Floor SpeechBipartisan2026-05-13

NOMINATIONS

Jeff Merkley

DOR · Senator

Immigration

Context

On 2026-05-13, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) delivered a floor speech titled "NOMINATIONS" in the Senate.

Full Text

NOMINATIONS

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 81 (Wednesday, May 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 13, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S2250] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] NOMINATIONS Mr. THUNE. It doesn't seem to matter who President Trump nominates-- the Democrats blindly oppose them. Democrats aren't interested in a person's qualifications. All they care about is opposing President Trump, and it has been that way since he took office last January. President Trump is the only President on record who has not had a single--single--civilian nominee approved by voice vote or by unanimous consent here in the U.S. Senate--the only President in history. Democrats have dragged out the process on every single one of his nominations. The fact that two Democrats voted for our former colleague Markwayne Mullin to be Secretary of DHS, in this day and age here, appears to be an act of courage in today's Democrat Party--even though it was a vote that traditionally would have been widely bipartisan, if not unanimous, but not when Democrats are in the throes of Trump derangement syndrome. It is shameful--it really is--but Republicans aren't letting it stop us. In September, we took steps to restore Senate precedent on largely noncontroversial Presidential nominees to ensure that no other President has to face the kind of petty--and I mean petty--partisanship that President Trump is encountering. Very soon, we will vote on a fourth nominations package containing 49 Trump nominees who have had their hearings and markups and are ready for confirmation, and we will keep moving forward. I know that Democrats aren't happy that Donald Trump is the President, but that doesn't mean that nominations should be held up for purely political reasons. As the Democrat leader said just a few years ago: That doesn't mean we don't disagree. But it does mean when nominees are held up, opposed, or blocked--it's for a legitimate purpose, not for leverage in partisan games . . . Well, unfortunately, Democrats have made it pretty clear that they are only--only--interested in partisan games since President Trump took office, but we have got a country to run, and Republicans are doing our job. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

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NOMINATIONS Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 81 (Wednesday, May 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 13, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S2250] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] NOMINATIONS Mr. THUNE. It doesn't seem to matter who President Trump nominates-- the Democrats blindly oppose them. Democrats aren't interested in a person's qualifications. All they care about is opposing President Trump, and it has been that way since he took office last January. President Trump is the only President on record who has not had a single--single--civilian nominee approved by voice vote or by unanimous consent here in the U.S. Senate--the only President in history. Democrats have dragged out the process on every single one of his nominations. The fact that two Democrats voted for our former colleague Markwayne Mullin to be Secretary of DHS, in this day and age here, appears to be an act of courage in today's Democrat Party--even though it was a vote that traditionally would have been widely bipartisan, if not unanimous, but not when Democrats are in the throes of Trump derangement syndrome. It is shameful--it really is--but Republicans aren't letting it stop us. In September, we took steps to restore Senate precedent on largely noncontroversial Presidential nominees to ensure that no other President has to face the kind of petty--and I mean petty--partisanship that President Trump is encountering. Very soon, we will vote on a fourth nominations package containing 49 Trump nominees who have had their hearings and markups and are ready for confirmation, and we will keep moving forward. I know that Democrats aren't happy that Donald Trump is the President, but that doesn't mean that nominations should be held up for purely political reasons. As the Democrat leader said just a few years ago: That doesn't mean we don't disagree. But it does mean when nominees are held up, opposed, or blocked--it's for a legitimate purpose, not for leverage in partisan games . . . Well, unfortunately, Democrats have made it pretty clear that they are only--only--interested in partisan games since President Trump took office, but we have got a country to run, and Republicans are doing our job. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________