McConnell on Supreme Court Vacancy: American People Will Be Heard
‘The Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and I will meet with President Obama this morning. We will reiterate that the American people will have a voice in the vacancy on the Supreme Court as they choose the next President who in turn will nominate the next Supreme Court justice.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding today’s meeting with the President:
“The Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and I will meet with President Obama this morning. We will reiterate that the American people will have a voice in the vacancy on the Supreme Court as they choose the next President who in turn will nominate the next Supreme Court justice.
“In other words, we will observe the ‘Biden Rule.’
“Americans have by now become well-acquainted with that advice from the Vice President.
“Americans also know what both the current and future Senate Democratic Leaders had to say about judicial nominees when a different party was in the White House. They’ve heard the Senator from Nevada’s admonishment that ‘nowhere in [the Constitution] does it say the Senate has a duty to give presidential nominees a vote.’ They know the Senator from New York didn’t even wait until the final year of President George W. Bush’s term to declare that that the Senate should ‘not confirm a Supreme Court nominee except in extraordinary circumstances.’
“Let’s use this meeting to discuss ways we can work together to make progress for our country, like tackling a drug crisis that’s tearing communities apart in all 50 states.
“I was pleased to see colleagues join together to advance the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act yesterday.
“I hope we’ll see that kind of cooperation continue. It’s important for our country. I look forward to discussing with the President how his Administration can help.”
Related Issues: Supreme Court
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