[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 15, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1157-S1158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Nominations

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, so the Senate this week will continue 
fulfilling its constitutional duty to confirm more of the President's 
judicial and administrative nominees. Yesterday, I filed cloture on 12 
additional nominees, setting up a busy rest of the week here on the 
floor. Absent an agreement to expedite the process--and, unfortunately, 
we have seen all too few of those coming from our Republican 
colleagues--Members can expect to begin voting tomorrow morning, and we 
will work through all 12 nominees until we have a path to getting them 
confirmed.
  Due to the months of obstructive holds by a few--just a handful of 
Republicans--in addition to judicial nominees, we also must use up 
floor time to confirm U.S. attorneys, something practically unheard of 
in the Senate. These Republicans who have delayed our U.S. attorneys 
are actively making our communities less safe, and it is regrettable 
they have chosen to obstruct the Senate for their own personal 
political interests. So my colleagues ought to be prepared for a busy 
few days here on the floor.
  Now, among the nominees we will consider are two great nominees from 
New York, I am proud to say. One, we will consider Judge Ali Nathan, 
nominated to serve as judge for the Second Circuit. She is a brilliant 
jurist with a decade of experience as a district judge, and I was proud 
to recommend her to sit on one of the most important courts in the 
Nation.
  I am also pleased that the Senate will also vote on Hector Gonzalez 
to serve as district judge for the Eastern District of New York. Born 
in Cuba, raised in Queens, and a Fulbright scholar who became one of 
New York's top attorneys, Mr. Gonzalez is the very embodiment of the 
American dream; and, like Judge Nathan, I am glad to have recommended 
him to President Biden.
  I am also glad to note, under Senator Durbin's leadership, Judge 
Nathan and Mr. Gonzalez received bipartisan support in committee, so I 
look forward to the Senate confirming them in short order.
  But first, the Senate will look to make history, once again, later 
today by confirming Shalanda Young to serve as President Biden's 
Director of the Office of Management and Budget, a Cabinet-level 
position. She would be the first Black woman ever confirmed by the 
Senate to lead the OMB.

[[Page S1158]]

  It shouldn't have taken this long to confirm someone as obviously 
qualified as Shalanda Young. She has been leading the OMB for nearly a 
year. She knows the budget and appropriations processes like the back 
of her hand. She has proven capable of working with Republicans and 
Democrats alike, and it was through her guidance that the 
administration notched some of its biggest victories, including the 
passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law.
  Shalanda Young is one of the most effective Cabinet leaders to have 
the label of ``Acting'' in a very long time, but it is long past time 
for that word to drop from her job title. I look forward to the Senate 
officially confirming Ms. Young as OMB Director later today.