Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Need To Confirm Mayorkas, Buttigieg And Press Forward On Nominations To President Biden’s Cabinet As Quickly As Possible

Washington, D.C. –  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor regarding the importance of  confirming Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security and Pete Buttigieg as Secretary of Transportation, who will be confirmed by the Senate tomorrow, and to further process President Biden’s cabinet nominees.  Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

 This week, the Senate will continue to confirm President Biden’s outstanding cabinet nominees. We had intended to finish the confirmation of Alejandro Mayorkas to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security today, but unfortunately, with winter storms hitting much of the East Coast, Mr. Mayorkas’ confirmation will be delayed until tomorrow to accommodate members who are having difficulty getting here.

 We will also vote tomorrow on the nomination of former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg to serve as our nation’s next Secretary of Transportation. Mr. Buttigieg is an impressive public servant who has already earned the respect and confidence of both sides. He was reported out of the committee last week on an overwhelming bipartisan vote and I look forward to confirming his nomination tomorrow.

 Now as we process these nominations on the floor, our Senate committees are hard at work preparing the next slate of nominees, including the Secretaries of Agriculture, Energy, Veterans Affairs, Commerce, Education, Labor, EPA, and more.

 We have a lot of work to do here, but the Senate is going to press forward on these nominations as quickly as possible.

###