On the recordDecember 18, 2015
I thank the Presiding Officer. By comparison, only 292 of President George W. Bush's nominees had been confirmed at the same point in his tenure, constituting less than 35 percent of the active judiciary. There are only 65 judicial vacancies today. Vacancies have been lower in only 13 of the 83 months, or less than 16 percent of the time, that this President has held office. During 2015, the average number of judicial vacancies has been 58, the lowest average for any year of the Obama Presidency. This is a record of achievement that speaks for itself, one that easily shows why PoltiFact awarded the minority leader three Pinocchios for his accusations that the Senate, under our new Republican majority, has been unproductive by historical standards. While there have been, no doubt, many bumps in the road--and we still need more mutual restraint of both the minority and the majority--there should be no doubt that our new Republican majority has the Senate back to work for the American people. I thank the Presiding Officer for the extra time. ____________________
