{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2017-01-09-pt1-PgH220-6", "2017-01-09", 115, 1, null, null, "IMPACT OF CABINET NOMINATIONS", "HOUSE", "HOUSE", "ALLOTHER", "H220", "H227", "[{\"name\": \"Marc A. Veasey\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"John Conyers, Jr.\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Maxine Waters\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Bennie G. Thompson\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Sheila Jackson Lee\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Barbara Lee\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Robert C. \\\"Bobby\\\" Scott\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Gwen Moore\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Yvette D. Clarke\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Henry C. \\\"Hank\\\" Johnson, Jr.\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Donald M. Payne, Jr.\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Joyce Beatty\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Hakeem S. Jeffries\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Alma S. Adams\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Brenda L. Lawrence\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Bonnie Watson Coleman\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"A. Donald McEachin\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Eddie Bernice Johnson\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "163 Cong. Rec. H220", "Congressional Record, Volume 163 Issue 5 (Monday, January 9, 2017)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 5 (Monday, January 9, 2017)]\n[House]\n[Pages H220-H227]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n                     IMPACT OF CABINET NOMINATIONS\n\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of\nJanuary 3, 2017, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Veasey) is recognized\nfor the remainder of the hour as the designee of the minority leader.\n  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to welcome you to tonight's\nCongressional Black Caucus Special Order hour that will examine the\nnegative impact of President-elect Trump's nominations for the position\nof U.S. Attorney General, Secretary of Education, and Secretary of\nHealth and Human Services.\n\n[[Page H221]]\n\n  Let's be honest here, the 2016 Presidential election showed us both\nthe worst and the best of American politics. The most disturbing\ndevelopment of the election season, of course, was the President-\nelect's campaign that was an ``us versus them'' type of campaign that\nreally divided the Nation. It was really sad for people to see that on\ndisplay.\n  On November 9, after winning the Presidency, the President-elect\ntweeted: ``Such a beautiful and important evening! The forgotten man\nand woman will never be forgotten again. We will all come together as\nnever before.''\n  But will he keep his promise of doing all that he can to repair our\ndivided nation? So far he has been very disappointing. And when you\nlook at the nominations of Senator Sessions, Betsy DeVos, and Tom Price\nto key positions in his administration, it seems like he has forgotten,\nthat he has forgotten and ignored our Nation's dark history of\noppression, particularly to the African American community.\n\n                              {time}  1930\n\n  The President-elect's nominees represent everything that the\nCongressional Black Caucus has vehemently fought against. As a caucus,\nwe fought to ensure that the African American community is empowered\nwith the tools it needs to achieve the American Dream. Mr. Trump's\nCabinet nominations are set to push the dream back so far out of reach\nfor millions and millions of Americans.\n  Mr. Speaker, we have a list of Members that would like to speak\ntonight.\n  I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), the dean of the\nUnited States House of Representatives.\n  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Louisiana (Mr.\nVeasey) for opening up this part of our Special Order for which the\nCongressional Black Caucus has come together to more critically examine\nthe nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions.\n  As the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, I led a joint\nstatement in November that was signed by every Democratic member of the\nJudiciary Committee opposing Senator Sessions' nomination for United\nStates Attorney General. The Attorney General is the chief law\nenforcement officer of the United States, charged with the\nadministration of the criminal justice system and the enforcement of\nour civil rights. Senator Sessions is clearly unsuitable to lead the\nDepartment of Justice.\n  In 1986 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, witnesses\nsaid that Mr. Sessions had referred to the NAACP, the National\nAssociation for the Advancement of Colored People, the Southern\nChristian Leadership Conference, and other civil rights groups, as both\nun-American and communist inspired. One prosecutor in the Alabama\nUnited States Attorney's Office testified that Mr. Sessions referred to\nhim as ``boy'' and counseled him to be careful of what you say to White\nfolks.\n  His appointment to the Federal branch was opposed by the Leadership\nConference on Civil Rights, the National Association for the\nAdvancement of Colored People, and other organizations. Senator\nSessions has criticized the section 5 preclearance provisions in the\nVoting Rights Act, which I and many others have been fighting to\nrestore since the 2013 Supreme Court Shelby County v. Holder decision.\n  In the 114th Congress, Senator Sessions opposed bipartisan criminal\njustice reform efforts. He has also opposed the reauthorization of the\nbipartisan Violence Against Women Act and nearly every immigration\nreform bill that has come before the Senate.\n  A vote to confirm Jeff Sessions as Attorney General is a vote against\nfreedom and equality. So I join with many of my colleagues today in\nurging the Senate to oppose his nomination, and I thank my colleague\nfor yielding to me.\n  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Conyers very much for his words\nas the dean of the House.\n  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Maxine\nWaters).\n  Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to\nencourage opposition to the nomination of Jeff Sessions to the Attorney\nGeneral's Office by this President-elect.\n  We have been asked and we are constantly asked: Are you saying he is\na racist? He defined himself. He defined himself long ago when he was\ndenied a Federal judgeship in 1986 after having been appointed by\nRonald Reagan. He was denied because his colleagues said they heard him\nuse the N-word.\n  Also, it was very well documented that after two of the members of\nthe KKK killed an African American man, he said: Oh, I thought the KKK\nwas okay until I learned they smoked marijuana. This is the same man\nthat said, again, that the NAACP and the SCLC were un-American, that\nthey were communist inspired, and it goes on and on and on. And it is\nnot whether or not we are calling him or we think of him as a racist;\nhe defined himself in that manner. He was denied the appointment to the\nFederal judgeship, including by Republicans who voted against him.\n  So here we have a man who is going to be considered for the Attorney\nGeneral's Office where we have the Civil Rights Division. Should we be\nworried about that? You bet your bottom dollar we should be worried\nabout that. Not only has he defined himself as a racist, but this is a\nthrowback. This is a man who is a setback. This is a man who does not\nagree with his colleagues on criminal justice reform. This is a man who\nloves mandatory minimum sentences. This is a man who does not want the\nJustice Department to work with local police departments who are in\ntrouble, like what happened in Ferguson. This is a man who is against\nvoting rights. This is a man who has shown himself to be against women.\nThis is a man who does not support the LGBT community. Why would we\nwant him to have this very important, prestigious position as the\nAttorney General overseeing civil rights? I don't think so.\n  I advise everybody who is listening and all of our colleagues to\nsupport him not being appointed to that position and to get the word\nover to the Senators that they should not support him, they should not\nvote for him.\n  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms.\nMaxine Waters).\n  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr.\nThompson), the ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security.\n  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Veasey for\nhelping organize this Special Order on a topic that is of great concern\nto me and many of my constituents.\n  The Attorney General, as we know, serves as the United States' chief\nlaw enforcement official. He or she does not serve certain States,\ncertain classes of people, nor is their service limited to a particular\nparty. The Attorney General is there to serve all of us.\n  With that in mind, I stand here on the floor of the House concerned\nwith Senator Sessions' nomination to become the next Attorney General.\nBased on his record, there are a number of reasons why I believe that\nSenator Sessions is unfit to lead the Department of Justice.\n\n  First, at his 1986 confirmation hearing to serve as a Federal judge\nfor the Southern District of Alabama, it was revealed that Senator\nSessions had called the NAACP and the ACLU un-American and communist\ninspired. I am a life member of the NAACP and a participating member in\nthe ACLU. Neither one of those organizations are un-American or\ncommunist inspired.\n  A Department of Justice attorney also testified that Sessions said he\nbelieved that the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Operation\nPUSH, and the NAACP taught anti-American values. Well, if being free,\nif being able to exercise your right to vote, being able to not\ndetermine one's color as a condition for participation, then I am not\ncertain what Mr. Sessions was talking about; but I do know that he has\ncalled a Black attorney ``boy,'' and he also talked about a White civil\nrights attorney as a ``race traitor.''\n  Also, what I am more concerned about is, in the aftermath of the\nshooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston,\nSouth Carolina, he opposed taking down the Confederate battle flag.\nNow, if there is one symbol that we all understand that represents\nhate, it is the confederate\n\n[[Page H222]]\n\nbattle flag. I am concerned that Senator Sessions continued to try to\ndefend that symbol. I can't imagine someone being the Attorney General\nhaving that kind of attitude and that operation.\n  Mr. Speaker, I join the chorus of other members of the Congressional\nBlack Caucus who raise their voice in opposition to what would be a\ntravesty to the Department of Justice if Senator Jeff Sessions is\nconfirmed.\n  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr.\nThompson) for his timely comments.\n  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee),\nmy fellow Texan from Houston.\n  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank Mr. Veasey for his\nleadership. Let also thank the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus,\nMr. Richmond, for his leadership.\n  Before I start, let me offer my appreciation to law enforcement\nofficers across America--this is Law Enforcement Appreciation Day--and\njoin my colleague, Val Demings, particularly acknowledging the sadness\nin Orlando today in the loss of two law enforcement officers in the\nline of duty.\n  I rise today for not a personal statement or a statement that has to\ndo with personality. As the President-elect said of Mr. Sessions, he is\na fine and decent fellow. I have no interest in determining whether\nthat is true or false. But I do want to hold the President-elect\naccountable for the words that he said on election night that he\npledged to the Nation that he would be a President for all Americans.\nThat pledge, I believe, will ring hollow for tens upon tens of millions\nof Americans with the nomination of the Secretary of Education, who is\nagainst public schools, the nomination of the Secretary of Health and\nHuman Services, who has no plan for health care, and, finally, the\nnomination for Attorney General.\n  Rather than select someone who is championing and protecting, rather\nthan opposing and undermining the precious right to vote, the\nconstitutionally guaranteed right of privacy, criminal justice reform,\nand the support for reform of the Nation's immigration system, it is\nquite the contrary in the nomination of Senator Sessions--a person who\nopposed Shelby County v. Holder in terms of the basis of trying to\nconstructively support voting rights, an individual who is hostile to\ncomprehensive immigration reform, and certainly someone who has\nconstantly not sought to fix, but has sought to undermine.\n  So, for example, as a U.S. attorney, he was the first prosecutor in\nthe country to bring charges against civil rights activists of voter\nfraud. But, Mr. Speaker, listen to this: he didn't just bring charges;\nhe had 29 counts of voter fraud that resulted in civil rights activists\nfacing 100 years in prison.\n  He has repeatedly denied the disproportionate impact of voting\nrestrictions on minorities and has been a leader in the effort to\nundermine the protections of the Voting Rights Act, and he did nothing\nto reconstruct the Voting Rights Act and restore section 5 when tens\nupon tens of Members of Congress worked diligently to try to fix the\nShelby case.\n  He criticized Attorney General Eric Holder for challenging State\nelection laws, claiming they are necessary to fight voter fraud.\nEvidence supports that voter fraud is almost nonexistent, with 31\nconfirmed cases out of more than a billion ballots cast.\n  Senator Sessions fought to continue practices that harm schools\npredominantly attended by African American students. He led the fight\nto uphold the State of Alabama's inequitable school funding mechanism\nafter it had been deemed unconstitutional by the Alabama Circuit Court.\n  Finally, in the State of Alabama, nearly a quarter of African\nAmerican students attend what is called apartheid, or what can be\ncalled apartheid schools, meaning the school's White population is less\nthan 1 percent.\n  Now we understand that the Senator has taken credit for desegregation\nefforts in the State of Alabama. There is no evidence of his\nparticipation in the desegregation of Alabama schools or any school\ndesegregation lawsuits filed by then-Attorney General Sessions.\n\n                              {time}  1945\n\n  I would say to you as I close, we who are vulnerable look to the\nDepartment of Justice as the solid rock of justice for the Nation.\nWhether we are immigrant, whether we are a woman who is trying to fight\nagainst violence, whether we need civil rights, whether we are LGBT,\nwhether we are those who are seeking religious freedom or freedom of\nexpression, the Department of Justice is a solid rock of justice for\nthis Nation.\n  With that in mind, I believe that this nominee, who now stands with\nthe criteria evidenced by the record, stands not prepared, not fit to\nhold this position of the Attorney General of the United States--a\nsacred position of law and justice.\n  Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the House Committees on the\nJudiciary and Homeland Security Committee; Ranking Member of the\nJudiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and\nInvestigations, and the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, I rise\ntoday to express my views regarding the President-Elect's nomination of\nU.S. Senator Jefferson Beauregard ``Jeff'' Sessions III of Alabama to\nbe the next Attorney General of the United States.\n  On Election Night the President-Elect pledged to the nation that he\nwould be a president to all Americans.\n  That pledge will ring hollow to tens of millions of Americans in\nlight of his announced intention to nominate one of the U.S. Senate's\nmost far-right members, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) to be the next\nAttorney General of the United States.\n  Perhaps nothing would do more to reassure the American people that\nthe President-Elect is committed to unifying the nation than the\nnomination and appointment of a person to be Attorney General who has a\nrecord of championing and protecting, rather than opposing and\nundermining, the precious right to vote; the constitutionally\nguaranteed right of privacy, criminal justice reform, and support for\nreform of the nation's immigration system so that it is fair and\nhumane.\n  The nomination of Alabama Senator Sessions as Attorney General does\nnot inspire the necessary confidence.\n  As a U.S. Senator from Alabama, the state from which the infamous\nSupreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder originated, Senator\nSessions has failed to play a constructive role in repairing the damage\nto voting rights caused by that decision.\n  He was one of the leading opponents of the reauthorization of the\nViolence Against Women Act.\n  He is one of the Senate's most hostile opponents of comprehensive\nimmigration reform and was a principal architect of the draconian and\nincendiary immigration policy advocated by the President-Elect during\nthe campaign.\n  And his record in support of efforts to bring needed reform to the\nnation's criminal justice system is virtually non-existent.\n  In 1986, ten years before Senator Sessions was elected to the Senate,\nhe was rejected for a U.S. District Court judgeship in view of\ndocumented incidents that revealed his lack of commitment to civil and\nvoting rights, and to equal justice.\n  And his Senate voting record and rhetoric has endeared him to white\nnationalist websites and organizations like Breitbart and Stormfront.\n  As a U.S. attorney, Senator Sessions was the first federal prosecutor\nin the country to bring charges against civil rights activists for\nvoter fraud.\n  Senator Sessions charged the group with 29 counts of voter fraud,\nfacing over 100 years in prison.\n  Senator Sessions has repeatedly denied the disproportionate impact of\nvoting restrictions on minorities and has been a leader in the effort\nto undermine the protections of the Voting Rights Act.\n  Senator Sessions has spoken out against the Voting Rights Act,\ncalling it ``a piece of intrusive legislation.''\n  Senator Sessions criticized Attorney General Eric Holder for\nchallenging state election laws, claiming they are necessary to fight\nvoter fraud.\n  However, evidence supports that voter fraud is almost nonexistent,\nwith 31 confirmed cases out of more than 1 billion ballots cast.\n  As Attorney General of the state of Alabama, Senator Sessions fought\nto continue practices that harmed schools predominantly attended by\nAfrican-American students.\n  Senator Sessions led the fight to uphold the state of Alabama's\ninequitable school funding mechanism after it had been deemed\nunconstitutional by the Alabama circuit court.\n  In the state of Alabama nearly a quarter of African-American students\nattend apartheid schools, meaning the school's white population is less\nthan one percent.\n  Although Senator Sessions has publically taken credit for\ndesegregation efforts in the state of Alabama, there is no evidence of\nhis participation in the desegregation of Alabama schools or any school\ndesegregation lawsuits filed by then Attorney General Sessions.\n\n[[Page H223]]\n\n  I call upon the Senate Judiciary Committee to subject the nomination\nto the most comprehensive, searching, and withering examination.\n  The United States has been blessed to have been served as Attorney\nGeneral by such illustrious figures as Robert Jackson, Robert Kennedy,\nHerbert Brownell, Ramsey Clark, Nicholas Katzenbach, Eric Holder, and\nEdward H. Levi.\n  The duty of the U.S. Attorney General is to lead the Department of\nJustice in protecting and expanding the civil rights of all Americans\nand the pursuit of equal justice for all, not to turn back the clock on\nhard won rights and liberties.\n  No senator should vote to confirm the nomination of Jeff Sessions as\nU.S. Attorney General if there is the slightest doubt that he possesses\nthe character, qualities, integrity, and commitment to justice and\nequality needed to lead a department, the headquarters building of\nwhich is named for Robert F. Kennedy, one of the nation's greatest and\nmost indefatigable champions of civil rights and equal justice for all.\n  Mr. VEASEY. I thank very much Ms. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas.\n  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from California, Ms.\nBarbara Lee.\n  Ms. LEE. Let me thank Representative Veasey for hosting this\nimportant discussion on President-elect Trump's disturbing nomination\nand for the gentleman's commitment to defend civil and human rights for\nall Americans. Now, more than ever, the voices of the CBC's are so\nimportant in this fight.\n  I would also like to recognize our new chair, Cedric Richmond, as he\ntakes the helm of the CBC during these very challenging times; but I\nknow that, under his leadership, our caucus will continue to fight in a\nvery strong and aggressive way for equality and justice.\n  The President-elect, Mr. Speaker, ran one of the most divisive and\nracially tinged campaigns we have witnessed in modern history. Since\nwinning the Presidency, President-elect Donald Trump has nominated\nindividuals to serve in his Cabinet, proving that he will govern just\nas he campaigned. There is no greater example of this disturbing\nreality than in Senator Jeff Sessions' nomination to serve as our\ncountry's Attorney General. The Justice Department is our best tool in\nprotecting civil and human rights and voting rights. By appointing\nSenator Sessions to lead this department, President-elect Donald Trump\nis making it clear that he will abandon these fundamental values.\n  Senator Sessions has a long history of opposing civil rights and\nequality. He has called the Voting Rights Act a piece of intrusive\nlegislation. He said that the Supreme Court's disastrous decision to\ngut voting rights was good news for the South. In the 1980s, he was\nrejected from serving as a Federal judge due to his blatantly racist\ncomments.\n  Any one of these statements should be disqualifying. In the proposed,\nbigoted Trump administration, frankly, I am not surprised; but I am\nappalled that the President-elect would choose such an extreme and\ndivisive figure to serve as Attorney General. Clearly, someone who has\npublicly displayed prejudice and intolerance is not qualified to serve\nas our chief law enforcement officer for our civil rights laws.\n  By that standard alone, one thing is clear: Senator Sessions is\nwholly unfit to serve as Attorney General. Senator Sessions has\nforcefully degraded the LGBT community, has voted against the Violence\nAgainst Women Act, and has undermined the cornerstone of the civil\nrights movement and the Voting Rights Act. His nomination really is a\nchilling indication of how a Trump administration intends to govern.\nThis country has made tremendous progress in the fight to protect,\npreserve, and expand civil rights for all Americans. We will not allow\na Trump administration to drag us back into the past.\n  As the conscience of the Congress, the Congressional Black Caucus is\na voice for the marginalized. Our message to the Trump administration\nand to President-elect Donald Trump is simple: A vote to confirm\nSenator Jeff Sessions is a vote against justice. We will fight to\nprotect any rollback on civil or human rights. We will not be silent.\n  I call on all of my colleagues to oppose Senator Sessions' nomination\nas the United States Attorney General because his history disqualifies\nhim for this important position.\n  Mr. VEASEY. I thank very much Representative Lee. I really appreciate\nthe gentlewoman's remarks.\n  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to someone who, over the last 20 years, has\nbeen in nearly every battle in the United States Congress when it comes\nto the issue of civil rights. He is Representative Bobby Scott of\nVirginia.\n  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for\norganizing this Special Order.\n  I will be brief. There are a lot of people who want to speak. I will\njust speak to the jurisdiction of the Education and the Workforce\nCommittee, on which I have the honor of serving as the ranking member.\n  Mr. Speaker, as we consider appointments to the Departments of Labor,\nEducation, and Health and Human Services, we shouldn't just look at\npeople's personalities, but at what the policy implications are of\ntheir appointments. The Senate must reject those nominees who will fail\nto stand up to the goals and aspirations of America's children and\nworkers.\n  The first nominee I will speak to is that of Secretary of Labor, Mr.\nPuzder, who was the CEO of CKE Restaurants. He has spoken out many\ntimes in opposition to an increase in the minimum wage. Many States\nhave recognized that the minimum wage is so low that people who work\nfull time fail to make a wage that exceeds the poverty level.\n  What is his position going to be on increasing the minimum wage? With\novertime, are people entitled to work overtime after 40 hours?\n  The regulation is in place. Will he enforce that new regulation? Or\nwill he try to overturn the regulation that recognizes and honors the\n40-hour workweek, whereby those who work more than 40 hours will get\ntime and a half?\n  If you look at CKE's retirement plan, it leaves a lot to be desired\nin terms of fees.\n  What will his position be?\n  When you look at the fiduciary rule--which requires financial\nadvisers, when they are looking at somebody's retirement fund, to have\nthe worker's best interest in the forefront, not their personal profits\nand what they can rip off from someone but to look at the worker's\nviews as paramount--will he change that so that we can go back to the\ndays in which people could take advantage of unsophisticated workers\nand sell them products that are not in their best interests?\n  What are his positions going to be on enforcing Federal regulations?\n  CKE Restaurants has been found in violation of many wage regulations.\n  Will he vigorously enforce those?\n  Those are the kinds of things that we need to look at when we look at\nthe Secretary of Labor.\n  The Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, is best known for her\nsupport of vouchers. Vouchers in Michigan have shown that they fund\nschools that are actually worse than the average, so they have not done\nany good.\n  Will she support public education? Or will she support the\nprivatization of education?\n  Finally, Health and Human Services: Will we privatize Medicare? Will\nwe repeal without replacing the Affordable Care Act?\n  A lot has been said about repeal and then replace later. Let me tell\nyou, until you have seen a plan, you can just count on the repeal;\nthere will probably never be a replace.\n  What will happen to everybody if there is no plan?\n  Twenty million people--maybe 30 million--will lose their insurance,\nand the insurance market for everybody else will be in chaos. We need\nto make sure that we look at this and get these decisions straight\nbefore we confirm anybody.\n  All of the nominees and others should be reviewed not on their\npersonalities, but on the policy decisions they will be making. The\nnext generation of Americans will base their education, their jobs, and\ntheir health care on the decisions these nominees will make. The Senate\nshould reject any of the nominees that will take us in the wrong\ndirection.\n  Mr. VEASEY. I thank Mr. Scott of Virginia very much.\n  Mr. Speaker, I inquire as to how much time I have left.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 32 minutes remaining.\n  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I next yield to the lone voice in the State\nof\n\n[[Page H224]]\n\nWisconsin, someone who is always speaking out on these issues not just\nfor her district, but for the many people around her State who want\nthat voice from the CBC: Ms. Gwen Moore of Wisconsin.\n  Ms. MOORE. I thank Mr. Veasey so much, and I thank our new chair of\nthe Congressional Black Caucus for his tremendous effort in putting\nthis very important Special Order hour together.\n  Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening because I am extremely concerned\nabout the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions.\n  Certainly, President-elect Trump has a right to nominate people and\nhave them be presented before our Senate, and, certainly, you don't\nexpect a Republican to necessarily agree with all of your positions;\nbut I am concerned about Senator Sessions because I think he has\naligned himself with extreme ideological views that won't best serve\nall of the people of the United States.\n  During the last 7 years, the Department of Justice has investigated\nat least 23 law enforcement agencies in response to rampant civil\nrights abuses. I fear that, under an Attorney General Jeff Sessions,\nthose consent decrees and that very important work in resolving the\nconflicts between, particularly, African American communities and\npolice officers will be lost.\n  I am extremely concerned, as are at least 70 civil rights\norganizations and organizations that serve women, with an Attorney\nGeneral Jeff Sessions. They are concerned about not just the anti-\nabortion views that Senator Sessions has displayed, but about the\nzealous anti-choice positions that he has taken--his association and\nalignment, again, with extreme anti-abortion organizations. They\nbelieve that he is not capable of fair and impartial action as Attorney\nGeneral.\n  What is so chilling, as an example, is when Senator Sessions was\nasked about President-elect Trump's Access Hollywood scandal in that he\nsaid he didn't characterize the grabbing of a woman's genitals as\nnecessarily a sexual assault. Very, very chilling and disturbing.\n  In being from Wisconsin, where we have fought egregious and unfair\nvoter ID laws that were designed to disenfranchise, particularly,\nAfrican Americans, Mr. Sessions has indicated that the gutting of the\nVoting Rights Act has actually had no impact and that no one has been\ndenied the right to vote. He seems to be tone deaf to the cries of\nAfrican Americans across this country to protect their voting rights.\n  I encourage the Senate to look very carefully at this nominee,\nbecause, in fact, the United States Attorney General's only charge is\nto protect the civil rights of all of the citizens. I don't know that\nhe will be willing or able to do that.\n  Mr. VEASEY. I thank Representative Moore. I appreciate the\ngentlewoman's comments and I thank her for mentioning some of the\nissues with voter ID in Wisconsin, which may have tilted the election\nresults in that State.\n  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to my good friend from Brooklyn in the\nEmpire State, Representative Yvette Clarke.\n  Ms. CLARKE of New York. I thank Mr. Veasey for his leadership this\nevening. I thank our chairman, Cedric Richmond, for his vision and his\ntimeliness in bringing this to the floor today.\n  Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the people of the Ninth\nCongressional District of New York in opposition to Donald Trump's\nnominee for the position of Attorney General of the United States,\nSenator Jeff Sessions of Alabama. I stand with my colleagues in the\nCongressional Black Caucus as we raise our voices on behalf of the\nmillions of Americans who depend on this caucus to speak as the\nconscience of the Congress--speaking truth to power.\n  Mr. Speaker, I struggle to understand how Senator Sessions can even\nbe considered to lead the Department of Justice when time and time\nagain throughout his political career he has actively opposed the\nmission and purpose for which the Department of Justice was created.\nFor the better part of my life--at least a half a century--the\nDepartment of Justice has assumed a position of leadership in the fight\nfor the civil rights of African Americans who seek the uninhibited\nright to vote, for young women who seek protection against sexual\nassault on college campuses, for disabled individuals who fight for\nequitable access to basic services, and for immigrants who aspire to\npursue their visions of the American Dream.\n  The nomination of Senator Sessions does not support the legacy of\nprogress that has been made under the auspices of the modern-day\nDepartment of Justice. As a young prosecutor, he directed racial slurs\nat his African American colleagues. Senator Sessions spoke highly of\nthe Ku Klux Klan. He actively targeted and persecuted activists like\nMr. Albert Turner--one of Dr. Martin Luther King's advisers--for simply\ntrying to register disenfranchised voters.\n\n                              {time}  2000\n\n  When he became Attorney General of Alabama, Senator Sessions, a\nproduct of segregated education, worked tirelessly to prevent\npredominantly African American public schools from accessing an equal\nshare of resources that had been long denied to Black students.\n  As a Member of the Senate, Senator Sessions has been an outspoken\nopponent of criminal justice reforms that many of his Republican\ncolleagues support. He is a leader in the effort to define undocumented\nAmericans as ``the other'' and forcibly separating families in the\nUnited States.\n  The women and men who lead the Department of Justice are called upon\nto pursue justice; but with such a documented history of hostility\ntoward the most vulnerable populations--people of color, women,\ndisabled individuals, and immigrant families--we cannot expect Senator\nSessions to pursue justice on their behalf.\n  I absolutely and unequivocally oppose the nomination of Senator\nSessions. He has demonstrated his disdain for the most basic of human\nprinciples: equality, justice, and fairness. These principles represent\nthe promise of our Constitution. The Senate considering and confirming\nMr. Sessions would break that very promise.\n  Mr. Speaker, I stand with the CBC today asking the Senate of the\nUnited States to uphold the virtues of the Constitution and reject this\ndivisive nomination.\n  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I would also like to remind Members that we\nhave 3 minutes per Member left of speaking time. I wanted to just\nremind Members of that so everyone will have an opportunity to speak on\nthis very important matter.\n  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Johnson).\n  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Representative\nCedric Richmond as he takes the helm of the CBC and manages this\nexercise tonight; and also Representative Marc Veasey, who will be the\npoint man for doing these Special Orders.\n  We are called upon tonight at a critical time in the Nation's\nhistory. We have a new President coming in who is polarizing, divisive,\ninexperienced, and immature. He is making some selections for his\nappointments, and the Senate has the opportunity to weigh in on those\nappointments.\n  So what is happening is that there are incomplete and missing answers\nto the Senate questionnaires that appointees like Senator Jeff\nSessions, who I rise in opposition to, have completed and sent in. This\nputs the Office of Government Ethics that vets these candidates at a\nsevere disadvantage of not having the information that they need in\norder to vet these appointees, like Senator Jeff Sessions. They don't\nhave the information that they need.\n  So we also have a compressed schedule of nominees to be considered\nover the next few days. This, combined with the incomplete answers,\nputs us in a position of not having enough information to conduct full,\nfair, thorough, and sifting analysis and vetting for the American\npeople. These are the people who are going to serve them into the\nfuture.\n  So I am very concerned, especially about a guy like Senator Sessions\nwho has a history of being opposed to civil rights for certain\nAmericans. Now, there are those who would say that this took place 30\nyears ago, all of the things that he said and did prior to becoming a\nSenator 20 years ago. Some will say that all of these things that have\nbeen cited about Senator Sessions are 30 years old.\n  We have to look at what has occurred in the life of Senator Sessions\nto make\n\n[[Page H225]]\n\nus think that he has changed. It takes a courageous person like George\nWallace to come forward and say: I was wrong for being a racist. It\ntakes a strong person like Lee Atwater to say: I was wrong.\n  Senator Sessions has not said he was wrong. There is nothing that\nSenator Sessions has written that says: I apologize for what I did back\nthen. There is nothing that he said. Certainly his legislative record,\nwhich is only nine bills over the last 20 years--three of which were\nceremonial in nature--there is nothing in that legislation that would\nlead us to conclude that he has changed. So he is going to be bad for\nthe Attorney General's office.\n  I conclude by asking my Senate colleagues to think carefully about\nwhat you are about to do and say ``no'' to Senator Jeff Sessions.\n  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from New York\n(Mr. Payne), my classmate and a voice from the New York area.\n  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Fort Worth (Mr.\nVeasey). I was looking forward to a potential clash with his team next\nweek, but I guess you have to get out of Green Bay before you can go to\nDallas.\n  Mr. Speaker, the job of the U.S. Attorney General is to protect the\nrights and freedoms of every single American. Senator Sessions' record\nand public statements suggest that, if confirmed, he will not uphold\nour Constitution's values of fairness, justice, and equality for all.\nSince the election, President-elect Trump's victory has been marred by\nallegations of voter intimidation and suppression in key States.\n  It is clear that we need to restore the full protections of the\nVoting Rights Act. Yet, Senator Sessions has called the Voting Rights\nAct an intrusive piece of legislation. When he was the United States\nAttorney in west Alabama, Senator Sessions used the power of his office\nto intimidate and dissuade African American voters.\n  Americans recognize the need for Congress to find a bipartisan\nsolution to immigration reform. Yet, Senator Sessions has been one of\nthe loudest opponents of comprehensive immigration reform. He has even\nfought against legal immigration, arguing, instead, for immigration\nmoderation.\n  Americans also recognize the dire need for criminal justice reform.\nYet, Senator Sessions has opposed bipartisan legislation to modernize\nprison sentencing for low-level drug offenders.\n  On every measure, Senator Sessions has shown that he will be\ndetrimental to African Americans and other minority communities as our\nNation's next Attorney General.\n  The next Attorney General must build on the progress of the last few\nyears under Attorney General Lynch and Attorney General Holder. He or\nshe must safeguard civil rights, prosecute hate crimes, protect the\nright of due process, and uphold the Constitution and our basic values\nand freedoms.\n  Every indication is that Senator Sessions is too extreme and\nunwilling to protect the safety and the rights of every American. If\nconfirmed as U.S. Attorney General, Senator Sessions will pose a grave\nthreat to our justice system and to the communities that system is\nmeant to protect. His ideologies are in direct contrast with the\nJustice Department's mission.\n  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs.\nBeatty), my classmate from the Buckeye State, representing the\nColumbus, Ohio, area.\n  Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and chair of this\nSpecial Order hour (Mr. Veasey) and the chair of the Congressional\nBlack Caucus (Mr. Richmond). It is indeed an honor, Mr. Speaker, for me\nto stand here with these colleagues tonight.\n  We come tonight with a strong message. We are here to speak out\nagainst President-elect Trump's Cabinet nominations who, based on their\nrecords, are, in my opinion, too divisive, too extreme, too out of\ntouch, and unable to protect the interests and the safety of all\nAmericans--individuals like Jeff Sessions and Betsy DeVos.\n  Trust me, Mr. Speaker, these nominees need to be vetted. The American\npeople deserve to know who will be in charge of these critically\nimportant Federal agencies.\n  We are extremely concerned with Senator Jeff Sessions' nomination to\nbe the U.S. Attorney General. Sessions, as you have heard tonight and\nyou will continue to hear, has continuously obstructed the progress we\nhave made with the enactment of the historic civil rights legislation\nof the 1960s.\n  He has consistently, Mr. Speaker, fought to block legislative efforts\nto ensure racial equality, including his staunch opposition to full\nenforcement of the Voting Rights Act--the very bill, Mr. Speaker, if\nconfirmed, he would be in charge of enforcing and protecting.\n  Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues. We cannot allow that to happen.\n  Next up in Trump's Cabinet of cronies is his nominee for Education\nSecretary, Betsy DeVos, who has pushed to expand taxpayer-funded\nvouchers for private and religious schools and has absolutely zero\nexperience as an educator or an educational leader. She has, however,\nMr. Speaker, spent millions of dollars lobbying for school choice\nproposals which harm disadvantaged and at-risk communities.\n  Now, I am from the great State of Ohio, and to have someone owe our\nOhio Elections Commission $5.3 million, we cannot allow that to happen.\nWe have to be the voice for the people. Especially those people who are\nvoiceless.\n  Mr. Speaker, let me end by saying that as a member of the\nCongressional Black Caucus, I stand here tonight wanting the public to\nknow that we are concerned and we are exercising our right and our\nvoice.\n  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York, the\nEmpire State, (Mr. Jeffries).\n  Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague and\nclassmate, Representative Marc Veasey, for his leadership today; and\nthe chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Representative Cedric\nRichmond, for convening us and for the leadership that he has already\nshown.\n  We have a President-elect who, for 5 years, perpetrated the racist\nlie that Barack Obama was not born in the United States of America, and\nwho ran one of the most divisive campaigns in the Nation's history and\nthen promised that he was going to bring all of us together.\n  Then you have got his colleagues on the other side of the aisle who\nhave said: Well, Democrats, people in the civil rights community,\nAfrican Americans, we should give the new President a chance.\n  This is the same group of people who declared war on Barack Obama on\nday one of his Presidency and governed themselves under the following\napproach: Obstruction today, obstruction tomorrow, obstruction forever.\n  That should sound familiar to folks from Alabama and the Deep South.\n  Now they want us to give them a chance. You can't lecture us on\nPresidential etiquette. You have no credibility in that area. We will\ndecide how we want to engage. As it relates to your pick to head the\nDepartment of Justice, it is totally unacceptable, unreasonable,\nunjust, and unconscionable, not because of anything that he may have\nsaid 30 years ago, as offensive as that may be, but because of the\npositions that Senator Jeff Sessions has taken today.\n  Today, in 2017, based on his recent track record, he supports the\nConfederate battle flag, not 30 years ago, but today. Today he supports\nvoter suppression efforts that are advanced by his unwillingness to\nrepair section 4 and section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. That is not 30\nyears ago. I don't care that you showed up in Selma, Alabama, for a\nphoto op. Your position on the Voting Rights Act is unacceptable today.\n\n                              {time}  2015\n\n  Today you support mass incarceration, the failed drug war, and the\nprison industrial complex. And because of your position today,\nreasonable Americans should oppose your ascension to the Department of\nJustice.\n  Mr. VEASEY. I thank the gentleman.\n  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms.\nAdams).\n  Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I thank all of my colleagues from the\nCongressional Black Caucus for coming out and speaking out.\n  I rise today to express concern and strong opposition to President-\nelect Trump Cabinet nominations for Attorney General, Secretary of\nEducation,\n\n[[Page H226]]\n\nand Secretary of Health and Human Services. President-elect Trump chose\nnot to practice what he preached, and he didn't drain the swamp.\nInstead, he nominated politically divisive individuals to serve in his\nadministration.\n  Throughout a public service career spanning more than 30 years,\nSenator Sessions used the power of the courts to discriminate against\ncivil rights leaders. He allegedly used racially charged language to\ndisparage minorities, expressed support for the KKK, and then tried to\ndismiss it as a joke. He celebrated the gutting of the Voting Rights\nAct and opposed same-sex marriage. He denied the constitutionality of\nRoe v. Wade and voted against greater access to health care for\nveterans. He blocked the Paycheck Fairness Act and voted against the\nreauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. He does not respect\nthe rights of minorities or women, and he has proven himself to be\nunfit to serve as United States Attorney General.\n  Education is the great equalizer. One of the most important\ninvestments families make is in their children. The Secretary of\nEducation must be committed to providing a free, world-class education\nto all students regardless of race, gender, ability, status, financial\nmeans, or geography.\n  Unfortunately, Betsy DeVos has consistently fought for private school\nvouchers that divert funds from public schools, our communities, and\nour children who need these investments the most. She has even used her\npersonal wealth to lobby against important transparency and\naccountability measures that would have provided necessary safeguards\nfor Michigan students.\n  DeVos' track record of undermining public education and her lack of\ncommitment to defending the civil rights of students causes me great\npause in her quest to become Secretary of Education. I can't support\nit. Betsy DeVos, absolutely no.\n  Finally, Chairman Price. He has made it clear that his budget\npriorities are highly partisan. We can expect that if he is confirmed,\nhe will strip 20 million people of affordable health care, women would\nbe denied their right to contraception and reproductive health care,\nand devastating cuts would be levied against Medicaid funding. We can't\ngo back to a time when being a woman is a preexisting condition for\ninsurance coverage. Chairman Price's nomination offers just that.\n  These folks will not unite the American people, and they cannot be\ntrusted to advocate for our most vulnerable populations, so I urge my\nSenate colleagues to oppose the confirmations of Senator Jeff Sessions,\nBetsy DeVos, and Chairman Tom Price.\n  Mr. VEASEY. I thank the gentlewoman.\n  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs.\nLawrence).\n  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to take a stand against\nthose who seek to further divide our Nation. We face the greatest chaos\nnot by the acts of outsiders or foreign intruders, but by the division\nand war with each other. The nomination of Jeff Sessions as our\nAttorney General threatens our strength as Americans. Over three\ndecades of a career in public service, Jeff Sessions' words and actions\nlead to one question: Who is included and excluded from the public he\nchooses to serve?\n  Jeff Sessions has referred to the Voting Rights Act as a ``piece of\nintrusive legislation.'' The first Federal prosecutor in the country to\nbring charges against civil rights activists for voter fraud since the\npassage of the VRA in 1965, Sessions has called the Shelby v. Holder\ncase, which eliminated the preclearance formula, ``good news . . . for\nthe South.''\n  Sessions has referred to the NAACP and ACLU civil rights groups\nsaying they have done more harm than good by trying to force civil\nrights down the throats of the good people of the United States. He has\nreferred to these organizations as un-American and communist inspired.\n  African Americans and other people of color are disproportionately\naffected by acts of voter suppression and the criminal justice system.\nThose, among others, are the key areas in which Sessions has shown\ndeliberate disregard for the justice and equality of all Americans.\n  This is a pivotal moment in our Nation's history, and we simply\ncannot treat the American people like a social experiment. History will\nreflect on this moment in time, and our action and inaction will be\naccounted for.\n  Mr. VEASEY. I thank the gentlewoman.\n  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs.\nWatson Coleman).\n  Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues who have\nspoken this evening.\n  As I have said, I would have liked to have spent this transition\nperiod working with the President-elect on ways to solve our Nation's\nissues. I would have liked to have been reassured that, despite\ndisparaging and divisive rhetoric, his actions would have worked to\nunite us all. Instead, we are battling against a nominee who has\nalready been deemed unfit for a Federal judgeship. So what can possibly\nmake him fit to serve as our Nation's top law enforcement officer?\n  The definition of justice is the quality of being just, impartial, or\nfair. Synonyms include equity, objectivity, and neutrality. Senator\nSessions has built a reputation and a voting record that does not align\nwith justice. I do not wish to relitigate the past, and while it cannot\nbe ignored, we don't have to look too far back to identify Senator\nSessions' priorities. In 2006, he voted to renew the Voting Rights Act.\nIn 2013, he supported the Supreme Court decision to strike key\nprovisions of that law.\n\n  Following being denied a Federal judgeship, Senator Sessions\ncosponsored legislation to honor Rosa Parks with a Congressional Gold\nMedal while also voting against legislation in 2009 to extend Federal\nhate crime protections against people targeted because of their sexual\norientation. Further, he has been the ringleader to immigration reform.\n  How can we in good faith recommend, nominate, or confirm a person to\na post that is solely responsible for protecting the civil rights of\nall Americans, including those who are vulnerable, disadvantaged, and\ndiscriminated against?\n  This administration is continuing to ask us to put aside our\nintellect and to trust their intentions. I refuse. This administration\nwould like us to support a man who, throughout his career, has\ndetermined the rights of those who look like me, like constituents I\nserve, as inferior. I refuse, and I ask the Senators to please consider\nthis as they listen to whether or not this gentleman deserves to be\nconfirmed.\n  Mr. Speaker, as I've said before, I would have liked to have spent\nthe transition period working with the President-Elect, Trump, on ways\nto solve our Nation's issues.\n  I would have liked to have been reassured that despite disparaging\nand divisive campaign rhetoric--President-Elect Trump's actions would\nwork to unite us all.\n  Yet, instead we're here battling against the nominee for the 84th\nattorney general of the United States who was already rejected as a\nfederal judge.\n  His disqualification was rooted in allegations that he called a black\nattorney ``boy'' and his suggestions that a white lawyer working for\nblack clients was a race traitor.\n  Not only that but Senator Sessions found humor in his only issue with\nthe Ku Klux Klan was their drug use, and accused civil rights groups as\nbeing ``un-American'' organizations trying to ``force civil rights down\nthe throats of people who were trying to put problems behind them.''\n  So what could possibly make him fit to serve as our Nation's top law\nenforcement officer at the Department of Justice?\n  The definition of justice is the quality of being just, impartial, or\nfair.\n  Synonyms for justice include equity, objectivity and neutrality.\n  Senator Sessions has built a reputation and, most importantly, a\nvoting record that does not align with that definition.\n  I do not wish to re-litigate the past as I would not want to be\njudged on my actions and thoughts of 30 years ago. However, Senator\nSessions' growth and commitment to inclusivity--even 30 years later--\nremains to be seen.\n  Following being denied a federal judgeship, in the early 90s, Senator\nSessions co-sponsored legislation to honor Rosa Parks with the\nCongressional Gold Medal, while also voting against 2009 legislation\nthat extended federal hate crime protections to people targeted because\nof their sexual orientation or gender identity.\n  While in 2006 he voted to renew the Voting Rights Act, just years\nlater in 2013 he supported the Supreme Court's decision to strike key\nprovisions of the law.\n\n[[Page H227]]\n\n  Furthermore, he has been the ringleader of opposition for immigration\nreform.\n  How can we in good faith recommend, nominate, or confirm this person\nto the post that is solely responsible for protecting the civil\nliberties of all Americans--including those who are vulnerable,\ndisadvantaged, and discriminated against.\n  This administration is continually asking us to put aside our\nintellect and to trust their intention. I refuse.\n  This administration would like us to support a man who throughout his\ncareer has determined the rights of those who look like me and the\nconstituents I serve are inferior. I refuse.\n  This administration would like us to sit idly by as Donald Trump\ntries to overwhelm us into tacit submission to his dangerous agenda. I\nrefuse.\n  A Trump-Sessions Department of Justice would be not only an attack on\nour civil rights and equality; it would be an insult to the\nintelligence of the American people.\n  Mr. VEASEY. I thank the gentlewoman.\n  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr.\nMcEachin).\n  Mr. McEACHIN. I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for organizing\nthis hour today.\n  Mr. Speaker, I stand here today because I believe that confirming\nJeff Sessions as Attorney General for the United States would\njeopardize the progress we have made for equal rights and against\ndiscrimination.\n  Mr. Speaker, it is an affront to common sense to confirm someone who\nhas criticized the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and believes that this\nlandmark law, which provides all Americans with the right to cast a\nballot for candidates in our democratic process, is intrusive. It is an\naffront to common sense, Mr. Speaker, to confirm a nominee who views an\nold advertisement calling for the death penalty of people who are later\nexonerated as a mark of conservatism.\n  Mr. Speaker, it is an affront to common sense to confirm someone who\nwas previously rejected as a choice for a Federal judgeship to lead a\nDepartment that, in part, vets future Federal judges. It is an affront\nto common sense, Mr. Speaker, to confirm someone who does not believe\nin justice for all to lead the Department of Justice.\n  Mr. Speaker, it is clear that this nominee would not act in the best\ninterest of all Americans, regardless of color, gender, country of\norigin, sexual orientation, or economic status. Mr. Speaker, it is my\nfervent hope that the Senate of the United States will deny the\nconfirmation of this nominee.\n  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.\n  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, President-elect\nDonald Trump's cabinet nominations are nothing short of alarming. With\nthe United States Senate expected to begin nomination hearings this\nweek, we need to ensure that Congress follows a fair and thorough\nvetting process as we evaluate the suitability of these individuals to\nfill the various cabinet positions.\n  One source of concern is the process by which Republicans in Congress\nare choosing to conduct these nominations. The recent Republican effort\nto rush the nominees through the process does not invite confidence in\nour ability to properly consider each individual on their merits.\nWalter Shaub, Jr., Director of the Office of Government Ethics, raised\nhis concerns of this very fact given that his office is charged with\nconducting ethics screening reviews of the nominees. The aggressive\nhearing schedule to consider these nominees is unprecedented and has\nplaced an undue burden on the Office of Government Ethics (OCE) and its\nability to conduct thorough ethics reviews. These ethics reviews are\nessential to the process and help us to identify potential conflicts of\ninterest or other ethical considerations before we confirm these\nindividuals to serve in public office. Director Shaub has stated that\nit is unprecedented for the Senate to conduct a confirmation hearing\nbefore the ethics review process has concluded. This is simply\nunacceptable and undermines the democratic process.\n  The nominees themselves are also cause for concern. Namely, I believe\nthat the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General of\nthe U.S. Department of Justice threatens the best interests and safety\nof the American people. Senator Sessions has served in the United\nStates Senate for twenty years, during which his record on civil rights\nand other national issues was questionable at best. For example, he\nvoted several times against the reauthorization of the Violence Against\nWomen Act, which aimed to hold offenders of violence against women\naccountable for their actions. He has also taken a very clear position\nagainst rights for the LGBT community, which would deny these Americans\nbasic human rights. His positions on criminal justice and government\nreforms are also disturbing.\n  Mr. Speaker, I have serious concerns about the means by which my\nRepublican colleagues are approaching the nomination process this\nCongress. If we are to properly evaluate the qualifications and the\nethical suitability of these nominees, we must conduct an exhaustive\nexamination of each nominee based on their merits--not on their\npolitics. The Republicans are failing to uphold these basic principles\nthrough their recent actions. In the name of protecting the American\npeople and doing what is best for our country, I urge my Republican\ncolleagues to return to normal order and delay these nomination\nhearings until OCE can conclude its ethics reviews of the nominees.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Comer). Members are reminded to refrain\nfrom engaging in personalities against Members of the Senate and the\nPresident-elect.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2017-01-09-pt1-PgH220-6"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 31.297756009735167, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}