‘It’s my hope that this trend of limited debate and limited amendment will soon come to an end.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell spoke on the Senate floor Monday to oppose cloture on S. 372, The Intelligence Authorization bill.
“Madame President, I rise to oppose cloture on Intelligence Authorization. There are plenty of things wrong with this bill, but our primary objection, once again, is the way it’s being handled on the floor.
“The Democratic majority has filed 21 cloture motions so far this session.
“At this rate, we’ll have 160 cloture motions by the end of the 110th Congress. This would shatter the old record of 82 back in 1995 and 1996. Now, the purpose of filing cloture early is to end debate and accelerate the passage of a measure.
“But abusing this privilege has the opposite effect. If the minority is shut out of debate, it will block legislation until its members are respected and their voices given an opportunity to be heard.
“We’ve seen this happen again and again over the last three and half months, as the majority has repeatedly struggled and failed to move legislation.
“Republicans take no joy in this, but we will continue to defend our right to be heard. The Senate, as we’ve learned over the years, is not the House.
“Contrast this torpid pace of legislation in this Congress with the first three and a half months of the last one, when Republicans passed some of the most far-reaching civil justice reforms in decades.
“Republicans knew that the price of passing laws was to work with the minority, to have an open debate, and to vote on amendments the other side has to offer.
“On bankruptcy reform, for example, we allowed 30 votes, including final passage.
“On this date in the first session of the 109th Congress, Republicans had filed four cloture motions.
“On this date in the first session of the 108th, we had filed five.
“On this date in the first session of the 107th, we had filed one.
“I started this session by expressing the hope that we would get great things done.
“The realties of divided government and the rules of the Senate made that supremely possible. And the bipartisan meeting we had that first week in the old Senate chamber was, I thought, a sign of good things to come.
“I still have that hope. And I see a real opportunity opening up with the early steps the Majority Leader has taken on immigration reform.
“It’s my hope that this trend of limited debate and limited amendments, which of course leads to the limitation of minority rights, will soon come to an end.
“Three and a half months is not that long a time. We can still correct course and accomplish very important things for our country.”
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