WATCH: Senate Judiciary Committee holds ATF director nomination hearing as nation mourns Texas school shooting

The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Steven Dettelbach as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The committee also considered the nomination of several federal judges.

Watch the hearing in the player above.

The nominated judges included Sarah A.L. Merriam to be United States Circuit Judge for the Second Circuit, Lara E. Montecalvo to be United States Circuit Judge for the First Circuit, Tiffany M. Cartwright to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Washington and Nina Nin-Yuen Wang to be United States District Judge for the District of Colorado.

Dettelbach’s nomination hearing comes as the nation reacts to the shooting in Ulveda, Texas that has so far left 19 children dead.

“The killing of innocent children is sickening and heartbreaking,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley R-Iowa, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Grassley noted that this is the second nomination for the ATF role by the Biden administration and expressed concerns about this second pick. David Chipman, a former ATF agent and prominent gun control advocate, faced steep opposition from Republicans and gun rights groups, forcing Biden to withdraw the nomination.