ty bakers
Supreme Court fight pushes Senate toward brink
BY JORDAIN CARNEY - 09/26/20 01:02 PM EDT
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/518379-supreme-court-fight-pushes-senate-toward-brink
Murkowski was on the floor recently with Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and John Thune (R-S.D.), the two party whips, where she warned the Senate was “failing” as an institution. When a reporter noted that the three senators at least appeared to agree that the Senate should behave in a healthier way, Murkowski interjected with a laugh: “I hope we agree on that.”
But an off ramp that could break the gridlock, and lower temperatures, is nowhere in sight with the explosive battle over the high court further dividing a Senate that is about to engage in its third Supreme Court fight in less than four years, with Trump expected to formally name circuit court Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee on Saturday.
There was already a taste of the looming gridlock this week as Senate Democrats — who can slow down but not block the nomination — invoked the two-hour rule that limits the ability for committees to meet, arguing there shouldn’t be “business as usual” if Republicans are going to try to fill the seat.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also grabbed headlines for blocking a resolution honoring Ginsburg, who died last week at the age of 87, because of language over her reported wish that her successor not be chosen until a new president is sworn in.
Instead of wrapping up their pre-election work by Thursday, as Republicans had hoped, Democrats are forcing the chamber to return next week to finish a government funding bill, keeping vulnerable GOP senators off the campaign trail. Democrats are also facing pressure to try to prevent the Senate from leaving and require that Republicans show they have a quorum of 51 senators needed to do business.
“I just think they're trying to throw a wrench into anything that we do. I mean, this obviously, it’s retribution for the decision on the court,” Thune said, about the decision to come back next week to finish work on a continuing resolution.
Asked how much cooperation he expects in day-to-day Senate functions, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), an adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), formed a zero with his hand.
“Remember Kavanaugh? This will be that on steroids,” he added, referring to a contentious fight in 2018 over the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/518379-supreme-court-fight-pushes-senate-toward-brink