    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [February 7, 2008]
    [Pages 157-160]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Nominations Awaiting Senate Confirmation
    February 7, 2008

        Thank you all. Please be seated; sit down. Yes, thanks for coming. I
    appreciate you being here in a timely fashion. After all, Washington
    traffic is famous for making people late. These days, it seems the worst
    delays, however, are in the committee rooms of the United States Senate.
        Many of the nominees for important Government posts have been
    waiting for Senate confirmation for way too long. Some of these men and
    women here--are with us today, and I want to thank you all for joining
    me. More importantly, I thank you for your willingness to step forward
    to serve our great country. These folks are qualified, and the Senate
    needs to give them a prompt vote.
        I appreciate very much Members of the Senate who have joined us.
    These are good, strong leaders, people who share the same spirit about
    the need to get confirmation done quickly, starting with the Senate
    minority leader, Mitch McConnell. I appreciate Arlen Specter joining us. You might remember Arlen that when--Arlen
    was the man, when I named two nominees for the Supreme Court, did a
    fantastic job of getting those nominees out of the Judiciary Committee
    and onto the floor of the Senate. And he had good help from Orrin
    Hatch, his friend and member of the Judiciary
    Committee.
        I'm also here with some of the younger stars--not to call you guys
    old--but some of the younger stars--[laughter]--of the Senate: Richard
    Burr from North Carolina, Lindsey
    Graham from South Carolina, and Jim
    DeMint from South Carolina. Thank you all
    for coming. Appreciate you guys being here.
        I thank members of my administration joining us. Steve, thanks for being here. Chief of Staff
    Bolten, I appreciate you being here. And
    thank you all for coming.
        As President, I have a constitutional responsibility to nominate
    qualified men and women for public office. That's my responsibility. I
    take it very seriously. I have nominated skilled and faithful public
    servants to lead Federal agencies and sit on the Federal bench. The
    Constitution also gives Senators an important responsibility. They must
    provide advice and consent by voting up or down on these nominees.
    Unfortunately, the Senate is not fulfilling its duty.

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        The confirmation process has turned into a never-ending political
    game where everyone loses. With more than 180 of my nominees waiting for
    the confirmation process in the Senate, it is clear that the process is
    not working. About half these nominees have been waiting for more than
    100 days, more than 30 have been waiting a year or more, and 9 have been
    waiting for more than 2 years.
        That's no way to treat men and women who have stepped forward to
    serve our country, and it's got to stop. It's in our Nation's interest
    that this process change. It's not right to treat these good folks this
    way. These nominees deserve an up-or-down vote. Many of them have had
    their careers on hold. They've got spouses whose lives are stuck in
    limbo. They have children waiting to find out where they're going to go
    to school.
        These are real folks making real sacrifices, and they should not be
    treated like political pawns. Senators should examine every nomination
    closely, but they should not drag them out indefinitely. If the Senators
    holding up this process believe my nominees are unworthy for
    confirmation, the course of action is clear: Hold a vote and see if the
    majority agree. If these nominees are not approved, they can move on
    with their lives. If they are approved, they can take office.
        The confirmation backlog also places this strain on our Government.
    Every day nominees are delayed, represents another day without them in
    office, and that makes it harder for the Government to meet its
    responsibilities. The nomination before the Senate--these nominations
    before the Senate are vital positions--or for vital positions affecting
    issues from the economy to public safety to national security.
        The Senate must confirm nominees who help guide our economy during a
    time of uncertainty. The Senate has stalled nominations for critical
    economic positions. I mean, we've got--we're dealing with uncertainty,
    and there are key positions that are not being filled.
        The three-member Council of Economic Advisers is down to one
    person, which makes for lonely Council
    meetings. [Laughter] One of my nominees
    for the Council withdrew his name after 6 months of waiting without
    receiving so much as a hearing. My other nominee continues to wait after 7 months of delay. At a time of
    important decisions for our economy, it is irresponsible for the United
    States Senate to leave these positions unfulfilled.
        One of the most important institutions for the American economy is
    the Federal Reserve. The Fed decides monetary policy, and it sets key
    interest rates that have an impact on homeowners and businesses across
    our country. Yet the Senate is delaying confirmation of three
    highly qualified nominees for the Fed's
    Board of Governors. I nominated these individuals nearly 9 months ago.
    They have valuable experience and skills, and the Senate needs to
    confirm them as soon as possible.
        The Senate also must confirm nominees who will help address issues
    of public safety. The Federal Aviation Administration plays a vital role
    in keeping air travelers safe. Yet the Senate has failed to act on my
    nominee to head this agency. In October,
    I nominated Bobby Sturgell to lead the FAA. Bobby has nearly 20 years of
    cockpit experience from his time as a Navy fighter pilot, Top Gun
    instructor, and commercial airline pilot. He is committed to addressing
    problems that have caused airline delays, and he has good experience and
    the skills necessary to get the job done.
        I appreciate the Senate commerce committee giving Bobby a hearing today. I urge the Senators to put aside
    politics and confirm this good man to office. It's important for the
    country that he be confirmed. If they don't like him, vote him down, but
    at least give him a vote as soon as possible.
        The Senate has also failed to act on my nominations for the Federal
    Mine Safety and Health Review Commission. As a result

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    of the Senate's ongoing delays, this body can no longer decide cases
    because it has more vacancies than members. Two of my nominees for the Commission have
    gone more than a year without even receiving a confirmation hearing. The
    American people have not forgotten the recent mining tragedies in
    Kentucky and West Virginia and Utah, and they expect this Commission to
    have enough members to issue decisions on mine safety.
        The Senate must also confirm nominees who will help protect
    America's national security. In this time of war, we need a strong
    Department of Justice. Yet the Senate has not voted on seven nominations
    for senior leadership positions at the Department. I remember being
    criticized for having too many vacancies at the Justice Department. We
    stepped up. We sent good names up, and now it's time for those critics
    to act.
        One of the vacancies is for Deputy Attorney General. The Deputy
    Attorney General helps lead efforts to detect and prevent terrorist
    attacks here at home. I've selected an outstanding nominee for this
    position, Judge Mark Filip. I'm sorry that
    he's not here. He's dealing with a serious family matter. This former
    prosecutor has earned a reputation for being fairminded and dedicated.
        Several years ago, the Senate confirmed him unanimously for a
    lifetime position on the Federal bench. In other words, this isn't the
    first time he's gone through a confirmation
    process. If the Senate can confirm this good man for a lifetime post,
    there's no reason the Senate cannot confirm him to spend the next year
    protecting the American people. Yet one Senator has placed a hold on this nomination because of an issue
    that has nothing to do with the judge. This is unacceptable. Senators
    need to base their decisions on the judge's qualifications for the job,
    they need to bring this nomination to the floor for a vote, and they
    need to confirm this good man.
        As Senators confirm these nominees, they also must confirm judges to
    the Federal bench. I've nominated good men and women who will rule by
    the letter of the law, not the whim of the gavel. I thank the Senators
    on both sides of the aisle, like Mitch McConnell, Jon Kyl, and Arlen and Dianne Feinstein and
    Thad Cochran, for helping confirm fine
    judges like Leslie Southwick.
        Unfortunately, some of their colleagues continue to delay votes for
    28 of my other nominees. The Senate has sat on these nominations to the
    court of appeals for nearly 600 days. And in some cases, the Senate has
    imposed a new and extra constitutional standard where nominees who have
    the support of the majority of the Senate can be blocked by a minority
    of obstructionists. As a result, some judgeships can go unfulfilled for
    years and justice can be delayed for the American people.
        Our courts should render swift decisions. That's what we expect, and
    so should the United States Senate. Many of my nominees would fill
    urgent vacancies on courts that are understaffed and overworked. I've
    sent the Senate three nominees to relieve such a
    situation on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Bob Conrad and Steve
    Matthews and Rod Rosenstein are with us today. These are my nominees.
    They are accomplished members of the legal community. They will be
    outstanding members of this court. Yet the Senate has not acted on their
    nominations. This delay is irresponsible. It undermines the cause of
    justice. And the United States Senate needs to bring every one of my
    judicial nominations to the floor for an up-or-down vote.
        When men and women agree to serve in public office, we should treat
    them with respect and dignity. When the Senate fails to do this, it
    leaves important positions in our Government vacant for months at a
    time, and it makes it harder for future Presidents to be able to attract
    good people to serve the United States of America.

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        We've got to--I'm really grateful for the many talented and
    dedicated and patriotic men and women who have answered the call to
    service. And now my call to the United States Senate is this: Rise to
    your responsibilities, give these nominees the vote they deserve, and
    confirm them as soon as possible.
        Thank you for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:50 a.m. in the East Room at the White
    House.