Procedural Debates Mar Second Day of Committee Hearings

While some progress was made on bipartisan legislation on the second day of committee hearing and witness testimonies, procedural debates were at the center of the day in multiple committees.

In the Finance Committee, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) complained that his Democratic colleagues were taking too much time, thus limiting which witnesses the committee could hear, tweeting out

"Very disappointed that the Senate Judiciary Dems have gone far over their allotted time, cutting short the testimonies of NRA President Wayne LaPierre and Education Betsey DeVos in their support of our bill to arm teachers"

A similar problem took place in the Finance Committee, with Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sending out a picture of Democrats going over their time while alleging that the Committee chairman, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) was strict in cutting off Republican Senators after the agreed upon two and a half minute limit.

The most dramatic moment of the evening came when Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) led his Republican colleagues in a walk out of the Finance Committee while a same-sex couple from his state was testifying. Both sides said that they were looking to "restore regular order". The walk out was interrupted by the couple, who left the committee chanting "love is love".

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