Political Quotes

“we began this year with a new Republican majority in the Senate promising to govern responsibly. Unfortunately, this promise has so far proven hollow. Beginning with the shameful treatment of the nomination of Loretta Lynch to be Attorney General, the Republican leadership has used excuse after excuse to keep the Senate from voting on those nominated to serve in our justice system. It took 4 months for the Republican majority to schedule a vote on a single judicial nomination. So far this year, the Republican-controlled Senate has allowed confirmation votes on just five judicial nominees. The slow trickle of confirmations is a dereliction of the Senate's constitutional duty to provide advice and consent on judicial nominees. Since the beginning of this year, the number of Federal court vacancies deemed to be ``judicial emergencies'' by the nonpartisan Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has increased by 158 percent. There are now 31 judicial emergency vacancies that are affecting communities across the country. Many are concerned that this obstruction threatens the functioning of our independent judiciary, as Juan Williams recently pointed out. I ask unanimous consent that his column in The Hill titled ``The GOP's judicial log jam'' be printed in the Record. There is a different way to lead. Similar to the balance of power today, in the last 2 years of the George W. Bush administration the Democrats were in control of the Senate.…”