Bridging the Divide: Observations on Race and Justice in America

Floor Speech

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Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend for yielding.
I want to thank my colleagues, Payne and Kelly, for leading the
Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour. You are our message
team. You are the people who let all of the world, all of America know
what the CBC is dealing with on a daily basis, and I thank you for your
work.

Last week, Loretta Lynch's nomination to serve as the next U.S.
Attorney General was finally passed out of the Senate Judiciary
Committee by a vote of 12-8. I use the word ``finally'' because there
has been a significant delay with her confirmation. Why her
confirmation has taken so long confounds me. I mean, what exactly is
the Senate majority waiting for? What is the delay?

The fact that it took over 100 days to just get her to a committee
vote is particularly troubling when one considers how long it took to
actually confirm former Attorneys General: Janet Reno, 29 days; John
Ashcroft, 42 days; Michael Mukasey, 53 days; and Alberto Gonzales, who
had to resign as Attorney General, 86 days.

Clearly, Attorney Lynch's confirmation has been singled out for
delay. Ash Carter's confirmation moved expeditiously, and he is now the
Secretary of Defense. His hearing took place on February 4. He was
voted out of committee on February 11, and ultimately confirmed on the
Senate floor on February 12.

When testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney Lynch
showed grace under pressure while enduring long hours of vigorous
questioning. Later, she provided answers to hundreds of questions, all
on the record, resulting in more than 200 pages of testimony. Her
professionalism and responsiveness are well documented.

Further, Senators in both parties have lauded Attorney Lynch's
qualifications. Her record speaks for itself. Senator Hatch, one of the
three Republicans--shamefully, three Republicans--who recently voted in
favor of Attorney Lynch's nomination in committee, stated:

I have concluded that Ms. Lynch's full record, including
but hardly limited to her hearing testimony, shows that she
is qualified to serve as Attorney General.

That is all that they are trying to show to the American public. All
they need to say is that she is qualified. If they had the President
and the White House, they would pick who they want. But they don't have
the President and the White House, so they have to deal with who he
picks. And she is qualified.

Further, Senators in both parties understand how important it is to
fill the position of Attorney General. Yet she continues to be
penalized by many members of the majority party for President Obama's
immigration policies and a general disdain for Attorney General Holder.
Here we are stopping the Attorney General nomination because of
immigration, we won't fund the Department of Homeland Security because
of immigration--there is a problem in the Congress of the United
States. In fact, she is being judged for the actions of others, and we
know that. This is nothing more than political gamesmanship.

I call on my colleagues in the other Chamber to stop the charade and
get on with the confirmation. I urge the Senate to put Attorney Lynch's
nomination on the floor immediately. Judge Attorney Lynch on her record
and her merit, and do it now.

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