Author: Thornrun

The Senate is set to go nuclear today as the partisan confrontation over Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court reaches its seemingly inevitable conclusion. A cloture vote on the nomination – which would require 60 votes to be approved – is set for this morning and is expected to fail, with as many as 43 of the chamber’s Democrats likely to line up to block the nominee. As soon as that vote fails, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will initiate the parliamentary steps necessary to launch the “nuclear option” and allow for Gorsuch to be confirmed on a simple majority vote. Specifically, Leader McConnell will likely raise a “point of order” asserting that a simple majority vote can end debate in the chamber for Supreme Court nominees. The point of order can then be approved by all 52 Senate Republicans, clearing the way for another vote on ending debate on Gorsuch’s nomination – this one only requiring a simple majority to be approved. A final up-or-down vote could then be held either today or tomorrow, but even considering the importance of a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court, Gorsuch’s confirmation will likely be remembered for the legacy that the change in Senate process will have on future nominations.    

Continue reading “Today on the Hill: A Nuclear Showdown in the Senate”

The Senate took one more step towards going nuclear yesterday after Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) became the 41^st  Democrat to commit to filibustering the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch, President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court. With the minority’s votes secured, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will likely file cloture today to begin the formal floor consideration process and begin the parliamentary process for using the “nuclear option” to change Senate rules and kill the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans have given every indication that they intend to follow through with changing Senate rules, and at this point, it seems that neither party is likely to budge from their position. The collapse of the 60-vote threshold for Supreme Court nominees marks the end of a decades-long battle over the role of the minority in confirming judicial nominations – then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) killed the filibuster for low-level federal judges in response to Republican intransigence in 2013 – and it may lead to more ideological judicial selections by both parties in the decades to come. Floor statements on the Gorsuch nomination will likely reflect that history and the uncertain future more than any commentary on the nominee himself.

Continue reading “Today on the Hill: Democrats Secure Votes for Gorsuch Filibuster as McConnell Prepares to Go Nuclear”

Jet fumes are in the air as lawmakers eye the end of a six-week stretch in Washington with the beginning of a two-week recess this Friday. The impending battle over Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court will be the week’s highlight, but ongoing negotiations on funding the government beyond the expiration of the current continuing resolution (CR) and a resurrection of Republican health care legislation will also be items to watch.

Continue reading “This Week on the Hill: Senate Preps for SCOTUS Nominee Drama as Easter Recess Approaches”

The dust will continue to settle in Congress as lawmakers slide back into regular business following last week’s excitement. House lawmakers will consider a Senate-passed resolution (S.J. Res. 34) today that would undo privacy rules for internet service providers enacted under the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last year. Specifically, the rules require providers to receive an “opt-in” commitment from consumers before sharing their information with other companies for marketing purposes. Internet rights advocates fear that the resolution would undermine consumer privacy and encourage the selling of their information, while proponents say that the rules would confuse internet users and limit a vital source of revenue for providers. The resolution was passed on a 50-48 party-line vote in the Senate, meaning that House passage today would send the resolution to the president’s desk for enactment.

Continue reading “Today on the Hill: FCC Rule Rollback in the House; Montenegro to Become 29th Member of NATO”