Pete Sessions: “Mr. President, as the ranking member of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee and coauthor of the bill with…”

“Mr. President, as the ranking member of the Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee and coauthor of the bill with the Senator from Vermont, obviously, I would like to see the bill pass, and pass sometime soon. But the point this side of the aisle made yesterday afternoon is that we do need to have some cooperation in moving forward on the President's nominees for the circuit district courts across America. An essential part of our job in the Senate is confirming these judges. The President has nominated judges to fill these vacancies at a record pace. In fact, his first 11 nominations were sent to the Senate on May 9 of this year, more than 2 months earlier than any of the previous 3 Presidents in their first years. Of these 11, all received either the highest or second highest rating available from the American Bar Association, and all have had their paperwork complete for many months. In eight situations, there were formal judicial emergencies. Yet only three have received a hearing. This is the situation in which we find ourselves.…”