Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Significant Progress Made This Week In The Senate And The Importance Of Considering And Confirming President Biden’s Supreme Court Nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor regarding the progress that the Senate has made this week on many bipartisan efforts, including the bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, and the Omnibus funding agreement. He also spoke on the Senate’s upcoming efforts to get President Biden’s nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, confirmed to the United States Supreme Court. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:
We still have some more work to do, but it’s already been a remarkably busy and productive week here in the Senate.
After nearly a decade of work, this week the Senate finally passed the largest postal reform bill in a very long time, with huge bipartisan support, I’m happy to say. We also sent to the President’s desk the first bill in American history that finally—finally— long overdue, declares lynching a federal crime, after a century of failed attempts. These are both momentous and indeed historic accomplishments, and I thank my colleagues for working in good faith to get them done.
I have always said that whenever possible, Democrats would be willing to work in a bipartisan way to get things done, and once the omnibus is done, this week we will have achieved three major bipartisan accomplishments.
And yesterday, Senate Democrats also met for our annual DPCC retreat over at Howard University, where we had a spirited and productive conversation about the biggest issue facing American families: lowering costs. As the world continues to struggle with COVID, supply chain disruptions, and Russia’s war on Ukraine, Americans need relief on everything from energy costs, prescription drugs costs, groceries – the cost of groceries, and meat - and so much more. Democrats will keep working these issues with laser-like intensity and unflinching focus.
Moving forward, the Senate will also continue the process of considering and ultimately confirming President Biden’s exceptional nominee to the United States Supreme Court, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
That Judge Jackson is qualified for the high court is not in question. That she merits bipartisan support should not be disputed, because on three occasions she’s already come before this chamber and has been embraced by people on both sides of the aisle.
When Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearings begin on March 21st, the entire nation will get to see what many of us in the Senate are learning for ourselves: Judge Jackson is brilliant, beloved, and she belongs on the Supreme Court. The three B's – brilliant, beloved, belongs.
We have more work to do before this week comes to an end, but for now I thank my colleagues for a very, very productive few days.
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