Washington, D.C. – Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) released the following statement:
“Delawareans know that I have a track record of working across the aisle. I was one of the most bipartisan members in the House, and I intend to maintain that posture in the Senate. Over the past month, I have endeavored to fairly consider President Trump’s cabinet nominees. I’ve sought out the voices of Delawareans, asked the nominees tough questions, and considered their qualifications and character, with the intent of doing my duty as a Senator to provide advice and consent.
“In each meeting I’ve had with the President’s nominees, I’ve asked them all the same, critical question – are they willing to stand up to the President if they believe he is doing something wrong or illegal? Within two weeks, these commitments have been broken. This chaos and confusion does not give me confidence that any of them will do their part to uphold the rule of law.
“The administration has carried out unlawful budget freezes, massive civil servant layoffs and unconstitutional firings, directed federal funding specifically to places with ‘higher birthrates,’ allowed an unelected and unchecked billionaire to determine what our tax dollars are worthy of funding, and more. This is unacceptable and dangerous.
“For these reasons, I plan to oppose every cabinet level nominee that is considered on the Senate floor going forward. The recklessness on display early in this administration has already proven to be incredibly harmful to communities in Delaware, across our nation, and around the world – and will only continue, unless we do something. I will do everything in my power to stand up for Delaware.”
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