“[John Brennan’s] extensive intelligence background and executive experience uniquely qualify him to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.”

“Unfortunately, the confirmation process has focused too much this year on partisan, political considerations and not enough on the quality of the nominees.”

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor today regarding a Republican filibuster of John Brennan’s nomination to director of the Central Intelligence Agency, as well as the ongoing violence in Syria. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

Each day the world watches in horror as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad carries out a campaign of wanton violence that has killed more than 70,000 of his own citizens. These atrocities have gone on for far too long. It is time that this awful dictator steps down and allows his people to pursue a peaceful transition to democracy.

Assad grows increasingly desperate, as rebels continue to gain ground despite the full force of Assad’s military arsenal. President Assad should understand the world is watching his every action. And we will not tolerate his unforgiveable slaughter of innocent civilians, including through the potential future use of chemical weapons. President Obama has been clear: the use of such chemical weapons would constitute a “red line” for the United States and for the international community.

Rather than continue to kill his own people, President Assad should end the bloodshed and relinquish power to Syria’s citizens.

As America closely observes unfolding events in Syria, and deals with varied threats around the world, it is crucial that President Obama has a seasoned national security team in place.

It’s often said there is no substitute for experience, so it’s natural that 25-year CIA veteran John Brennan was reported out of the Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday on an overwhelming, bipartisan vote. Mr. Brennan is a highly qualified nominee and should be confirmed quickly.

As Deputy National Security Advisor since 2009, John Brennan has been President Obama’s chief homeland security and counterterrorism advisor. He has been at the forefront of every major national security decision made during the Obama Administration. He is responsible for the White House response to pandemics, cyber threats, natural disasters and terrorism attacks. And he played an instrumental role in finding Osama bin Laden and decimating al Qaeda.

But his distinguished intelligence career began more than 30 years ago, when he joined the CIA as a career trainee straight out of graduate schools. Mr. Brennan worked his way up through the agency to serve in senior management roles at the CIA – including as Deputy Executive Director under George Tenant.

Years spent working on covert and analytic missions, and as Chief of Station in Saudi Arabia, gave him a comprehensive understanding of the CIA’s capabilities and inner workings. And Mr. Brennan’s knowledge of the Middle East will be essential as we continue work to defeat al Qaeda and other terrorist threats.

John Brennan has distinguished himself outside of government, as well. He spent four years in the private sector as president and CEO of The Analysis Corporation. His extensive intelligence background and executive experience uniquely qualify him to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.

Just as the CIA faces challenges abroad, it also faces significant decisions about its own future. John Brennan must guide the CIA’s through a thorough consideration of the agency’s relationship with the United States military, how the agency should respond to conclusions of a recent Senate Intelligence Committee report on interrogation practices and the agency’s response to demands for transparency. These considerations must not be made lightly, and John Brennan will give them the attention they deserve in his role as director.

The Senate must also approach its duty to advise and consent with the solemnity it deserves. Unfortunately, the confirmation process has focused too much this year on partisan, political considerations and not enough on the quality of the nominees.

I am disappointed that I am forced to file cloture on Mr. Brennan’s nomination today. My Republican colleagues have already obstructed several critical nominations this year. I hope that pattern of obstructionist behavior will not persist. But I remain optimistic that, in Mr. Brennan’s case, concerns for national security will outweigh the desire to grandstand for the Tea Party.

“Republicans have, again and again, injected politics into the confirmation process.”

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid spoke on the Senate floor today regarding Republican efforts to obstruct President Obama’s highly qualified judicial and cabinet nominations Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

This week the Senate will consider a handful of nominations. Tonight Senators will vote on confirmation of two district court judges, Pamela Chen to serve as United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York and Katherine Failla to serve as United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York. Later this week we will consider the nomination of Caitlin Joan Halligan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which currently has four vacancies.

Ms. Halligan’s colleagues say she has a “brilliant legal mind” and an “abiding respect for the law.” But despite her outstanding credentials and strong support from across the political spectrum, Republicans filibustered her confirmation last Congress.

President Obama is the only president in the 65-year history of the D.C. Circuit Court not to have a single judge confirmed to that court during his first term. Since Ms. Halligan was nominated, two additional vacancies have opened up on the D.C. Circuit. The court desperately needs more judges.

This week, the Senate will also consider the nomination of John Brennan to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. The Intelligence Committee is expected to report his nomination tomorrow. Mr. Brennan served 25 years at the CIA and four years on the White House national security staff, where he played an instrumental role in finding Osama bin Laden and decimating al Qaeda. He is highly qualified, and should be confirmed quickly.

This week will be a test of Republicans’ good will. My Republican colleagues say they respect the Senate’s responsibility to advise and consent. My Republican colleagues say they don’t plan to obstruct the confirmation process for the sake of obstruction. But they filibustered President Obama’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, a former Republican Senator, delaying Secretary Hagel’s confirmation for nearly two weeks.

Republicans say they will not filibuster. But their actions say otherwise.

Republicans say they are just requiring 60-vote thresholds. But the difference between a filibuster and requiring a 60-vote threshold on nominations is a distinction without a difference.

In a nation founded on a principle of justice for all, it is crucial that we adequately staff our federal courts. And at a time when America faces so many threats abroad, it’s crucial we have a talented and dedicated individual like John Brennan leading our most prominent intelligence agency. Yet Republicans have, again and again, injected politics into the confirmation process – both when considering judicial nominees and, most recently, when considering cabinet nominees.

There was once a time when Republicans were the ones defending the right of the President to choose the players on his team. But back then there was a Republican in the White House. In 2001, the Senior Senator from Utah touted the, “longstanding tradition in the Senate… [to] afford the President a significant degree of deference to shape his Cabinet as he sees fit.” Four years later, after President Bush was reelected, the Senior Senator from Arizona pointed out that elections have consequences and said, “The President has a right to put into place the team he believes will serve him best.”

As we consider key nominations this week, and in the weeks to come, I hope my Republican colleagues honor that longstanding tradition of the Senate. And I urge Republicans to consider that – if the Senate fails to properly staff our national security agencies or the nation’s judicial system – our inaction will also have consequences.

“President Obama’s nominations will ensure strong leadership for the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. Both Dr. Moniz and Ms. McCarthy bring the expertise our nation needs to address environmental challenges and lead on clean energy innovation and development.

“As a respected nuclear physicist and Director of the MIT Energy Initiative, Dr. Moniz has been at the forefront of finding innovative ways to bolster and clean up our energy supplies at the same time. I am confident that he will continue building on the Administration’s progress in developing our nation’s enormous clean energy potential, reducing our reliance on foreign oil, and finding a safe, consent-based approach to managing our nation’s nuclear waste that does not involve dumping it in Nevada. I also look forward to discussing with Dr. Moniz the Department of Energy’s partnership with Nevada in growing the Silver State’s clean energy economy.

“Ms. McCarthy has a proven track record of public service and I am confident she will be able to tackle the serious environmental challenges facing our nation. Working to improve our environment for the long-term will require the ability to bring together communities, diverse industries, and public health and environmental advocates to find solutions that work for our country. Ms. McCarthy is uniquely qualified for building consensus to clean our air and water, safeguard communities from public health threats, and address climate change.”

“Ms. Mathews Burwell has a strong background and I am confident she will be able to deal with our nation’s budgetary challenges in a responsible way. Having served at OMB, Treasury and as an senior advisor to President Clinton, Ms. Mathews Burwell understands how to work cooperatively to develop a budget that keeps our government strong and bolsters our nation’s economy for the long-term.”

“Jack Lew is an outstanding public servant with the experience and ability to guide our nation’s economy towards long-term growth and prosperity for the middle class. His work under two presidents and years of experience on Capitol Hill give him the tools necessary to succeed in this critically important and difficult job.

“Jack’s ability to work with people of different opinions and his belief in fiscal responsibility were evident when he helped President Clinton balance the budget and generate record surpluses. He understands that our work here in Washington is not just about numbers, but about real families sitting at home, trying to make ends meet. I appreciate the strong bipartisan vote of support for Jack, and look forward to working with him to bring middle-class families the economic security they deserve.”

“In a time of war and threats to Americans at home and abroad, Senate Republicans are waging the first-ever filibuster of a Defense Secretary nominee. Despite unprecedented responsiveness and transparency from the White House, Republicans have constantly invented new pretexts for opposing Senator Hagel’s nomination, and Republicans continued their embarrassing display of disregard for our national security by blocking Senator Hagel’s nomination today.

“Watching Republicans with otherwise distinguished records on national security place their desire to please the Tea Party ahead of doing the right thing for our troops is one of the saddest spectacles I have witnessed in my twenty-seven years in the Senate.

“Senator Hagel is a decorated war veteran, an expert on national security issues and the right man to lead the Pentagon in these troubling times. Democrats will continue to fight for Senator Hagel, and we will reconsider his nomination in the coming days. Some Republican senators have said that they will change their votes, and allow his nomination to proceed at some point in the future. I will take them at their word, and I will hold them to their pledge.”

Washington, D.C. – Nevada Senator Harry Reid released the following statement after being informed by Republican leadership that they would mount a full-scale filibuster and block Senator Hagel’s nomination for Defense Secretary from receiving an final passage vote on the Senate floor:

“My Republican colleagues had led us to believe they would not filibuster Senator Chuck Hagel’s confirmation of as Secretary of Defense. But that has changed. Now, Senate Republicans have made it clear they intend to mount a full-scale filibuster, and block the Senate from holding a final passage vote on Senator Hagel’s nomination. Make no mistake: Republicans are trying to defeat Senator Hagel’s nomination by filibustering while submitting extraneous requests that will never be satisfied.

“The pattern has been clear for months: as soon as President Obama’s administration responds to one request, Republicans devise another, more outlandish request. Senior Administration officials have participated in twenty member and staff briefings, ten congressional hearings, six witness interviews and responded to over forty Benghazi-related inquiries from Congress, producing 10,000 pages of documents. Several of my Republican colleagues sent a letter to the Administration yesterday requesting additional information on the September 11th attack on an American facility in Benghazi. These Republican colleagues said they would not allow a vote on Senator Hagel’s nomination to proceed unless the Administration honored their request. The Administration responded to that letter yesterday. I, along with several of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, received a copy of the letter at 4 p.m. But now Republicans say this is not enough, and are moving the goal posts at the last minute. This is no way to operate.

“The Senate has received extensive information on the Benghazi attacks, including testimony from Administration officials before multiple committees and an independent review board. Senator Hagel has answered exhaustive questions about his record. He has the support of the President. And he has the support in this body to be confirmed, if Republicans would lift their filibuster. There are serious consequences to this delay, and I hope Republicans will drop their filibuster to give our troops the leader they deserve in this time of danger.”