McConnell on Nominees: We’re Not Finished Yet
‘We’re going to keep pressing forward on judicial nominees. We’re going to keep confirming the other nominees before us as well. This week, the Senate will consider some of President Trump’s other qualified nominees for various positions throughout the federal government. Each of these individuals will help lead their agencies to fulfill their particular mission in running the government.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the need to confirm more of the president’s well-qualified nominees:
“Last Monday, I said that the Senate would confirm four excellent judicial nominees by the end of the week. That’s just what we did. Amy Barrett — confirmed. Joan Larsen — confirmed. Allison Eid — confirmed. Stephanos Bibas — confirmed.
“After eight years of a president who selected judges based upon an ideological litmus test designed to find nominees who favor certain groups or individuals over others, we now have a president who is sending over nominees who will help ensure that the judiciary is actually living up to the role we expect in our democracy: treating everyone equally, giving every litigant a fair shake, applying the law as it’s actually written — not as a judge wishes it might be. The four circuit court nominees the Senate confirmed last week will do just that.
“Democrats have put up a lot of procedural roadblocks to prevent the Senate from moving forward all year. We’ve moved ahead anyway. As a result, despite all the obstacles from the other side, we’re making significant progress. Of course, none of this would be possible without the hard work and notable leadership of Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley. I thank him again for everything he’s done.
“And we’re not finished yet. We’re going to keep pressing forward on judicial nominees. We’re going to keep confirming the other nominees before us as well. This week, the Senate will consider some of President Trump’s other qualified nominees for various positions throughout the federal government. Each of these individuals will help lead their agencies to fulfill their particular mission in running the government.
“First, we will advance the nomination of Steven Engel to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel. Mr. Engel has previously worked in the OLC, having done so under President Bush, and he has also served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General. He obviously has a lot of experience advising senior policymakers on a wide variety of legal issues facing the Executive Branch.
“That’s good, because the role he has been nominated to has responsibility for ‘providing legal advice to the Executive Branch on all constitutional questions and reviewing pending legislation for constitutionality.’ I look forward to advancing Mr. Engel’s nomination tomorrow so that he can begin putting his experience to work for our country as soon as possible.
“Then, we will turn to the various other nominees before us so they can begin doing the same. Confirming the president’s nominees is an important part of the Senate’s business, and I urge my colleagues to work together so we can get this done.”
Related Issues: Nominations, Judicial Nominations
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