Nominations of Vanita Gupta and Lisa O. Monaco

Floor Speech

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Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise today alongside my colleagues to urge the Senate to quickly confirm Vanita Gupta as Associate Attorney General. Ms. Gupta is eminently qualified, with an impressive background in public service and broad support from civil rights organizations and law enforcement organizations. It is pretty impressive when you look at everyone who is supporting her because of her competency and her work.

She will be effective on day one, and we don't have a good day to lose right now. Right now, Americans are at risk of losing their fundamental rights--our right to vote, our right to be treated fairly in a court of law, and even our right to safely walk down the street and not be targeted based on what we look like, who we are. It is the job of the Department of Justice to protect these rights and so much more.

Take voting rights. Across our Nation, this right, called ``sacred'' by our beloved late Congressman John Lewis, is under attack. It is under attack in Michigan, as well as other States, as well as the entire country. Republicans in the Michigan Legislature are trying to push through a package of bills that would take away people's freedom to vote. Our secretary of state has said that in some ways, it is worse than what they passed in Georgia.

Let me remind everyone that last November, in the middle of a pandemic, more people in Michigan voted than ever voted in the history of our State. When audits were done, time after time after time, it was clear there was no fraud--no fraud that they found in this election.

Mr. President, 5.5 million people in Michigan voted. Michigan counties verified it. Our State certified it. That should be something we should all celebrate. But because they didn't like who folks voted for, they didn't like the results, Michigan Republicans are coming after Michigan voters to take away their freedom to vote.

Michigan voters need Vanita Gupta in their corner because it is a corner that she has been in before. During her time at the Department of Justice, she oversaw a number of high-profile voting rights cases, including challenges to voter suppression laws in North Carolina and Texas.

She has also been a leader in fighting discrimination. Across the country, we have seen increasing instances of hate crimes, particularly those targeting Asian Americans. According to the group Stop AAPI Hate, there have been about 3,800 incidents of Asian Americans being targeted in the past year. Twenty-five of those incidents happened in Michigan. I know that Asian Americans across our country are living in fear right now, wondering if it is safe to go to the grocery store or if they need to tell their elderly mom or dad not to walk alone outside.

We have an important hate crimes bill on the floor of the U.S. Senate right now. It has bipartisan support. It is terrific, and we need to get that passed. But in order to make sure we fully implement that and have the leadership in the Department to do that, we need to make sure Vanita Gupta is confirmed. Under Ms. Gupta, hate crimes and discrimination will be taken seriously at the Department of Justice. We know this because it is what she has done her entire career.

Vanita Gupta would be the first civil rights lawyer and the first woman of color to serve as Associate Attorney General. That is important because when agencies' leaders have diverse experiences and backgrounds, agencies are better able to make more informed decisions. They make sense. And when our Nation's leaders look like the diverse communities they serve, our communities are more likely to have confidence in their leadership.

Vanita Gupta is the right person at the right time for the Department of Justice. I urge my colleagues to support her nomination and to confirm her together on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

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