Schumer Floor Remarks on the Continued Eruption of Chaos under President Trump’s Leadership

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today delivered remarks outlining the continued chaos that has played out and persists to plague the Administration under President Trump’s leadership. Below are his remarks:

Madam President, there is a theme that is beginning to define this new Administration: incompetence leading to chaos.

Over the weekend, the hastily constructed executive order on immigration and refugees caused chaos in airports across America and across the world.

Folks were caught in detention at airports for up to 12 hours… young children separated from their mothers, elderly travelers denied medical care, husbands from their wives…green card holders and legal residents being denied the right to see an attorney…some folks were pressured into signing away their permanent legal status…

There were scenes of utter havoc.

Nobody seemed to know the legal ramifications of the order, including the most senior Administration officials in charge of enforcing it: at DHS, DOJ and State.

There’s a reason no one knows the legal ramifications. No one asked the professionals in the departments. Isn't it amazing on one of the most sweeping executive orders ever issued, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the head of the C.I.A. have said, through reports, that they didn't even know of it. The level of incompetence of this administration already -- only 10 days into the presidency -- is staggering. Consider the legal ramifications leading to the firing of Sally Yates last night. There's a reason no one knows the legal ramifications, no one asked the agencies responsible for implementing these rules. A manager would have given the Department of Justice ample time to shape this policy and then to review it, as well as 15 or 30 days to implement such a sweeping order.

At Kennedy Airport customs, the CPB -- they had no idea that this was coming down.

Then last, night, incompetence led to chaos at the Justice Department.

Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, then-Acting Attorney General, issued a notice saying that the Department of Justice will not defend President Trump’s executive order on immigrants and refugees from Muslim-majority countries because of its dubious legality and even more dubious Constitutionality.

To put this in perspective: this was our country’s top lawyer – someone who’s served Administrations of both parties, someone who has the reputation of doing things on the merits of not being political—saying that the executive order is on such shaky legal and constitutional ground that the Administration’s own lawyers should not defend it.

I have to say that she “was” our country’s top lawyer, because within hours of her principled statement detailing a professional legal opinion, the Trump Administration fired her. An hour later, the Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director was dismissed.

The hair-trigger response from the White House to relieve them of their duties was a Monday Night Massacre – eerily reminiscent of the political firings by the Nixon Administration during Watergate.

…But instead of happening 5 years into the Administration, it happened within the first two weeks. How many more of these dismissals will take place over the next four years?

How many more firings will there be because the President and his people in the White House didn't want to hear a proper legal opinion?

Sally Yates was the Acting Attorney General. Why wasn’t she consulted on the Executive Order? Maybe if she had been, they would have learned about all the ways it is legally and constitutionally deficient and the Administration would not have issued it.

But instead, here we are in week two of the new Trump Administration and already we are on the cusp of a constitutional crisis. We are already in a crisis of competence.

Madam President, a dangerous pattern is beginning to emerge…because throughout this past week, incompetence led to chaos at the State Department.

Before the Secretary of State is confirmed, before any deputy and undersecretaries have been named, the President unceremoniously cleared out more than a century of experience among senior officials at the State Department.

One of the top officials removed last week was in charge of management issues at the State Department, including security of our embassies and associated personnel overseas.  This could potentially put our people overseas at risk and could potentially make it more difficult for our Government to conduct the business of our nation overseas. This makes America weaker, not stronger.

Another official was in charge of ensuring the compliance of nations with whom we have arms control and security treaties. This is an area where my friends on the other side of the aisle – most notably my friend from Arkansas - demanded more robust action under the previous administration – especially with respect to Russia. These important issues require continuing senior-level government attention and expertise - not a vacant office.

So again, the incompetence is astounding the American people. It's amazing how poorly done so many things have been that have come out of the White House in the first two weeks.

The President is treating our nation's most senior and capable members of his workforce like this is an episode of "The Apprentice."

Madam President, unlike on the campaign trail, the President’s slapdash decisions, tweets, and the basic incompetence of his administration threatens to spread chaos across this country and across the world – undermining America’s global reputation and making Americans less safe.

…Especially the executive order on immigrants and refugees.

The events of last night make that fact as clear as day. Our country’s top lawyers think it’s illegal, unconstitutional and indefensible. An unprecedented number of senior, nonpartisan State Department personnel many who signed onto a dissent memo arguing that the executive order “will immediately sour relations with much of Muslim world…[and] increase anti-American sentiment.”

From the seven countries in the travel ban, not a single refugee has ever committed an act of terrorism in America. Not a single one.

Today, even more than yesterday and over the weekend, we have reason to overturn this executive order.

I urge all of my Republican colleagues to rethink their position and join us on Sen. Feinstein’s bill to rescind the order. Then we can get to work ACTUALLY protecting our country with a smart, thoughtful and effect policy against terrorism.

Now, I asked a unanimous consent request yesterday, Madam President, because this order is so bad for our safety, our security, for our troops, for our country and for the moral leadership that we've always held. There is even a greater need today because we saw what Sally Yates said and the President's actions. The need to rescind this order is even greater today than it was yesterday, and so I'm pleading with my colleagues. I know many of you have doubts about this order. You've expressed them. Let's rescind it and really get to work on tightening up our laws and making America safe from terrorists.