Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I apologize for the voice. There is a fair amount of pollution in the air. It will be much better as soon as I get to Vermont at the end of the week. Mr. President, this evening the Senate is being allowed to confirm a few more of the 26 judicial nominations that have been reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee over the past several months, but that continue to be stalled by the Republican leadership. We have yet to be allowed to consider nominations reported last November. In addition to the three nominations being considered today, there are more than a dozen more judicial nominations that were reported unanimously by the Judiciary Committee, and a total of almost two dozen that are being held up without good reason. There is no excuse for these months of delay. The Senate Republican leadership refuses to enter into time agreements on these nominations. Their stalling and obstruction is unprecedented. They refuse to enter into a time agreement to consider the North Carolina nominees to the Fourth Circuit, who were reported by the committee in January, one unanimously and one with only a single negative vote. They refuse to enter into a time agreement to debate and vote on the Sixth Circuit nominee from Tennessee who was reported last November. I have told Senator Alexander that all Democrats are prepared to vote on that nominee and have agreed to do so since November. It is his own leadership that continues to obstruct the nominee from Tennessee.…”