Senate Democrats are using every tactic they have to filibuster Neil Gorsuch‘s confirmation.
On Monday, Democrats secured enough votes to block the Supreme Court nominee from advancing, prompting Republican leaders to threaten a “nuclear option,” in order to bring forth a vote, NPR reports.
“If we have to, we will change the rules,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) said during Monday’s Judiciary Committee meeting. “It looks like we’re going to have to.”
“Going nuclear,” uses a reinterpretation of a long-standing Senate rule for Supreme Court nominees, changing the 60-vote threshold to a 51 majority vote.
Democrats who voiced intentions to vote against Gorsuch during Monday’s Senate Judiciary Committee are listed as follows: Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-California), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia) and Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware).
Republican committee members will likely advance Gorsuch with a party-line vote on Monday, which will move the confirmation process to the full Senate.
After, the Senate will bring forth a procedural vote to end debate on Gorsuch’s nomination (also known as a “cloture vote”).
Since 41 Democrats are expected to vote against cloture during that point in the process, a motion to move forward to a final vote will ultimately fail. In response, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would then be expected to change the voting procedures and advance the nuclear option.
After the nuclear option is invoked, the Senate floor will be open to 30 hours of debate–in which Gorsuch would ultimately see support from 52 Republican Senators and at least three Democrats, crossing the threshold of 51 votes needed for confirmation.
SOURCE: NPR
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Senate Democrats Secure Enough Votes To Block Gorsuch’s Nomination was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
