Charles Schumer Quotes (257 Quotes)

It is clear that you have long understood the ethical issues raised by continuing to work on a case in which a party is considering you for another position.

America stood with New York in its time of need and we will stand with the people of the Gulf states now that they need us,

I think you have concern on these three areas -- qualification, independence, judicial philosophy -- by people of both parties and all political stripes,

This process is getting a little more absurd the further we move,

What is going on, in my opinion, the root of the problem is far deeper than local gas stations. It goes to huge oil companies who are in cahoots with OPEC.

If he (Roberts) refuses to answer questions on decided cases, ... I'm going to need a lot more time to try to get to the bottom of who he is.

In a brave new world, a post-September 11 world, anyone is going to make certain mistakes. The mistakes that have been made on homeland security, on protecting our Nation from another terrorist attack, are mistakes of omission. We are simply not doing enough.

The Bush plan is a big mistake...it's irresponsible and risky. ... The stock market is risky and if he sticks to his plan, so is the prospect of a George Bush presidency.

Given the even greater importance of this new position, we hope the White House will reconsider its refusal to release relevant and important documents that will shed light on what kind of Chief Justice Judge Roberts would become.

If these documents reveal significant information about Judge Roberts' views and we are not getting them until the eve of the hearings, there could well be a need for additional time to question the nominee.

Without this package, we could have had real doubts whether downtown would ever achieve the glory that it has seen in the past. With this package, we think it will be bigger, better than ever,

Now we must take the evidence we have and try to answer the fundamental question What kind of justice will John Roberts be.

I think what it shows is that there is a White House that has run out of steam, whether it's ethical issues or Katrina or Iraq or the budget deficit, high gas prices. They are at a real turning point. Thus far, they've admitted no mistakes at all. And That's not a good sign or a good attitude.

This decision is a testament to the business leadership of Lockheed Martin, but more importantly to the great labor force we have in upstate New York, ... I hope this is the first of many contract victories for New York.

If Judge Roberts repeatedly resorts to the so-called 'Ginsburg Precedent,' it will sound less like a principled refusal to answer and more like a variation on the Fifth Amendment 'I refuse to answer that question on the ground that it may incriminate me. Answering may reveal my actual views about constitutional law and cause me to lose votes,'

You do have to change things as warfare changes.

I spoke last night to the family and they are beginning to get a little more optimistic, thank God. He's a great thinker, and we don't have too many of them who end up being politicians. We desperately need him. We desperately need his thoughts now.

People desperately want work. The best thing we can do is give them jobs by stimulating the economy in a real way. But until we do, it is our fundamental and solemn and important responsibility to at least let them live a life of dignity, maintain the pay

If you want to know the future in the black market of guns, it's the computer in your home, ... Under the anonymity of the Web, strangers meet on the Internet under aliases, discreetly bid for guns, and make the sale with no questions asked.

The president called for a bipartisan commission on Social Security in his State of the Union address, which I recommended he do last year -- but if he were serious about it, he would have left Social Security privatization out of his budget.

I am not saying I will vote against John Ashcroft because he is pro-life, ... But let me say if someone was nominated for attorney general who was vehemently pro choice -- who in his or her career spent decades trying to find ways to expand the law abortion at nine months would be perfectly legal -- wouldn't you be more upset and raise more of a voice than against a nominee who was simply pro-choice.

You'll see things like minimum wage, buying prescription drugs in Canada, trying to improve our clean air and clean water,

everyone seemed to emerge from the hearing with a different view of what he actually said.

A brief period for the company to continue lobbying without the full 45-day investigation that should have been done from the beginning is simply not enough.

Michael Brown is a nice man, but was clearly not up to this crucial and important job. The White House was absolutely correct in replacing him.

The U.S. Navy cannot, and should not, force the people of Puerto Rico to live in fear for their lives by continuing to use their island for target practice.

I'd like to know why the poverty number moved up more in New York than in other places, ... Even in other comparable cities the increase was less, and that's something every New Yorker should want to answer.

You've being less forthcoming with this Committee than any nominee who has ever come before us,

It is clear that we're not doing close to enough and must do more.

I respect people who feel things passionately. I do. But when someone is a judge, that is not what they should bring to the bench. It is not really passion, except in rare instances, that serves the bench well. It is, rather, an ability to understand the law and follow it.

I think teaching should be an exalted profession, not a picked-on profession.

It was a strong and nice statement, but didn't answer the fundamental question what kind of justice will he be.

Democratic Rep. Charles Schumer of New York made a plea to Livingston, the incoming speaker. These new hearings, these new subpoenas wave a red flag that common sense and common wisdom are not welcome here, ... Mr. Livingston, this may be the first and most important task you will ever face as speaker. Lead us out of this abyss.

If the President were to voluntarily institute the review and delay the contract, that would obviate the need for our legislation, but a simple cooling-off period will not allay our concerns.

I am for the first time optimistic that we will pass, after a long time, financial services legislation. In 19 years, we are the closest we have ever been to actually achieving a bill.

Campaigns more often than not must focus on things that divide us, ... But government and public service must focus more on the causes that unite us.

We hope that whoever the administration chooses to succeed him will be given the tools needed to really do the job.

dagger to the heart of the people of New York.

Judge Roberts should explain as soon as possible why he thought it was appropriate for him to continue hearing this case,

We're asking that this be done, and I don't think we have much choice. The economy seems to be going along nicely now. But if you ask any economist what's the No. 1 thing that could stop it, it's oil prices.

Gun shows, simply put, have become a paradise for illegal firearms sales because felons frequent gun shows to avoid having to go through a background check.

You can set up whatever negotiations or structure you want, but until the Palestinians are willing to accept the fact, as the majority of Israelis do, that there should be two states between the Jordan and the Mediterranean, we won't have peace.

I urge you to immediately and publicly clear up the record,

Voters did say 'repeal health care,' they did say 'reduce the size of government.' But not a single one of them from the tea party or anywhere said 'give tax breaks to the wealthiest.'

some sort of a witch hunt.

On energy, Americans were expecting a lot more from the President. He took a tiny baby step when a giant step is required,

We hope and pray that the Chinese will move. We don't want to dictate anything to the Chinese. We don't want to tell them how quickly they should move or to what degree, but we do need to see some more movement on something that just about everyone agrees ought to happen,

It is sad that the president felt he had to pick a nominee likely to divide America instead of choosing a nominee in the mold of Sandra Day O'Connor, who would unify us. This controversial nominee, who would make the court less diverse and far more conservative, will get very careful scrutiny from the Senate and from the American people.

Why this room should be some kind of cone of silence is beyond me, ... It seems to me this is something of an argument of convenience. Senator Specter said it well, you can answer as many questions as you can to get confirmed ... that's not the right thing to do.

When you put together a prescription drug bill that puts the pharmaceutical and insurance industry first, and the recipients way down at the bottom, of course you're going to get one big mess. And we have it.