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".

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Senators Cotton, Ernst Express Concern, Optimism After First Committee Sessions

After initial committee hearings tonight, the Hill spoke to two members of the Armed Services Committee, Senators Joni Ernst (R--IA.) and Tom Cotton (R--AR) about the days proceedings, which focused on the testimony for three bills. Senator Ernst introduced the Military Save Act and the E-Stop Act, which focus on aiding veterans and victims of sexual assault in the military. Senator Cotton is preparing for the hearings on Taiwan Security Act of 2018, which will take place tomorrow. Both Ernst and Cotton reflected on the day, with Ernst striking a particularly aggressive tone towards Committee Chairman Jack Reed (D--RI). "What concerns me is that the Chairman, Senator Reed, informed me of something that I already knew. That they [the Democrats] have a majority on the committee and they can prevent my legislation from getting to the floor.”  Ernst said, adding on“I would like him to know that if he did prevent my bill from making it to the floor, he’d prevent Senator McKaskil fr
Read more

Senators Booker, Cotton Respond to Articles of Impeachment

Prominent Senators Cory Booker (D--NJ) and Tom Cotton (R--AR) have issued responses to the House of Representatives voting to impeach President Trump via twitter. Senator Cotton tweeted out "Today, in a purely partisan vote, the HOR voted to impeach @realDonaldTrump. The Senate must acquit and put an end to this political charade." Senator Booker sent out the following message: "Today is the 427th day of the Trump Administration. Today, the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump. I trust that my colleagues in the Senate - Republicans and Democrats - are committed to upholding justice at the highest levels." The news of Trump's impeachment has taken over the political world, and all eyes will be on the embattled President as he delivers his State of the Union address later tonight.
Read more