Political Quotes

“this week, Senator McConnell has scheduled votes on five judicial nominees. Some of these nominees, I will oppose, including 11th Circuit nominee Andrew Brasher. Some, I will support, including John Kness, a nominee for the Northern District of Illinois, who was part of a bipartisan package of nominees in my State. But first, I want to point out that, under this Republican majority, the Senate simply doesn't do legislation any more. There are literally hundreds of bills that have passed the House of Representatives and are gathering dust on the Senate desk. These bills deal with critical issues like reducing prescription drug prices, protecting pensions, securing our elections from foreign interference, and closing gaps in our gun background check system, but time and again, when Senate Republicans have the opportunity to bring bills to the floor, they take a pass. They just don't want to do the hard work of legislating. Last year, the Senate voted on only 22 amendments all year. I remember when we used to vote on that many amendments in a single day. Sadly, under this Republican majority, the Senate is becoming an appendage of the White House and no more than a conveyor belt for President Trump's judicial nominees. We are abdicating our responsibility to legislate on matters of importance to the American people. The Constitution assigns the Senate important roles as part of a coequal legislative branch. We are not rising to meet these challenges.…”