Roy Blunt: “I thank the Chair for the opportunity to speak, and I wish to continue discussing what my good friend from Iowa was…”

“I thank the Chair for the opportunity to speak, and I wish to continue discussing what my good friend from Iowa was talking about. There is a reason for the Senate. There are times when it is hard to figure out exactly what that reason is, with the lack of activity we have seen in the last couple of years, but that has very little to do with the rules of the Senate. It has a lot to do with the Senate not following its regular order, its regular procedures. In fact, when we have done that, whether it was the highway bill or the Federal Aviation Act or the farm bill, we have always produced a successful piece of legislation. The Senate works when we let the Senate work. The Senate works when people are allowed to bring differing points of view to the Senate floor. Frankly, one of the reasons to be in the Senate is to have the ability to not only bring those ideas to the floor but to have a vote on those ideas; to let the American people know where we stand and to let the people in the States we represent know where we stand. The idea the Senate is now afraid of the amendment process is a great obstacle to the Senate getting its work done. Another obstacle is constantly talking about changing the Senate rules. The Senate rules have served the Senate well for a long time and served the country well. The Senate rules are what define the Senate in giving individual Senators abilities they wouldn't otherwise have.…”