Political Quotes

“it has been 187 days since President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. That is a long time. Since March 16, we have been waiting for a hearing. It is really extraordinary when you think how long we have seen the third branch of government unable to fully function because of inaction in the U.S. Senate. Republicans have a constitutional duty to uphold, and they have not done their job. We all have that constitutional duty. We are standing at the ready. We are willing to remain here in session until we can get this done. We need a hearing now. We need to get Merrick Garland on the Court before the Court begins its new session on October 1. Unfortunately, we are likely to leave--maybe at the end of this week or next week--without a hearing. The Republican leadership's inability to consider Garland's nomination puts the Court at frequent risk of deadlock, which is not in the interest of families or of those whose interests are coming before the U.S. Supreme Court. It is a shame because Merrick Garland is a uniquely qualified jurist. In fact, Republican colleagues have noted his qualifications in the past, but the reason Republicans haven't acted is simple, unfortunately, and that is a political calculation. When we look at the Court on October 1, when they are seated, it will look like this, with a vacant chair. The question is, Whom are they holding the chair for?…”