During nearly four decades in the Senate, I have served with Democratic majorities and Republican majorities, through both Republican and Democratic administrations. I have always believed in the Senate’s unique protection of the minority party, even when Democrats held a majority in the Senate.
Yet, over the past five years, Senate Republicans have changed the tradition of the Senate with an escalating obstruction of judicial nominations. These actions threaten the Senate’s ability to do the work of the American people. Through this obstruction, Senate Republicans have crossed the line from use of the Senate rules to abuse of the rules, exploiting those rules to undermine our ability to address national problems. This same abuse recently, and needlessly, shut down our government, and also poses a threat to the independent, judicial branch of government.
