Grassley Opens Judiciary Markup on DOJ Nominations, HALT Fentanyl Act

 

Good morning. Today, we have three items on our agenda: Todd Blanche’s nomination to serve as Deputy Attorney General, Gail Slater’s to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division, and S. 331, the HALT Fentanyl Act.

 

Last week, Committee Democrats exercised their right under the Committee rules to hold the two nominations for seven days. We honored this hold, and so today is the day for the vote. We’ll also continue to consider the HALT Fentanyl Act.

 

During our hearing a few weeks ago, we learned about Mr. Blanche’s dedication to the law. He went to law school at night while working at the Southern District of New York as a paralegal to support his family. After graduating, he clerked twice for judges appointed by presidents of both political parties. 

 

At this point in his career, Mr. Blanche had the opportunity to cash in at a prestigious private law firm. But, he didn’t. He chose a career of public service as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. He spent years protecting his community, and worked his way up to become a co-chief of the White Plains Division.

 

Eventually, Mr. Blanche did go on to work at prestigious firms. But he eventually left behind a successful practice to represent President Trump. As I said at his hearing, Mr. Blanche put his reputation and career on the line to represent the President against unrelenting lawfare waged by Jack Smith and Alvin Bragg. He did all of this professionally and with integrity.  

 

Mr. Blanche’s career shows that he’s someone who’ll do the right thing, even when unpopular. Don’t just take my word for it though – here’s what Mr. Blanche’s colleagues at the Southern District had to say: “He puts the core values of the DOJ—independence, impartiality, honesty, integrity, respect, excellence and a fierce dedication to fairness under the law—into practice.” They also said, “Todd is a fundamentally good and decent man.”

 

It’s hard to imagine a more qualified choice to be Attorney General Bondi’s second-in command at the Department of Justice. I hope he receives a bipartisan vote.

 

During her hearing, Ms. Slater also presented her vision for the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, and showed that she also merits a bipartisan vote.

 

Ms. Slater’s antitrust career spans decades, including ten years at the Federal Trade Commission handling antitrust investigations and litigation. This experience allowed Ms. Slater to acquire a strong understanding of the mechanics of antitrust law. 

 

Ms. Slater also understands antitrust and economics from a policy perspective. She’s worked on policy matters in the private sector and served in important public roles, including on the National Economic Council and as Economic Policy Advisor for then-Senator Vance.

 

Ms. Slater’s broad experience has equipped her to run the Antitrust Division. Nine previous heads of the Antitrust Division appointed by presidents of both parties agree. These officials wrote to the Committee and told us, “Ms. Slater has the experience, intelligence, judgment and leadership skills necessary to serve as an excellent Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division.”

 

She’s also received support from both sides of the political aisle. One bipartisan coalition letter commends her “unique ability to collaborate on a bipartisan basis with stakeholders across the political spectrum, building coalitions toward common goals.”

 

And just this week, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters came out in support of her nomination.

 

I believe both of these candidates are the right choices to serve at the Department of Justice, and I urge my colleagues to support their swift confirmation so they can get to work.

 

Today, we’re also going to continue considering S. 331, the HALT Fentanyl Act. We had to cut short last week because of a floor vote, but I’d like to get this done today. 

 

Permanent class scheduling has been in the works for about seven years now. We’ve had countless debates and discussions over the years, and the end result of those debates and discussions is the HALT Fentanyl Act.

 

It has already passed the House, and now it needs to pass the Senate.

 

Last week, several parents who lost children to fentanyl pleaded with Congress in a video message to get this done without changing the text.

 

This week, I received additional letters from grieving families in support of the HALT Fentanyl Act.

 

Let’s get this done today.