think your best--there are two things you can do.

The time required for a typical confirmation... has steadily grown over the last three decades.

This is a political era where I think it is obvious that secret holds have been used by both sides of the aisle as a political tool.

Republicans say, 'We have no choice but to delay, unless we are allowed the opportunity to offer amendments.'

Democrats say, 'It is delay, delay, delay, even over trivial things.'

I recommend against giving a hold a formal standing in the rules. I think that would do real damage.

The confirmation process is not the sole source of delay in filling executive or judicial positions.

Holds... have become epidemic in the Senate.

The secret holds a courtesy granted to Senators at the expense of our democracy.

You just cannot allow old rules to be so twisted by new norms and a culture of permissiveness that really damage our capacity to govern.

We must do better than this, and I believe that we can.

I believe it is an idea whose time has truly come in not de jure, if you will, but de facto, relating to Senator McCaskill's point.

The public's business ought to be public.