Republicans Block Schumer's Attempt To Shut Down Senate Over Barrett Confirmation
Republicans blocked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s Monday move to adjourn the Senate until after the presidential election in protest of the effort to confirm Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett before the end of October.
“We are not going to have business as usual here in the Senate while the Republicans try to use an illegitimate process to jam through a Supreme Court nominee,” Schumer tweeted Monday.
We are not going to have business as usual here in the Senate while the Republicans try to use an illegitimate process to jam through a Supreme Court nominee.
Democrats are fighting to stop it.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) October 19, 2020
“Tonight, I’m forcing action on a vote to undo the Trump admin’s gutting the Community Reinvestment Act,” he added.
The forced vote on a motion to adjourn followed the roll call vote under the Congressional Review Act to consider the Trump administration’s relaxing of banking regulations for low-income borrowers, Fox News reported.
The vote failed 43-48 along party lines before the New York Democrat motioned to adjourn the Senate.
“This is the most rushed … most partisan, least legitimate Supreme Court nomination process in our nation’s history — in our nation’s entire history — and it should not proceed,” Schumer said.
“Therefore, I will move to adjourn the Senate until after Nov. 3 election, with the ability to come back into session if there is a bipartisan agreement on a COVID relief package.”
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He was told his motion was out of order so he appealed the ruling then motioned to table his appeal, basically putting up a motion in opposition of his own effort to adjourn the Senate.
That motion succeeded 48-42, meaning Schumer’s effort to shut down the Senate was blocked by Republicans.
This is not the first time Schumer has tried to take over the Senate floor as part of the Democrats’ fight to keep the Senate from confirming Barrett until after the election.
He forced a vote earlier this month on a measure that would keep the Justice Department from arguing against the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The Justice Department currently plans to argue the case before the Supreme Court on Nov. 10.
The motion failed 51-43; it needed 60 votes to pass, but received six votes from Republican senators.
The current Supreme Court Justices were confirmed in as little as 66 days and as many as 106 days, according to CNN. The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was confirmed in 50 days.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Monday that the full Senate will vote on Barrett’s nomination as soon as next week.
“Last week, Judge Barrett proved she has the deep legal expertise, judicial temperament, and intellectual horsepower that Americans deserve to have on the Supreme Court,” he tweeted.
Last week, Judge Barrett proved she has the deep legal expertise, judicial temperament, and intellectual horsepower that Americans deserve to have on the Supreme Court. The Senate will turn to her nomination as soon as it comes out of committee later this week.
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) October 19, 2020
“The Senate will turn to her nomination as soon as it comes out of committee later this week.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
