On the recordSeptember 22, 2022
Madam President, I understand that Senator Thune is next in order on the floor, but not seeing him on the floor, I thought I would take the time before he arrives to echo the terrific remarks of my Judiciary chairman, Dick Durbin. As I think people know, a lot of money has been spent in this effort to control the Court by special interests. Indeed, the last count is that it cost $580 million in dark money to achieve that purpose. I don't know anybody who spends nearly $600 million--more than half a billion dollars--without having a purpose in mind. And when you see the undoing of women's right to determine their own reproductive choice, when you see new weaponry rolled out against pollution regulations, when you see 100-year-old gun laws being taken down, when you see the agenda of the big-money rightwing being implemented by the Court, it begins to look like, in fact, they got their money's worth, and they didn't mind spending big. One of the ways they did this was to make sure that all of the Trump selections of nominees went through the Federalist Society. Never in our history has that happened, with a private organization stepping in and deciding who would be on the Supreme Court. I see that Senator Thune has arrived. The floor is his. I will interrupt my remarks because I was just filling time. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Dakota.





