ms. lynch has been now nominated over four months ago it's been 124 days since her nomination and she has still yet to be confirmed and i rise to speak on her behalf. i have visited with loretta lynch in person. i observed her throughout the nominations process my brother-in-law worked as an assistant u.s. attorney with her in the eastern district of new york in the late 1990's, and i am impressed like many of my colleagues by her credentials her extensive experience and was gratified to see that the judiciary committee reported her nomination to the floor. i'm disappointed it has taken 124 days to get to this point i was pleased to hear the majority leader indicate the senate may take up her nomination next week, but i think it is important for the nation to recognize how critical this appointment is and how we should not have let it go this long. i want to reflect back to probably the hardest elected office i held or held which was mayor of richmond. when i was a city councilman and mayor fro

ms. lynch's nomination was announced i said that i couldn't vote to confirm any candidate for attorney general who supported the president's unlawful executive amnesty. it's a big constitutional issue that we have to talk about and understand and it relates directly to the powers of the executive branch versus the legislative branch. the attorney general is a top law enforcement officer in this country, the senior person. and anyone who occupies that office must have fidelity to the laws of the united states duly passed and to the constitution of the united states. it's just that simple. the senate cannot confirm any individual must never confirm an individual to such an office as this the one most responsible for maintaining fidelity to law, who would support and advance a scheme that violates our constitution, eviscerates congressional authority. no person should be confirmed who would do that. congress makes the laws, not the president. in that regard, congress has repeatedly rejected legisl

ms. lynch's nomination. i've been here long enough to know we can debate legislation and vote on nominations at the same time. otherwise urges last thursday we voted on four other executive nominations while we were on the human trafficking bill we're telling going to vote on two more executive nominations this evening while we're on the human trafficking bill. it all serves to agree -- it's important to confirm loretta lynch as our nation's top law enforcement officer. she has a proven track record of prosecuting human trafficking and child rape crimes. this is not somebody who just talks about it, how much they are opposed to human trafficking, as though anybody's in favor of human trafficking. this is not someone who just says she's opposed to child rape cases, as though anybody here is going to say they're in favor of it. she has actually prosecuted them. over if course of the last -- the course of the last decade the u.s. attorney's office ms. lynch leads has indicted over 55 defendants in

ms. lynch's confirmation vote. such inflammatory rhetoric has no place in this body and serves no purpose other than to further divide us. perhaps my colleagues and the senator from illinois, in particular, need to be reminded of their own record when it comes to the treatment of african-american women whose nominations were before this body. in 2012, janice rogers brown, an african-american, was nominated to serve on the u.s. board of appeals for the district of columbia, a court that had never included an african-american woman judge. the senator from illinois voted to filibuster her nomination in 2003 and again in 2005, when she was finally confirmed after waiting 684 days. the senator from illinois voted against the historic nomination. i would never suggest, even with built rhetoric -- veiled rhetoric, that her race was the reason for his opposition. and he should extend that same courtesy to me and my colleagues. i would also like to remind the senator from illinois about how we were able to fill vacancies in

ms. lynchas a distinguished legal career in private and public service, earning the respect of her colleagues and establishing herself as a top-notch lawyer and federal prosecutor in the eastern district of new york. she has successfully prosecuted cases on far-ranging issues including public corruption violent crime and terrorism. they have included a number of high profile cases such as united states vs. volpine. in that case she was part of the trial team that convicted several new york police officers involved in the torture of a haitian immigrant in 1997. she also prosecuted the bangladeshi man convicted of attempting to blow up the mr. speaker, mrs. lynch's credentials are only matched by her strength of character. she has demonstrated character integrity and independence. she has displayed an unwaivering commitment to the rule of law, to public service and to this nation. she has proven time and time again that she is highly capable independent leader who carefully considers all sides of

ms. lynch's confirmation vote. it was offensive and unnecessary, and i think he owes this body, ms. lynch, and all americans an apology. >> president obama nominated lynch 131 days ago. that's longer than any other recent attorney general. it seems every time republicans thanks for being here. answer the question, what the hell is he doing? steve? >> and by the way, i'm not suggesting what senator durbin said is literally factual or true, but whether it is or not, this is what a lot of people think. it's what a lot of women think, a lot of what african-americans think, what a lot of swing voters think. the republicans have a problem here, and the problem is getting worse, i think. it's masse it more difficult to reach out to moderate voters that decide elections. i think some of the questions he asks is legitimate. he may ask differently than i might ask, but the point is what a lot of people wonder about and people may agree with. >> michael, do you buy that? and is senator durbin right? is there a racial element here? >> i don't buy it, and he's full of crap. this is such a bunch o

i think he owes this body ms. lynch, and all americans, an apology. >>> durbin didn't apologize, he doubled down. >> i'm glad that i heard my colleague's comments firsthand, and i'd like to respond to them directly. as of today, loretta lynch, who is the president's nominee for attorney general has been had her nomination pending before the united states senate 131 days. she has now been pending before the senate longer than any nominee for attorney general in the last 30 years. she has been on the calendar now -- on the calendar waiting for a vote for a longer period of time than the last five nominees for attorney general combined. why? >> my question tonight -- what the hell is dick durbin doing? i'm joined now by former rnc chairman michael steele and democratic strategist steve mcmahon. thanks for being here. answer the question what the hell is he doing? steve? >> and by the way, i'm not suggesting what senator durbin said is literally factual or true, but whether it is or not, this is what a lot of people think.

well ms. lynch has learned that through her own personal commitments at harvard law school she was a member of the legal aid bureau helping people otherwise would not afford access to our legal system. she has a lopping history of prosecuting terrorists, sex traffickers, corrupt politicians and dangerous gangs. she has been endorsed by a wide variety of law enforcement agencies and individuals. put it this way -- i haven't heard anyone question her qualifications. i haven't heard anyone question why she should not be confirmed to be the next attorney general of the country. loretta lynch's nomination has been pending on the senate floor as long as the five most recent attorneys general combined. let me repeat that. take the five most recent attorneys general add all the time it took for their confirmations to be confirmed and loretta lynch is now exceeding that. that's just not fair. president obama is entitled to have his team in place and we have a responsibility to vote on his nominations. let's

ms. lynch's confirmation vote. it was offensive and unnecessary, and i think he owes this body ms. lynch, and all americans an apology. >> president obama nominated lynch 131 days ago. that's longer than any other recent attorney general. it seems every time republicans are ready to schedule a society, what is the holdup? why are we waiting for mid april now? joining me now are clarence page from "the chicago tribune" and mary stitch from emily's list. thank you both for being here. clarence. bottom line what is taking so long? >> the -- not the nomination in the republican leader in the senate wants to pass this trafficking bill first, which democrats have the hyde amendment. it's got a provision that would bar funding for abortions, and this is something that democrats will not tolerate and republicans won't tolerate removing it and mcconnell is going to hold up lo redia lynch's nomination. that's why dick durbin stepped forth and pulled up the imagery of rosa parks, saying it's like pushing her to the back of the bus. that caused tempers to flare even higher. >> mary when you loo

ms. lynch serves as u.s. attorney for the eastern district of new york. she's been confirmed unanimously to that office by the senate twice most recently in 2010. during her time in the u.s. attorney's office loretta lynch has proven herself to be a tough crime fighter she has prosecuted drug dealers and greedy wall street bankers. she is guardian of the constitution. she takes the protections in the bill of rights seriously. almost two decades ago she came to the justice of a haitian immigrant physically assaulted by police officers acting outside the law. lynch is part of the constitutional criminal trillion trillion -- tribunal for rwanda, for the genocide carried out in rwanda. whatever the case, whatever the crime loretta lynch has fought the guilty. she has been exemplary. she is an ideal candidate to be america's top law enforcement officer. that is why she was nominated 121 days ago by president obama. i look forward to the senate finishing its work on confirmation as soon as possible. the american people need loretta lynch in their corner. mr. pr

ms. lynch's confirmation vote. such inflammatory rhetoric has no place in this body and serves no purpose other than to further divide us. perhaps my colleagues and the senator from illinois in particular need to be reminded of their own record when it comes to the treatment of african-american women whose nominations were before this body. in 2012 janice rogers brown an african-american, was nominated to serve on the u.s. court of appeals for the district of columbia a court that had never included an african-american woman judge. the senator from illinois voted to filibuster her nomination in 2003 and again in 2005 when she was finally confirmed after waiting 684 days, the senator from illinois voted against the historic nomination. i would never suggest even with veiled rhetoric that judge rogers brown's race was the reason for the senator from illinois' opposition to her nomination. and he should extend, i say to my colleague from illinois, he should extend that same courtesy to me and my colleagues. i'd also l

it was offensive and unnecessary and he owes this body ms. lynch and all americans an apology. >> david, what do you make of this fight over her nomination is >> i don't know. but i go back to our previous discussion. it wasn't just the candidate in 2012 who had difficulty with minorities, it's the republican party at large. so if they're interested in repairing that breach i don't think holding up the nomination of this very very qualified candidate, who republicans and democrats agree is well qualified, holding her hostage to this debate isn't going to help those relationships. i think that's why they reacted that way to durbin's attack. it's a sore point and they're making a mistake. >> david axelrod, thank you. and thank you both for joining me. >>> coming up, how one wrong move on social media is costing people their political career. ♪♪ expected wait time: 55 minutes. your call is important to us. thank you for your patience. waiter! vo: in the nation, we know how it feels when you aren't treated like a priority. we do things differently. we'

if confirmed ms. lynch would continue the task of investigating unconstitutional policing across the country. she faces weighty issues, the overmilitarization of our police our policing practices, and reforming our sentencing guidelines, just to name a few. as the first african-american woman to serve as attorney general, this would be a historic nomination and a crucial one. at a time when the public's trust in law enforcement is badly eroded we need to confirm ms. limp as our attorney general and let her get to work on fighting for our civil rights. madam president, i ask unanimous consent to have my next set of comments be inserted into another place in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: thank you madam president. today the house released its budget proposal. it's a proposal divorced from reality that seeks to balance the budget on the backs of those in the country who can least afford it. it takes from the middle class and gives to the ulna wealthy. without a doubt my coll

ms. lynch explained. she says she was excited about the challenge of becoming our nation's chief law enforcement officer. and she noted with obvious admiration that the department of justice is the only cabinet department named for an ideal. just think of that. department of justice is named for the ideal of justice. and we know from loretta lynch's law and public service career, she aspires to make that ideal a reality, and she will once she becomes attorney general of the united states. as u.s. attorney for the eastern district of new york, she brought countless terrorists and cyber criminals to justice. she obtained convictions against corrupt public officials from both political parties. she fought tirelessly against violent crime and financial fraud. her record shows that as attorney general, she will effectively, fairly and independently enforce the law. as many people have sairksd -- have said, she is a prosecutor's prosecutor. her record of accomplishment goes beyond just that. it goes

. >> it was offensive and unnecessary and i think he owes this body ms. lynch and all americans an apology. >> she has been on the calendar year now, waiting for a vote for longer period of time than the last five nominees for attorney general combined. why? >> it has been a long time for loretta lynch, senate republicans say they will vote on her confirmation as soon as they finish a human trafficking bill, which is a whole other story. they've been fighting for days on that and loretta lynch is left waiting while the senate is in that battle. >> kelly, thank you. coming up just when you thought the robert durst case couldn't get more bizarre, it does. all of the details about a latex mask and fake i.d. and 40 grand in crash. >>> an update on ashley judd's campaign to fight back against harassment online. >> in my empassioned moment, i said something that if i were in a more calm state of mind would have said differently, i think arkansas is playing dirty, apparently i've been called the c word i'm pressing charges. >> death, taxes and voting president obama h

ms. lynch's confirmation vote.body and serves no purpose. it was offensive and unnecessary, and i think he owes this body, ms. lynch and all americans an apology. >> i agree with senator mccain. when he voted, when senator durbin vote edd against kond lease rice for secretary of state, was he being racist? of course, not. mitch mcconnell has said that the next issue after the human trafficking bill they are going to deal with is the confirmation of loretta lynch, she will be confirmed. the only reason why this is taking so long at this point in time is because the democrats are intent in subverting the consensus policy that we have had with the amendment of the federal government not providing funding to abortions. it's radical abortion tactics, if anything, that are holding up loretta lynch's confirmation. >> so the idea i want to give you your full say on that. i know that is the line. but the idea that radical abortion tactics, which first of all i think we are not in a consensus place. it's a position that has

and, the thing that i will -- that warrants mentioning here is, you will recall, as i pointed out ms. lynch has been waiting 128 days to get a vote in the senate. the reason that time period has been so long is because the president nominated her back in november for this job, and at that time we saw senator mcconnell himself say ms. lynch would receive fair consideration -- i think it would be hard to say he lived up to that promise -- he also said her nomination should be considered in the new congress through regular order. so you essentially had senator mcconnell in november telling the president he should delay submitting her to congress until the republicans were in the majority. i have been asked a number of times since november whether or not the president trusts senator mcconnell, whether or not senator mcconnell and other members of the republican leadership -- whether their word is good with the president. senator mcconnell said the nomination should be considered in the new congress, but yesterday when senator mcconnell was asked on cnn about whether or not he would act quickly

. >> if ms. lynch were not confirmed -- >> republicans are really out of excuses. >> -- it would be an astonishing display of partisanship. >> a new jersey man and former u.s. air force mechanic has been indicted with trying to join isis. >> allegedly attempted to travel to syria but was later deported. >> prime minister benjamin netanyahu is in the fight for his political life. >> the polls are closed. >> even with the votes from today's israeli election -- >> exit polls are neck and neck. >> netanyahu declared himself the winner. >> romney is state to box evander holyfield to raise money for charity. >> it will be a short fight or i will be knocked unconscious. >> even politicians are seeing green. >> happy st. patrick's day. >> it allows me to trot out my irish heritage. >> happy st. patrick's day to you all. >>> republicans have now held up any vote on attorney general loretta lynch for 129 days a longer wait than the last five nominees combined. today, this relentless politicking proved to be too

. >> ms. lynch you believe the executive action announced by president obama on november 20th is legal and constitutional? yes or no. >> as i've read the opinion, i do believe it is, senator. >> this was a legal issue at this point. >> liberals believe only their motives can be pure, sean. so liberal criticism of condi reese or clarence thomas is principled. but conservative criticism of loretta lynch is racist. it's a double standard. but it also highlights their obsession with race. dick durbin and company are obsessed with the color of this woman's skin. she is a symbol, she is a token for them that they want to use to bludgeon their political opponent. >> let's go through some of the history. it gets very vicious over the years. watch this. >> in texas, my father was killed beaten, chained and then dragged three miles to his death all because he was black. so when governor george w. bush refused to support hate crimes legislation, it was like my father was killed all over again. >> they are in f

i will not be voting to confirm ms. lynch. well now maybe we have a clue. this delay doesn't make any sense if you think it's about making the self-interested choice of replacing eric holder with loretta lynch. but it does make sense if this puzzle is actually about president obama and a process congressional scholars call the new nullification where congress blocks nomination because there is political opposition to the laws that their positions helped to enforce. in other words, if you can't beat the president in an election you can use the new nullification to block the people that would enact the policies that he was elected to implement. joining me is wade henderson, president and ceo of the leadership conference on civil rights. wade what is going on? >> you have described the perfect rubic's cube of toxic partisanship in washington. what is happening to loretta lynch has two dimensions worth mentioning. she's been held 134 days. she's been held seven times longer than the totality of the delay of her predecessors applying for attorney general positio

and at that time we saw senator mcconnell himself say that ms. lynch, a, will receive fair consideration. i think he'd be hard pressed to make the case he lived up to that promise. but b, he also said that her nomination should be considered in the course of -- i'm sorry, should be considered in the new congress through regular order. so essentially huh senator mcconnell in the position back in november telling the president that he should delay submitting her up to congress until republicans were in the majority. now, i've gotten asked a number of times since november about whether or not the president trusts senator mcconnell, about whether or not senator mcconnell and other members of the republican leadership, whether their word is good with the president. senator mcconnell back in november was saying her nomination should be considered in the new congress. but yesterday when senator mcconnell was asked on cnn about whether or not he was going to act quickly to confirm her and to explain the delay he said the nomination hasn't taken that long if yo

ms. lynch's confirmation vote.hetoric has no place in this body and serves no purpose other than to further divide us. >> with us to discuss what's going on gloria borger and athena jones. did he reply to that? >> he did reply. he didn't apologize, which is what senator mccain wanted. i can tell you this race talk is not new. you have folks who for years even before the lynch nomination before the president nominated lynch who believed on the hill and off the hill that race has something to do with the way that the other party, the republican party, has treated president obama, treated eric holder and is now treating loretta lynch. this isn't new but certainly it hasn't so far been helpful in moving the ball forward. all it's done is really ramp up the heat. i think this is a case of political tactics that have gone wrong and that are creating a real mess. >> it is a real mess. this woman has been waiting a long time for confirmation after a distinguished career as the u.s. attorney in new york. >> she's had a dist

ms. lynch's confirmation vote.toric has no place in this body and serves no purpose other than too further divide us. >> julie, the white house has long been furious about how long their presidential nominees have sat on the sidelines waiting for a vote in situations like this. what are they saying about the latest situation? >> they are equally frustrated perhaps more so in the delay for lynch. there's joking going on how the president said eric holder who is really just despised by a lot of republicans will stay in his job as attorney general until lynch gets confirmed and they hoped maybe that would give republicans an incentive to move lynch forward. what you heard with durbin and mccain, these are two positions that regardless of what's happening with the human trafficking bill you're going to hear from democrats arguing that there is a racial element to this that this is obviously tied up in politics. the democrats have been trying to paint republicans as anti-minority, republicans have acknowledge they have

ms. lynch's race should have no impact on her consideration in this body. those six judges were approved by this body because each of them had shown a commitment to justice, public service and the people of arizona. each also had demonstrated the judicial temperament and professional demeanor necessary to serve with integrity. i further point out to the senator from illinois that at no time as the majority leader ever indicated that he would not bring the lynch nomination to the floor. in fact the opposite is true. we made it very clear time and again that we will consider the lynch nomination once we have disposed of the bipartisan trafficking bill. had the senator from illinois and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle not filibustered this bill over a manufactured crisis we could have considered the lynch nomination this week. they chose otherwise. i deeply regret that the senator from illinois chose to c >> >> to question in the motivation it was offensive end unnecessary he owes this body end this lynch and all americans and apology. i yield the

a fellow north carolinaian, ms. lynch is from a family of clergyman and civil rights leaders. she served twice as u.s. attorney general for new york. i support loretta lynch for our next u.s. attorney general. let's confirm her for our next attorney general and let's make history. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. pompeo: mr. speaker, americans have a choice for our future. one vision features higher taxes, more debt, greater burdens on hardworking families. mr. yoder: the administration's budget, it would drown our nation in $27 trillion in debt. it would never ever balance. if proponents pat themselves on the back for running these annual deficits saying they have and could be worse. only in d.c. is a half trillion-dollar deficit greeted with a pat on the back. further, if congress accepted the administra

when ms. lynch came before our committee for her confirmation here in just a few weeks ago, she testified that she had found the opinion reasonable and i think made clear enough that she thought it was correct. since then since that hearing was held a few weeks ago, there was something significant that has changed in that a federal district of taxes issued a lengthy opinion in the context about a preliminary injux enction. now,the department, of course, is not for the injunction and we all have to wait and see how the fifth circuit resolves that dispute. but i want to ask you are you familiar more or less with this supportive opinion or at least what it does? and, in light of the opinion, in light of its findings, its conclusions, its analysis do you think reasonable minds can at least differ as to whether the president's conclusions were lawful? >> well, thank you for raising this i shall shoe, senator. and this is obviously an issue on which people have very strongly-held views. and i think that's

ms. lynch's confirmation to a vote. place your objections on the record. thank you very much for your time and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. under the speaker's announced policy of january 6, 2015 the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas, mr. gohmert, for 30 minutes. mr. gohmert: thank you, mr. speaker. there's a story out in a story out in a number of media, like this, details of an iran deal allows 6000 center fugse, rolls back the u.n. arms embargo. that story talks about in order to entice iran to cut back to 6,000 or 6,500 centrifuges, elements of the u.n. arms embargo against iran could be rolled back. and i think it's important to recall it hadn't been that long ago that a principal cornerstone of the discussions between the obama administration and the -- i have to be careful of the words i use here on the house floor, but the america killing iran administration, it was going to require them to dismantle their efforts toward nuclear production. and now the floa

ms. lynch has had a distinguished career and known for her skills and her passion for the law. ms. serves the role atal critical point. as u.s. attorney for the eastern district of new york, she serves for brooklyn queens, long island and staten island. i turn the microphone over to congressman jeffries. mr. jeffries: i thank my colleague for presiding over this c.b.c. special order this opportunity for members of the congressional black caucus to talk to the people on matters of great importance and certainly members of the congressional black caucus recognize the intelligence, the importance of african-american women in the african-american experience in this country and the american experience consistently, they have fought hard to bring it to life, to continue the march, to perfect a more perfect union. i think more the role of harriet tubman, that bold fearless woman who managed to free herself from the bond acknowledge of slavery and make it to the north and then decided at great sacrifice to her own potential well-being to go back down south an additional 169 times, freeing m

the category that they have ms. lynch hearing from democrats. michaela the way we're seeing things lynch may not get a vote from april. >> athena from that story to this story. i don't mean to segue in such a brutal fashion. i want to tell you about what's happening in austin, texas. the mayor expressing outrage over these stickers. you can see them. they're being posted on local businesses, six local businesses. they say exclusively for white people. the stickers also contain the city's logo. it gives off the impression that they're official. the mayor said they're not produced and knowingly placed by the businesses and is calling this an appalling display of ignorance. an investigation obviously is underway to find out who's behind this sticker and the prank but it has certainly gotten people riled and upset in austin texas, beyond. >> when you first see it it looks like one of those and then you read it and you do a double take and the mayor has had to issue that strong warning and talk about an investigation. >>> all

ms. lynch demonstrates that she is not the person to serve as our chief justice officer. that news shook out this morning. allison -- alice from texas. caller: hi, thanks for taking my call. they say life is unfair, but i just want you all to know this about loretta lynch. she got one of the highest scores on her sat in elementary school. the teachers didn't believe that she took it because she was black. they made her take the test again. she took it again, and got a higher score than the first time. secondly, she was valedictorian in her high school in durham north carolina -- not new york. she had to share the honor with two other girls or to other people, the first and second runners-up because they did not think the society at the time would accept a black person being the smartest one in their school. to me, that is not fair. anyway, she went on and accepted that. she went to harvard and got a good degree. for about six years, she was in a law firm. in order to work for the government, she took as 75% cut in pay. this woman is exemplary. i think at least they should

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lynch's hearing. but my concerns remain. so i'll be interested in discussing these important matters with ms. yates today. she obviously has a lot of impressive experience as a prosecutor throughout her career. she's been involved in a number of discussions on criminal law issues, one thing that i'm going to discuss with ms. yates about today is the position she's taken regarding mandatory minimum sentences. for example, in testimony before the sentencing commission she said, quote, mandatory minimum sentences increase deterrence, and cooperation by those involved in the crime. end of quote. she also called mandatory minimums as, quote, essential -- quote, essential law enforcement tools. end of quote. and argued that mandatory minimum sentences have helped reduce crime rates. finally, let me say just as i'm hoping the next attorney general provides an independent voice, and works to depoliticize the department, i have the same hope for the deputy attorney general so i'm looking forward to hearing ms. yates' perspective on the current state of the department as she provides her testimony, and answers to o

lynch who hurt his foot during the storm. at his house, he showed us how he got the injury trying to safe his garage and car. it was futile. the metal broke. ms. partner pleaded with him not to go out in the storm. >> crying: i thought i am going to lose him. >>> he is a builder. there will be plentypy of work coming his way within meters of his house, his destruction. houses crushed bytrees. trees thrown from a normally idyllic lagoon? >> you can only imagine being in this house. there were four people in here when the roof started peeling off, they ran. lucky they did because you can see the house has been totally destroyed. >> the house had been in the family for generations. >> emotionally, it's really sad. we just couldn't do anything. >> similar stories are everywhere. help is arriving at port vila. a lot of help will be needed here and many outlying islands haven't been heard from since the storm. and thomas al jazeera. port vila vanauatu. >> we spoke to the charity world vision as she told us about what she had witnessed. >> during cyclone pam, we had winds whiring like the ocean and really strong rain and i have been able to see the

lynch's hearing. but my concerns remain. so i'll be interested in discussing these important matters with ms. yates today. she obviously has a lot of impressive experience as a prosecutor flout her career. she's been involved in a number of discussions on criminal law issues, one thing that i'm going to discuss with ms. yates about today is the position she's taken regarding mandatory minimum sentences. for example, in testimony before the sentencing commission she said, quote, mandatory minimum sentences increase deterrence, and cooperation by those involved in the crime. end of quote. she also called mandatory minimums as, quote, essential -- quote, essential law enforcement tools. end of quote. and argued that mandatory minimum sentences have helped reduce crime rates. finally, let me say just as i'm hoping the next attorney general provides an independent voice and works to depoliticize the department, i have the same hope for the deputy attorney general so i'm looking forward to hearing ms. yates' perspective on the current state of the department as she provides her testimony, and answers to our que

ms. jackson lee: thank you very much, mr. speaker. just a few weeks ago, maybe even a few months ago, i had the privilege of listening partly to the testimony of attorney general nominee loretta lynch. a brilliant expression of a seasoned and competent, qualified, and wise attorney that has served this nation for many, many years. formerly as the u.s. attorney in brooklyn, new york, she has been one who has received accolades from all over the nation. now, unfortunately, the senate, the other body chooses to create a constitutional crisis. as she lingers waiting for a confirmation vote already approved by the judiciary committee with a bipartisan vote it begs the question while we are having this kind of treatment of the appointees of president opa ma. so i ask the other body if they would do what is -- president obama. so i ask the other body if they would do what is right for this country. as we continue to look for direction on antitrust issues, voting rights issues, women's rights issues, human rights issues and many issues dealing with terrorism that fall under the jurisdiction of the u.s. department of justice. it is time now for this confirmation to be done and approved and

ms. lynch's confirmation will be another step towards realizing dr. martin luther king's dream that people in our country would be judged by the content of their character. well, loretta lynch's life epitomizing that dream. she was born in groans breaux -- in greensboro, raised in durham, north carolina. she is the daughter of a fourth generation baptist preacher and school librarian. i've met reverend lynch. he's an amazing and inspiring man. but her parents instilled in her the american values of fairness and equality even when those around them were not living up to those values. ms. lynch has spoken about riding on her father's shoulders as a child to the church where students organized peaceful protests against racial segregation and the freedom songs and church music that went hand in hand with those protests made up the sound track of her childhood. throughout loretta lynch's life those who encountered her intelligence and tenacity have not always been prepared to accept her and her impr

it's been 121 days since president obama announced his intent to nominate ms. lynch. her nomination was reported by the judiciary committee on a bipartisan basis. in the last 30 years no attorney general nominee has waited longer than loretta lynch to receive a floor vote, after being reported from this committee. i think what we did when president bush was in the last two years of his presidency -- democrats had just taken back over the majority in the senate. he nominated a person for attorney general actually a person i voted against. but -- but -- i moved that person forward because i felt the president of the united states deserved to have an attorney general. i moved that person through in half the time that we've had to wait for loretta lynch. she has broad support from democrats and republicans across the legal law enforcement communities. there is a no excuse. she shouldn't be treated differently than previous nominees. she should receive a vote tonight along with the other nominees we are confirming. she should not be treated any differently than he was presi