Name it. From a qualifications point of view, she is a slamdunk. Unfortunately, politics abounds now around judges. We will see what happens in the next two days, but i am proud of the committee. Differences. Talking about the aca [indiscernible] [indiscernible] sen. Graham it is clear that they want to talk about the Affordable Care act in terms of policy. The judge will decide the merits based on the law. In my state, there has been a 30 increase in premiums of obamacare and we are down to one provider from five, so we will have a contest about whether or not obamacare is a good deal or a bad deal for south carolina. 35 of the money goes to three states at our expense, but her job will be to talk about the law and how you would apply the law to any litigation whether it be guns, health care, abortion, campaignfinance, and i think she will do a good job understanding that the role of the judges differ from that of us. Thank you. [indiscernible] thank you. Behind this mask, dick durbin. I have been trying to do it with the mask on. I hope you can hear me. The priorities we bring to this hearing here is one of them. In illinoisung boy who, because of the Affordable Care act today. Affordable care act alive today. Or death for thousands of not millions of americans. We believe the aca is hanging in the balance. We will drive that issue home, though our colleagues on the other side may want to talk about judicial philosophy. Very interesting, but this is demanding. We demand that all those who participate in this hearing understand the gravity of this when it comes to the real lives of american families. Our republican colleagues are shocked shocked that we think this nomination is all about judicially destroying the Affordable Care act for people like laura here from rhode island. The only problem with their feigned shock is that they are think that is what they are doing. Partyin the republican platform to reverse the obamacare cases. Thep has said he is using nomination to overturn the Affordable Care act, so i think it is fair for us to hold them to account for what they have said this nomination is about. The American People are watching. They know this unseemly rush is inappropriate. They know it is targeting november 10 and they know it is wrong. We turn it over now to amy klobuchar. Sen. Klobuchar thanks so much, sheldon. Thanks, everyone. I mentioned these two in the hearing room, but these are our sisters from minnesota, mariah and evelyn. They both play on the softball team. One is a picture, one is a catcher. One was diagnosed early on with juvenile diabetes and one was not. My point here is it does not matter which one was diagnosed. They both deserve good health care. That is what really is at stake. Despite my colleagues comments from the other side of the aisle about how somehow this judges decision are in some ivory tower and will not affect peoples lives, they will. They will affect the lives of every Single Person in this country. And you do not have to be a lawyer or a senator to figure out where this nominee is coming from when it comes to the Affordable Care act. We know where she is coming from and the president knows it, too. He has made it very clear in tweets and statements that he wants the court that will overturn obamacare and he wants count that is going to the ballots. He thinks this election is somehow going to end up in court. My point is you cannot divorce this nominee from the moment we are in in time. And we do not have some secret clever procedural way to stop this sham. Lets be honest. As good as we are, it will not be some brilliant crossexamination that will change the trajectory of this nomination, but there is one thing that will and that is the people of this country. That is them voting. That is them understanding exactly what the Republican Party and this administration are doing right now and how it is going to affect their lives because this is not Donald Trumps country. This is your country, americas country, and this should not be Donald Trumps judge. It should be your judge. I will turn it over to my good friend chris coons. Sen. Coons thank you. Why are we here . It is a mystery within easy answer. With an easy answer. It is because the Affordable Health care act is on the ballot and the docket. I represent people in delaware and 340,000 of us have preexisting conditions. Carrie in middletown is one of them. She and her daughter have preexisting conditions. Before the aca, she and her daughter would have found it difficult to afford quality cows health care. When we talked about this last week, she said to me, seriously . I thought that was settled. It was. Ofht years ago, a majority the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care act, but President Trump has made it blindingly clear, publicly and repeatedly, that he only intended to nominate someone who would overturn the Affordable Care act. That will throw into chaos the lives of millions of americans. In some ways, most importantly, given that we are talking about filling the seat made, vacant by Justice Ginsburgs passing, a key provision of the aca prevents discrimination. Women cannot be charged more for health care because they are women. Pregnancy cannot be treated as a preexisting condition. An Justice Ginsburg dedicated her life to gender equity. Acatimes folks covering the mistakenly say it benefits 30 million americans. It benefits a majority of all americans. Those with preexisting conditions and those whose preexisting condition is being female. We should not turn away from a focus on protecting the health care of a majority of americans in the middle of a pandemic. So much more than that is at stake in this confirmation, which we will lay out in the next two days, but this is the most pressing and important thing in the middle of a pandemic. Let me turn it over to my friend and colleague, senator blumenthal of connecticut. Thank you. Thal they say they have the votes. They may have the votes on this committee. They do not have the American People on their side, their votes. They do not have history on their side. Donna kern is on the right side of history. Every time i look at this picture, it breaks my heart. The pins andll needles that have been stuck in all theng man, procedures, all the pain and anguish. At the very least, the anguish of paying for it should not be imposed on connor and his family. This hearing is going to be about real people and the harm barretttice amy coney could do those real people could do to those real people if she is confirmed and she overturns the Affordable Care act. Shee she has said that would vote to overturn the Affordable Care act had she been a justice in the two previous decisions. She has written that Supreme Court precedent can be disregarded if it conflicts with justicesdual positions are aligned. This danger is real and urgent. There are two other issues on the line here reproductive rights, i health care issue. I health care issue. Reproductive rights is a health care issue. It is a right of women under roe v. Wade, which is in danger because of specific letters and that Amy Coney Barrett has signed, and we are going to be asking about that. A health cares issue. The epidemic and scourge of gun violence continues to kill tens of thousands of americans and Amy Coney Barretts position on disregarding past precedent on gun violence provisions endangers laws like connecticuts, common sense provisions that protect people against gun violence. Committee. N in this they may confirm this justice, but the American People can still stop it if they stand up and speak out. Power to, you have the stop this nomination if you make it known as powerfully as possible to your senators what it means to you. Thank you and i am honored to now turn it over aloha, everybody. With your democratic, republican, independent, whatever, republicans have been trying to get rid of the for over 10 years. It acts as if this nomination is occurring is in a vacuum. She is being nominated for the purpose of striking down the Affordable Care act, something they could not do in the last 10 years. Do you notice it is only the democrats who are talking about what its going to happen to the real people what is going to happen to the real people . This is jordan. She is a teacher in hawaii. She has such a rare blood condition she needs medication that will cost her 500,000 a year. Was no way she can afford that. The Affordable Care act is enabling her to live. This is what we are talking about. We are the only ones talking about this. While, the republicans are hiding the fact they are so eager to push forth this nominee for the very purpose of taking away the health care of all these people. They are hiding that fact from the American People and you should be asking every republican, why are you doing that to your constituents . Ok . Ask that. Thank you. Now my friend cory booker. We are in the middle of the fourth largest mass casualty afterin American History the civil war, world war ii, and the pandemic of 1918. In the midst of all of that we are rushing to remove health care from millions of americans. It is just wrong. I would like to bring up dick. Urbin [laughter] upthe picture is worth a thousand words. Is it the leadership of your caucus to boycott the floor vote . I have heard no speculation along those lines. I have not heard anything. I am planning on voting on the voting stopsby not are for moving forward. Republicans repeatedly said you were attacking her faith. None of us raised that issue. Do you plan on pursuing that line of questioning . Th thatave taken an oa is no religious test. Enough said. Are you going to highlight unity over stimulus given that we are in the middle of a pandemic . That is the first thing the people who represented ascus. Us. I get more questions about why are you not giving another round of stimulus . Can i add one thing . 74 of americans in a recent nbc poll says we should be doing that. Our republican colleagues who run the senate should be leading on covid relief instead of having this hearing. Americans are with us on this. I would add one thing i did not get to say at the hearing. We heard they had of the Federal Reserve say it would be tragic if we did not get something passed to help the economy. That is the trump appointed head of the Federal Reserve. We know what we should be doing. We are asking our colleagues instead of engaging in this sham of a hearing they should help the American People. Nobody knows better than me when my husband was sick with pneumonia and the hospital, my dad got assisted living, and we have multiple examples all over this country which over 210,000 people dead, 7 Million People have gotten this disease, schools open and close and open to haveed, moms trying kids learn the mute button at age six. Maybe it is time to help the American People instead of jamming their nominee through. We know this from what donald trump has said to overturn the Affordable Care act. 55,000 more americans will die before the end of the year. 55,000 more americans will be trumpsause of donald andtitude and incompetence our republican colleagues blocking action. Senator durbin, as a group you guys were quite disciplined and unified. [laughter] [indiscernible] youow did you do it and do think it was effective to stay focused on aca and not focus on religion and other things . There is nothing more idea thathan the the time has come. It unites us and the American People and the republicans on that committee and beyond are tone deaf in the middle of a pandemic to be pushing the masses to eliminate health care protections. It is what we are all hearing. Yes. What we are all hearing. Senator hirono, two of the female republican senators essentially accused you of a misogynistic attack. You would think my colleagues would jump at the opportunity to support a successful female, legal superstar. May be only certain kinds of women would be allowed into the hearing room. Go ahead. We will go together. Sure. Proud that there are some any women who are now serving in the u. S. Senate and we are proud that more and more women are achieving positions of power. But that does not mean that we have to agree with every woman that is nominated. Actually, i know this because i ran against a number of women for president and we were able to handle it fine. The point here is that we have a nominee that donald trump has put forward for the purpose of overturning the Affordable Care act, something they have been trying to do time and time again in the course. Someone who has expressed views that i do not believe are consistent with where the American People are and the worst part of it, to me, is he has done this where he clearly says he wants full nine justices on the court intimating that is where this election is going to end up. Many of us think there are Serious Problems with having a nominee who we are waiting to see if she will recuse yourself from these cases. But he has literally put her on for that reason. That is what matters to us. Our colleagues on the others can do what they want to distract from the real issues from the American People, but the real issue for the American People is their right, there health care, their health. I think it is really interesting that the republicans decided it is the two women on the committee that should raise those gender issues. It just goes to show how genderneutral we all are on our side because we are going to to hery barrett positions, her articulated positions on the aca, on roe v. Wade and a number of other issues. Gender has nothing to do with it. Veryys to me they feel defensive about it. You know they did not have any women on the committee until after the kavanaugh hearings . That should tell you something. One more question. How much of the points you are making on health care are focused at trying to sway to more republicans two more republicans and driving home your message . I think that goes together. We are calling on the American People who agree with us to reach out to the senators. Senator booker said earlier one republican on the committee, two on the floor in this nomination is stopped. That is what it comes down to. We are appealing to people across america. If you agree with us on the importance of saving the Affordable Care act, reach out to your senators. They need to hear from you. Have you had conversations with your republican colleagues [indiscernible] message is vote, number one, and never to call the republican senators. We have no clever way to stop the sham. It is the American People who are going to stop it. Thank you. Thank you everybody. Thank you. [indistinct chatter] announcer hearing from Senate Democrats after the first day of the Senate Judiciary hearing for Supreme CourtJustice NomineeAmy Coney Barrett. Most members of the committee appeared in person, but several gave statements remotely, including texas senator ted cruz who was in quarantine over covid concerns. Fox news tweeted regarding this, his quarantine is ending in accordance with medical advice. People attend in person for the judiciary hearing tomorrow. With Committee ChairLindsey Graham about covid19 safety during the hearings and he asked Lindsey Graham about the democratic demands senators be tested before the hearings. He cannot demand that of all your colleagues to be tested before you go to work. He said he would leave it up to each member to make that decision. This storyweek has about my glee. He was in attendance for the Senate Confirmation hearings 10 days after announcing he tested positive for covid19. Senator lee, who recently tested positive, announced his diagnosis october 2. The times saying he experienced symptoms a day earlier. He said he remain isolated, but vowed to return in time for the hearings. There have been protests at the Supreme Court today. Marissa line with the Washington Post says protesters are calling a senators to reject the nominee. They were arrested monday moments before the first day of the hearings. Unlike in past years the public was not allowed to watch the hearings in person because of the pandemic. At the start of the hearing President Trump tweeted, republicans are giving the democrats a great deal of time which is not mandated to make their selfserving statements relevant to our great new future Supreme Court justice. Personally, i would pull back, approved, and go for stimulus for the people. Shane goldbach are of the New York Times got this. Joe biden answering questions on Amy Coney Barrett. Her faith should not be considered. Heres a look at the comments from the former vice president. [video clip] see you all in ohio. I know you have got a question. [indiscernible] faith should not be considered. [indiscernible] none. I do not think there is any question about her faith. I got in trouble when we were running against the senator who was a mormon. A governor and i took him on. I tell you what, we are already in the midst of a real fight. Everybody knows and 28 days 20 million americans may lose health care. This nominee said she wanted to get rid of the Affordable Care act. The president wants to get rid of the Affordable Care act. Let us keep our eye on the ball. This is about whether or not in less than one month americans are going to lose their health insurance. Thank you. [indistinct chatter] announcer that was earlier today. With day one of the hearings wrapped up, heres what we should expect. Tomorrow, the committee will commit to the first round of questions to the nominee. Each senator given 30 minutes and on wednesday we will have the second and third rounds. 20 minutes and 10 minutes. On thursday we will hear from witnesses in support of and opposed to Amy Coney Barretts confirmation. Committee chair senator Lindsey Graham says he expected a vote on the nominee to come up thursday, october 22. A reminder our live coverage of day to will begin tomorrow and i got a. M. Eastern on cspan. 9 00 a. M. Eastern on cspan. If you missed any of the coverage today, you can watch it tonight on cspan starting at 8 00 p. M. Eastern and on our website cspan. Org and with the free cspan radio app. Along with his hearing you can find information about the process of seeking a Supreme Court justice, information about the court, and more. That is all on our website. Tomorrow morning on washington journal we get your reaction to the first day of the hearings. We will take your phone calls, texts, and tweets here on cspan. We will now show you the Opening Statement from Supreme Court nominee amy coney