Cspan2. Confirmation hearings for amy coney barre Amy Coney Barrett president trumps nominee to the supreme court, and spoke about the first president ial debate. Here is a look. This week the senators who are sitting down with judge Amy Coney Barrett are meeting an incredibly impressive jurist and highly qualified nominee. Theyre hearing from the professor whom former colleagues call quote, mind blowingly intelligent. One of the most humble people youre going to meet and the complete package. Theyre meeting a law school valedictorian, an Award Winning academic whom peers praise for her lucid elegant pros, piercing legal analysis and absolute dedication to the rule of law and senators are meeting the distinguished circuit judge, liberal law professor feldman says is a brilliant and conscientious lawyer who is highly qualified to serve on the supreme court. Some of our democratic colleagues have decided they will refuse to meet with judge barrett. Several interest volunteered that their vote will have nothing to do with her qualifications as if that were something to be proud of. The democratic leader said, quote, its not here qualifications. The junior senator from delaware says this isnt about her qualifications. Certainly, every senator may define, advice and consent how they wish, but i think its telling to see Senate Democrats openly affirming that judge barretts actual and judicial qualifications do not matter to them. Our friends on the left really do mistake the court as an unelected super legislature. Theyre not interested in judge barretts legal qualifications because they think that judges are there to dictate policy outcomes rather than following the facts and text, wherever they lead. Thats why weve gotten the same scare tactics for almost half a century. John paul stevens is going to end womens rights. David suter was going to send Vulnerable People into the dark ages. John roberts was going to declare war on health insurance. And now our democratic colleagues want americans to believe that judge barrett is a one woman crusade, is on a onewoman crusade to hurt americans with preexisting conditions. One senator has literally claimed the nominee would quote, listen to this, create a humanitarian catastrophe. Same old scare tactics. Totally predictable and totally dishonest. These baseless attacks over health care are supposedly founded on a technical argument in a fouryearold scholarly article. Then professor barrett analyzed the supreme courts ruling on one piece, one piece of obamacare. The unfair, unpopular individual mandate penalty, which we have sense sorried out. The constitutional arguments over with whether that terrible idea was a penalty or a tax are now moot. Because whatever you want to call it, republicans in keeping zeroed it out three years ago. Working americans are no longer penalized by that democrats policy. Americans with preexisting conditions are still protected, and that specific legal question is moot. Our democratic colleagues are grasping at straws. Now, they want judge barrett to promise to recuse herself from whole categories of cases. Of course, that is ridiculous. Its hard to think of anyone in the country over whom is president has less leverage, less leverage than a judge with a lifetime appointment. Nobody suggested Justice Sotomayor or Justice Kagan should categorically sit on the side license until president obama left office. This is a attempt to impugn judge barretts integrity. That would mean her oath when she takes it, they should vote to on firm her. If they dont, they should vote no. But only one of these arguments has any basis in judge barretts integrity. Her reputation and praise showered on her by jurisprudence even by famous liberal lawyers. Judge barrett has stated in writing to the senate she has given nobody at the white house any hints or any assurances about any kind of cases, real, or hypothetical. It is only Senate Democrats who are trying to extract promises and precommitments. It is only democrats who are trying to undermine Judicial Independence. Last night on National Television former vicepresident biden refused to rule out. Refused to rule out the radical notion of packing the court, packing the supreme court. He ducked the question. And in washington, when you duck the question, you know what the answer is, thats exactly what the answer is, what they intend to do. Last year senator harris, said she was explicitly open to it, another way of saying thats what they intend to do. Numerous of our colleagues refused to rule out the radical institutions shattering step and now Senate Democrats are trying to make judge barrett precommit, precommit to handle hypothetical issues the way they want. More disrespect for Judicial Independence. Judge barrett understands the only loyalties must be to our laws and our constitution. She understands our system would collapse if judges do not leave politics aside. If the Democratic Party feels differently. If the democrats decided that Judicial Independence is simply an inconvenience to their radical agenda, it just shows how little weight we should afford their criticisms of this outstanding nominee. Now, on a related matter, if Senate Democrats were half as concerned as they say about americas familys health care, they would not have filibustered a multihundred million weeks ago. The senate on health, would allow more tests treatment and Vaccine Development like republicans tried to do just a few weeks ago. A Senate Minority that was prioritizing wellness would have let us spend more than 100 billion to make schools safe for students like republicans tried to do just a few weeks ago. The Senate Minority that sought to protect citizen wz preexisting conditions would have let us reaffirm Legal Protections for those americans like republicans had in our bill just a few weeks ago. A Senate Minority that was serious about economic recovery would have let us fund a second round of Paycheck Protection Program and continue the expanded unemployment checks like republicans tried to do just a few weeks ago. The senate voted on all of this three weeks ago. Three weeks ago, every single senator cast a vote on preexisting conditions, money for testing, money for vaccines, money for safe schools, money for Small Businesses and money for unemployed workers just three weeks ago. 52 republicans voted to pass all of these policies and every single democrats who showed up voted to filibuster it dead. The democratic leader and the speaker of the house were determined that American Families should not see another dime before the election. This week, Speaker Pelosi is finally caving to months of pressure from her fellow democrats who argue that her stonewalling is hurting our country. House democrats have tried to save face by introducing yet another multitrillion dollar far left wish list with virtually all the same noncovid related poison pills as their last unserious bill. Speaker pelosis latest offering still does not include a single cent of new money for the Paycheck Protection Program to help Small Businesses that are going under. It does nothing to help schools, universities, doctors, nurses or employers avoid frivolous lawsuit. But the house did sign room to provide special treatment to the marijuana industry. Their bill mentions the word cannabis the more times than the word job or jobs. They still want to send taxpayer funded stimulus checks to people in our country illegally. They still want to hand a massively expensive tax cut to millionaires and billionaires in places like new york city and san francisco. A pet priority of the speaker and the democratic leader that would do nothing to help working families through this pandemic. All of these far left poison pills are pill in their recycled bill and they have no intention of making bipartisan laws for American Families, but there are a few changes from the last bill. So get this, mr. President , now that supporting Law Enforcement has become less than fashionable, on the far left, listen to this, democrats have actually taken out, taken out hundreds of millions of dollars for hiring and assisting police officers. Let me say that again. In this latest version there were at least some changes. Now that supporting Law Enforcement has become less than fashionable on the far left. Democrats have taken out hundreds of millions for hiring and assisting police officers. Their socalled sequel to the heroes act has decided that cops are not heroes after all. Apparently cops are not heroes after all. House democrats couldnt miss a chance to defund the police. The latest bill from the speaker is no more serious than any of their political stunts going back months. If they continue to refuse to get serious then American Families will continue to hurt, less than a month ago every single senator voted on providing hundreds of billions for kids, jobs, health care, preexisting conditions. 52 republicans vote today advance all of these things, but every single democrat who showed up voted to block them. The American People are still hurting. Layoffs are still mounting, families still need more help, and the health care fight needs more resources. One side voted to supply all that help, the other side decided to block it. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] welcome everybody to todays hybrid hearing. Pursuant house rules some members will appear in person and others will appear remotely. Via webex. Some members are appearing in person. Let me first remind everyone that pursuant to the latest guidance from the house attending physician, all individuals attending this year in person must wear a face mask and lets you are speaking. Members who are not wearing a a face mask will not be