Watch booktv this weekend on cspan2. Senate debate on Amy Coney Barretts nomination begins at noon eastern. Republicans on the Senate Judiciary committee voted yesterday to move the nomination from the committee to the floor for consideration. Democrats boycotted the vote. The committee voted to authorize subpoenas for the heads of tech and social media companies. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] good morning. I appreciate all of my colleagues being here properly. As you know, our democratic colleagues informed the Committee Last night they will not participate in the hearing. That was their choice. It will be my choice to vote the nominee out of committee. Were not going to allow them to take over the committee. They made a choice not to participate after allowing judge barrett four days, two days to the question. I thought she did an exceptionally good job of handling the questions asked. I thought she was aggressively challenged but not inappropriately. What to complement my democratic colleagues for not going down the cabin all road. I want to complement the republican members of this committee for asking questions that matter to you, but showing a tremendous amount of discipline to make sure that on our side the hearing went well. And each of you, when this is over, i hope you feel like a sense of accomplishment. This is why we all run. Its moments like this that make everything you go through matter. Its moments like this where you can count young conservative women theres a place at the table for you. This is this is a groundbreakin, historic moment for american Legal Community and really politically. Senator blackburn and ernst spoke eloquently what its like to be conservative woman in america. You try to be marginalized. I just want to thank both of them for their participation. And a bit about the judge and were going to vote. I have been here a while and ive never seen anyone more capable than judge barrett on the law. Two days without a note. Senator cornyn made that obvious to us. I did know she didnt have any notes until you mentioned it here but a deep and wide understanding of the law. But the most important thing to me, understand what the judge does versus what we do. And to all the people out there wondering about judge barrett, i can tell you this, the law of amy will not be applied to a case in controversy. It would be the law as written in thett constitution or by statute or whatever regulatory body she is going to review. She will take her job on without agenda. But important to me is this okay to be a complete person and be on the O Supreme Court . Its okay to be prolife. She embraces the prolife cause in her personal life but she understands that judging is not a cause. She embraces her faith,e millions of other americans. There have been some things said about her and her family that are disgusting. I want to complement her family for giving her the backing she needed to take on this job. I want to thank the members of this committee for standing up against some file thanks. Again, my democratic colleagues did not go too far, in the opinion. We will end with this. Forget about what think as political people for a moment. All of us are, in the political 2013 when they changed the rules to require a simple majority to pack d. C. Circuit court, you could see days like this coming. It was a decision that senator schumer and read made in collaboration. I remember the night before the rules changed, senator schumer called me and informed me of it and i was very disappointed. I had been in a bunch of groups here trying to keep the traditions arrive alive. I remember telling senator schumer, he will regret this. Today he will regret it. Say is that judge two or was filibustered three times, requiring us to change the rules. They started a they started this, not me. If it were up to me, it would be a 60 vote requirement today read today. Denying judge gorsuch the votes just thethe floor was beginning of the end of a process that had served the country well. How could anybody believe that judge gorsuch was not as qualified as sotomayor and kagan . How could anybody in their right mind, after listening to judge barrett, understand she is not just qualified, she is incredibly qualified . Qualifications apparently dont matter anymore. It is about trying to create a situation favor, politically. I dont know how this ends, i do know this . After listening to Vice President eitans explanation about court packing, i am more confused than ever. One thing i can say is that the real energy of the Democratic Party is to pack the court. Is to expanded from nine to whatever number they need to make it liberal. As to my good friend senator feinstein, what happened to her by showing an act of human kindness tells you all you need to know about what awaits a senator who gets in the way of the agenda they have for our nation. Beginning with the court. Today we start changing them the day we start changing the number after every election to make it how we would like politically, artisanwise, is the end of the independence of the court. At stake, but today i want to celebrate the fact that judge amy barrett will be reported out of this committee unanimously. That, to all of the young women out there like amy barrett, this is a big day for you. To the country as a whole, youre going to have an associate justice on the court that you should be proud of. This is a good day. Me, justnt believe listen to what the ada said. The American Bar Association is not high on senator lees list. And many of you. I think they do give some republican nominee is a good time, but i have continued to manyhem because i keep as traditions in place as i can. But the folks who are watching this hearing, their job is to evaluate the nominee in three categories. Professional competency, character, judicial disposition. Hours,end hundreds of talk to hundreds of people, from all walks of life, about this judge. Judge barrett. Here is what they found. The American Bar AssociationStanding Committee on the federal judiciary has completed the evaluation of the professional qualifications of judge amy barrett. As you know, the Standing Committee confines its evaluation to the qualities of integrity, affectional competence, and judicial temperament. A substantial majority of the committee determined that judge. His wellqualified. A minority is of the opinion that she is qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. Themajority represents Standing Committees official rating, which is the highest you can get. Two presenters a question. What both of you feel comfortable going before judge barrett . They replied, absolutely. Another piece of information was ms. Ohara. She was the dean of Notre Dame Law School while judge barrett was a professor. Remember what she had to say. I have only communicated with this august committee on two occasions. The first was 10 years ago and i wrote a strong letter in support of nowjustice elana kagan. Whose term as dean of Harvard Law School overlapped with my own. The second is today introducing ,nd endorsing Amy Coney Barrett an in equally strong terms. Some might find these inommendations juxtaposition. I find them entirely consistent. I voted for both. The committee will hold over s4632. That,unanimous consent notwithstanding the motion of october 15, setting the vote on the barrett nomination at 1 00 p. M. , the committee proceed immediately to vote on the barrett nomination. Any objections . Without objection. On the motion to report the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to being associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, the clerk will call the roll. Favorably to the floor, the clerk will call the roll. [voting] mr. Chairman, the boats are s. Yea senator cornyn. Sen. Cornyn mr. Chairman, i will take a couple of minutes. I find this to be a surreal environment we are in, where our democratic colleagues announced they are going to boycott one of the most important votes this committee will have, probably during our entire senatorial tenure. That is a vote to confirm, to provide advice and consent to a nominee of the Supreme Court of the United States. I just want to comment on the pictures that are in their chairs, like this is some sort of sporting event during covid19 and rather than show up and do their job, they choose to continue the theater that was part of the hearing. Of course, this is all pretextual. Their argument, as i understand it, is somehow Amy Coney Barrett will violate her oath of office, contrary to everything she has done and who she is, and somehow that the Affordable Care act is in jeopardy. She explained, i think with great skill, the issue before the Supreme Court. It is one of severability, which is a very technical doctrine. It doesnt have anything to do with the merits of the Affordable Care act. It has to do with whether you can sever the unconstitutional portion from the rest of the aca , and that it will survive. The fact is, democrats have already moved on from the aca. And my state, the premiums for an individual under the aca have gone up, i believe, 57 . The average deductible is about 3000. For a family of four, the deductible is 12,000. It means in essence, he did have insurance. You do not have insurance. All of the promises that were made to the American People leading up to the passage of the aca, they have been broken. I remember president obama saying, if you like your policy, you could keep your policy. None of that is true. They said we would have essentially universal Health Insurance coverage. That is obviously not true. Aca has failed our democratic colleagues recognize that. Have, from they president ial candidates running in the primary, all the way down to people running in this election on november 3, have advocated a singlepayer system. Sometimes called medicare for all. It is all a slippery slope toward a singlepayer system. I think it is important to point what they are advocating. It is extraordinarily radical. The 180 million americans who get their Health Insurance on the job, they would eliminate that. They would take that away from them in order to put them on a singlepayer government program. Know, has itse own financial problems, and is something we need to shore up. It is a commitment we have made to our seniors, that if you pay in, you are going to have Health Coverage when you become eligible. But dumping 330 Million People into the Medicare Program will bankrupt it. And we know that providers depend on a payment mix between medicaid, medicare, and private insurance in order to pay the bills. Without the private Insurance Health or payments our care providers, our hospitals, including those in rural parts of our states, would be bankrupt. I think it is important to just lay out the facts here. This is all for show. They have given up on the aca notuse they realize it did fulfill the promises that were made when it passed. Now it is unaffordable to most ordinary texans and americans. So they have thrown that out the window in favor of a singlepayer system. Said,y, senator schumer every thing is on the table. I think you have observed, mr. Chairman, that if the shoe were on the other foot, we have no doubt what they would do. But beyond that, senator schumer has said that the legislative filibuster is in jeopardy. That they will turn this into simply a partisan body, where you dont need to do the hard work to get bipartisan support. They would consider turning d. C. Into a state, and the state would get two senators. And get two estate senators. They want to permanently transform this country. This is not about incremental change. This is about revolutionary changes in our country. Finally, as we have all observed, they are advocating packing the Supreme Court with additional partisan judges. Ruth Bader Ginsburg pointed out, there goes the crown jewels of the american public, which is our independent judiciary. It becomes nothing but another political body. A second legislative branch. I wanted to take a minute and thank you for your patience to lay out my thoughts and observations with regard to these theatrics with which our democratic colleagues are presenting us today. This is all for show. This is to try to capture a narrative which is simply false and to cover up what they are really about. So, thank you, mr. Chairman. Sen. Graham thank you, senator cornyn. I agree with what you said. Why dont we do the business of the committee . We have a few more judges and the subpoena request. Lets get to that and if anybody wants to speak, we will do so. On the motion to report the ,omination of benjamin j deaton the clerk will call the roll. Roll]ng the cracks the boats are 12 yeas, and to not present. Sen. Graham on the motion to report the nomination of Kristi Johnson to the United States district judge for the Southern District of mississippi, favorably to the floor the clerk will call the roll. Roll]ng the mr. Chairman, the voats are 12 yeas, and 10 not present. Sen. Graham denomination will be sent to the floor. Favorably to the floor, the clerk will call the roll. E roll]g th mr. Chairman, the votes are 12 yeas, and 10 not present. Sen. Graham reported favorably to the floor. Next, catherine mosel. Favorably to the floor, the clerk will call the roll. Roll]ng the mr. Chairman, the votes are 12 yeas, and 10 not present. Of. Graham nomination thompson needs to the United States district judge for excuse me, to the United States district judge with United States court of federal claims. Favorably to the court, the clerk will call the roll. The roll] mr. Chairman, the votes are 12 yeas, and 10 not present. Sen. Graham the nomination will be reported favorably to the floor. Now we have a subpoena request. I have been asked by my democratic colleagues to hold it over. I think there is a lot of interest on the others of getting some of the social media folks here to answer questions about their platforms. Im going to move forward with the request today for the subpoena. Hopefully will give us some leverage to secure their testimony. Chairmansut on the october 22, 2020 motion to authorize subpoenas to Mark Zuckerberg and jack dorsey, relating to online content modernization. The clerk will call the roll. Roll]ng the mr. Chairman, the votes are 12 yeas, and 10 not present. Sen. Graham motion is passed. Thank you. All right. Thank you all. I will be glad to listen to any comments you would like to make. But we did it. We did it. Judge barrett is going to the floor. I hope you look back on this time on the committee and say, i was there when it mattered. And you were. Senator lee . Sen. Lee thank you, mr. Chairman. Be heredeed an honor to on this historic occasion, when we have confirmed judge barrett and forwarded to the floor our recommendation. As i have said ever since she was nominated to this position, judge Amy Coney Barrett is one of the most impressive legal minds in the United States. Andis a thoughtful fairminded lawyer. A loving daughter, wife, and mother. And a devout believer in her faith and in the constitution. She was arguably the most impressive judicial nominee i have ever seen in any of these hearings. I have been watching them intently since i was a kid. Make barrett is going to an absolutely outstanding Supreme Court justice. The American People will be lucky to have her on the bench. It is a shame that our leagues on the others, other side, having failed to lay a glove on judge barrett, have walked out on this process. And so doing, walk out on the American People. This is sad, but in context it is not surprising. Grateful we should be that i walk out as all the democrats will do to judge barrett today. Not all nominees have been so lucky. Important point for those watching these proceedings who might be tempted to believe the pious proclutching and Performance Art of the media and the Minority Party about this particular nomination. I would like to take a few moments to set the record straight about this process and why America Needs and deserves to have judge barrett on the Supreme Court. Of the first 200 years history of our republic, Supreme Court nominations of both Political Parties were almost always polite and even boring. Relatively nonpartisan, nonpolitical affairs. Judicial nominees were examined further qualifications and rejected by the senate only in relatively rare instances. Generally common Mutual Respect and in 1987. When a Democraticcontrolled Senate shamefully and slanderously defeated the nomination of one of the countries most respected lawyers and constitutional scholars. That is judge robert bork. The cynical attacks against judge bork, his only offense was that he was a conservative, or dirty were dirty and downright dishonest. Wolf,ke the boy who cried Senate Democrats got away with it, at least the first time. Four years later president George Herbert walker bush nominated clarence thomas, then serving on the court of appeals d. C. D. C. s are circuit judge democrats on the Judiciary Committee democrats, not republicans tried to do to judge thomas what they had done to judge bork. The public was now wise to the democrats game. , whilerticular attack injurious, failed. So they resorted to the next tactic. Organizing what thomas rightly called a hightech lynching of a black man who dared disagree won back theewhen Democrats White House in 1992, when the she was on the other foot, Senate Republicans did not retaliate. In kind. Not respond 1993, judge ruth Bader Ginsburg was confirmed to the Supreme Court with 96 votes. In 1984, judge Stephen Breyer was confirmed with 87 votes. Want, and in response we w ent high. Did republicans good faith behavior improve the democrats behavior . No. It only encouraged them. Within a decade democrats reached norms. The unilaterally escalated their war over the judiciary by filibustering for the first time in history a judicial nominee. And remains to this day one of the most respected lawyers and constitutional scholars in the country. He was a natural and inspiring choice to serve as a federal appellate judge. Left, that was precisely the problem. Mr. Estrada was latino and brilliant and charismatic and young, and widely seen as a future nominee to the u. S. Supreme court. So the left decided to strangle mr. Estradas nomination with false, insincere attacks and unprecedented obstructionism. They filibustered his nomination. Not once, not twice, but seven times. Service to hateful leftist groups who are vilifying an honorable man and a tantrum of little cynicism and blatant racial condescension. During this ordeal mr. Estradas family suffered irreparable tragedy, but at least the New York Times was happy. The leftcenter clear message to latino americans about what they can expect if they dare question liberal orthodoxy. Thus, democrats ushered in another new era. In their judicial culture wars. Judicial filibusters. Remember, the time of the estrada filibuster, republicans take control of the white house and the senate. They could have invoked the Nuclear Option to break the unprecedented obstruction. We didnt. We did not retaliate. Not after the estrada filibuster. On after the democrats malignant smearing of than judge sam alito on his way to the Supreme Court. It is not the narrative but it is the truth. Once again democrats went. Went low. Disgustingly low. Once again republicans took the high road. Under president obama republicans accepted the practice and required super majority cloture votes for judicial nominees. After a few years of this democrats got tired of having to play by their own rules so they broke them. A number of Obama Policies being challenged for unconstitutional and other grounds in the courts, democrats invoked the Nuclear Option over senate rules so they could confirm judges with only 51 votes. Republicans pleaded with harry reid to do it. We warned democrats they would soon live to regret it. Hubris makes the powerful d eaf and blind. They rammed through their Appellate Court judges. We could not stop them. They did it because they could. In response, the American People did what they could. In the next election, and in every single Congressional Election since the democrats went nuclear in 2013, the American People returned a republican majority to the senate. That included the election of 2014, which meant when president obama wanted judge Merrick Garland to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia the senate, following president ablished by president ident democrats once again filibustered and feigned outrage as republicans followed democratic p precidence again. Let me go on record. I initially had concerns about this move. Can conference meetings for sometime i argued we ought to try to find another way. Try to see if he could figure out a way to restore the filibuster and preserve this important part of the senates institutional design and president ial prerogative. I lost that argument. My position may have been principled but in the context of relentless,s relentless and endless pattern and practice of abusing their power, it was untenable. Colleaguespersuade for a bipartisan solution. Solutions were easy to imagine. The lefts good faith was not. Precedents where bork, thomas, estrada, and the Nuclear Option. Democrats embrace traditional power of judicial total war. It was not a slide down a slippery slope. , it was a giddy enthusiastic leap that they still dont regret. Just look at the record since then. When Justice Anthony kennedy retired and President Trump dominated judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace him, was there any sign, any evidence whatsoever of an attempt to lower the temperature . Any indication democrats for rethinking were rethinking their decades of vicious, unilateral escalation . Just as before, of course not. During the kavanaugh nomination these duties to new lows, concocting a patently false accusation of teenage Sexual Assault against an honest, honorable and innocent man. Like inquisitors burning heretics at the stake, breaking norms, breaking rules to slander and strangle the nominations of constitutionalist judges. It is simply what the left does. This is a feature. This is how they operate. This is what they do. Liberals, not conservatives, turned the Supreme Court into a Super Legislature of sorts. Democrats, not republicans, escalated Supreme Court nominations into ideological knife fights at worst and made political outcomes the defining issue of this process rather than judicial philosophy and qualifications. What has happened to this isnt a bipartisan failure . Partisanuni strategy. Every active escalation. The democrats have been the aggressor in every single instance. Way theystep along the abused his authority. Its authority. There is no titfortat. There is just tat. Estradasd mcgill nomination for partisan reasons. They slandered justice thomas, justice alito, and justice kavanaugh. They knew the filibuster nuked the filibuster for partisan reasons. Now they are trying to scuttle this vote for partisan political reasons. When it comes to the judiciary, abuse of power is their agenda. Now, the left seems to think the Supreme Court exists to impose their very worst ideas onto the public. Onto those recalcitrant members of the public. Those members recall citizens that refuse blindly to go along with their entitled extremism. They want the court to empower abortion activists, perforce Performance Artist to tell everyone how to live without votes, without accountability, and without debate. Putting debatable matters beyond debate seems to be there formula. They dont want democracy. They dont would wen Amy Coney Barrett will not politicize price the Supreme Court. She is going to turn back policy decisions and political debate back to the people and their elected accountable representatives where they belong. Judge merrick understands under our constitution policy is supposed to be determined by the priorities of the people, not editorial boards or twitter poles or School Faculty senates. That is why the left is so furious about this nomination. Problem youpious here on msnbc, and all you will hear on msnbc and those of the networks tonight, understand they are not angry because this process is unfair. They are angry because it is. Not because they think Amy Coney Barrett is going to be a partisan justice, but because they know she will not be. They are not afraid judge barrett will legislate from the bench, but she will force democrats and republicans to legislate from legislatures. As the constitution itself requires. Judge barrett threatens their power, not because she has a hidden agenda or hidden powers but because they do and she wont enact those powers or exercise them by judicial fiat. Why we needexactly to have Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court of the United States. Thomas,venge bork,istraught of, alito estrada alito or cavanaugh, but to return integrity to the Supreme Court and the senate, and all the institutions left is judicial abuse has twisted and desecrated for two generations. We need to confirm Amy Coney Barrett not to give political power to conservatives or republicans but to finally give it back to the American People. Whomhome it was stolen it was stolen 70 years ago. Left so many years ago. Barrett will take the constitutional highroad for decades to come. Every day earning in more ways than one new title of justice. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Sen. Graham both said. I have a statement i will introduce into the record without objection about the process. I think senator grassley would like to speak. Take your time. Sen. Grassley obviously our colleagues dont think they should represent their states by that is what they are not doing. Represent either people and they dont you appear. Im talking about my colleagues across the aisle. Those of us that are here are amy,ed to have voted judge uh, barretts nomination to the floor. The reason for doing that is she has the temperament and humility we would expect of a judge. She approaches cases without bias and agenda. Understandsntly she a judge should interpret, not make the law. Thorough, candid, and forthright in the hearing. But when pressed on how she might rule in a case, judge barrett applied to ginsberg rule. Her rule demonstrates independence by not showing any hints, previews, or forecasts. Those three words are from the ginsberg testimony. About 28 years ago. Judge merrick clearly respects judge barrett fairly respects the president and practices judicial restraint. Per method is rigorous and exacting, but fair and openminded. I specifically asked judge barrett if she made any promise to anyone about how she might rule on a case. She responded, the answer is no. The answer is no. It would be inconsistent with judicial independence. Expectt expressed but we what we expect and learn from whatth grade civics the checks and balances of government are all about. The courte court is where we expect them to make branch andecutive the legislative branch doesnt go outside the bounds that the thisitution sets for congress and the executive branch. Evenhanded, is and has ruled for plaintiffs and defendants and all kinds of cases since she served on the seventh Circuit Court of appeals. When asked if she would follow the law wherever it leads, she said yes. The Affordable Care act was brought up quite significantly , maybeost every person in this committee but more so by democrats that were trying to make it look like she would be a force to just have her mind made up already that the Affordable Care act ought to go out the window. But throughout the hearing democrats spun a bunch of nonsense about judge barrett and the Affordable Care act. They claimed her critique of chief Justice Roberts reasoning dictates12 aca case how she would vote in the upcoming case. Froml know that is bunk how she has described her approach to that aca. Judge barrett made clear then she doesnt have an agenda. She testified, i have no hostility to the aca. Critics, Court Decisions all the time. Obviously she was doing that as a person, a tenured professor at Notre Dame School of law. Robertssue of reasoning was shared by legal commentators across the political spectrum. Moreover, the question before the Supreme Court this fall are entirely separate. So it is pointless to speculate. Portrayemocrats want to the judge as a threat to health care. They want to distract from the fact they recently filibustered just yesterday, and three days ago covid relief bills on the senate floor that would have protected preexisting conditions. Although none of us republicans are threatening preexisting conditions. All just a democrat Election Year scare tactic by voters are not buying it. A political poll released yesterday showed a majority of americans want the senate to confirm judge barrett. That is what we are going to do. She made it easy for us with her outstanding performance here three days before this committee. Shows s record judges record she shows judicial restraint. A judge that approaches a case as an opportunity i better say this is her quote a judge that approaches her case as an opportunity for an exercise of the will has betrayed her judicial duty. The judge will not be a politician on the bench. She will make decisions as they should be decided in an impartial manner, and in accordance with the law and the constitution. I take the judge at her word. In my time as judge, job, my boss is the rule of law. Not imposing my policy preferences. So i am pleased that we have voted judge barrett out of committee to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Sen. Graham senator hawley for theke to present record and without objection, senator cruz. Sen. Cruz i want to commend you on conducting a remarkable set of hearings last week. I want to commend every member of this committee for the result improving judge barretts nomination, giving it to the floor where i have every confidence she will be confirmed on monday. This is a major victory for the American People. Ways the single most important accomplishment President Trump has achieved in office. In nominating a principled constitutionalist to the Supreme Court, President Trump was honoring the promises he made to the American People. In confirming that principled constitutionalist to the court, the republican majority in the senate will likewise be honoring the promises we made to the American People. I want to take a moment to highlight something we have learned in the last two weeks. Democratshe understand that their radical agenda for the Supreme Court is profoundly unpopular. The democrats are unwilling to defend their radical agenda for the Supreme Court. That is illustrated powerfully today by the fact that every democratic chair is empty. This markup. Otting they are boycotting this markup because their substantive arguments are not persuasive. They are not effective. Last week it was striking. Democrat asked any questions that defended the farlefts view of religious liberty. That the Supreme Court should go through the Public Square, scour the Public Square to remove any reference to god almighty. Defendedgle democrat the farlefts radical view of religious liberty that the government has the power to punish you for living out your faith. I noticed these lovely photographs in the place where our democratic colleagues normally would be. In one photograph i dont see the sisters of the poor. The Little Sisters of the poor, whotholic convent of nuns the Obama Administration persecuted because they were living according to their religious faith. And who joe biden pledges to once again persecute if he is elected. Not a single democrat in this committee defended that radical view of religious liberty because the American People dont want it. They want the court that will protect their religious liberty, not take it away. Not a single democrat during the hearing last week defended the democrats radical view of free speech, which is that the federal government has the regulate political speech, to regulate your free speech and assignments you if you dare criticize the politicians. Increase inrrifying government power. There have been four votes on the left for that proposition, that the federal government has the power to ban movies, the power to ba the federal government has the power to ban books . That was the position of the citizens united, not a single democrat would defend that proposition because the American People have no interest in a federal government that has the power to regulate freespeech. On the Second Amendment not a single democrat descended the proposition, maintained, protecting an individual right to keep and bear arms. The government can make it a crime for any american to own a firearm and theres nothing you can do to challenges in court. One vote away. Not a one of them defend that radical proposition. I would say to all of us in the majority we should take solace from this. They know the propositions they are advancing are radical, extreme, not what the American People want. All the activists fighting right now less than two weeks from election day. Our absent democrats understand last week was not going well. They tried to ask questions of judge barrett and realize this is not good, the American People seeing the smart talented principal jurist pledging to defend the constitution, that is a problem for us, the democrats. By day 2 of the questioning they had gotten out of dodge by midday, only two democrats even left in the hearing room. Two democrats is more than we have here today. It went from barely being present to being totally absent. There is a reason joe biden and Kamala Harris refused to answer the question whether they intend to pack the court because the answer is yes. If they get power they will move to pack the court, to expand the number of justices to fill it, on abuse of power that would do immense damage to the independence of the judiciary and why wont they answer the question . They know it is unpopular. The American People dont want to see the court politicized and independence destroyed which is what todays Senate Democrats are pushing. The stakes of this confirmation and this election coming up in two weeks are enormous. The reason the democrats want to see leftists on the court is so the majority of judges, unelected lawyers and rogues, can mandate policy outcomes the American People dont want, that they would never vote for with our colleagues having to take responsibility for. There are times when it seems republican senators dont understand the principles we are fighting for, the overwhelming majority of the American People are with us but you know who understand that very well, Senate Democrats who refused to attend. Congratulations, mister chairman. Thank you for your participation in this hearing process, you bring a lot to the table from the conservative point of view and understand the process as well as anybody i ever met. Thank you for reminding us how we got here, but tortured tale of abusing people, trying to get outcomes, changing rules to accommodate political desires and it ended today, would love to go back to the Traditional Senate approach, it was abandoned in 2013 for a purpose, to stack the dc court of appeals where all litigation involving the federal government goes and senator schumer and senator reid, i did, i would do it again and we should change the legislative filibuster, that is what harry reid said. We are one vote away from fundamentally changing the Second Amendment. And on and on and on. When they change the rule and filibuster neil gorsuch requiring us to change the rules, here is some good news. The Judiciary Committee got it right when it came to judge barrett. We did the right thing. It would have been wrong to deny her a vote if you are a republican and crazy to vote for her as a democrat, you may not agree with her judicial philosophy which is rejection of judicial activism and originalist point of view how you approach controversies but you should have seen what her in all on a cake ands qualifications, you expected me to impose qualifications based on sotomayor and kagan, Justice Scalia got 96 votes, Justice Ginsburg got 96 or 97. Senator thurmond voted for ginsburg because she was qualified. Senator hollings from South Carolina voted for scalia because he was qualified. Look what happened. Senator lee made a compelling case, it continued with thomas, alito and crescendoed with Brett Kavanaugh. I thank my democratic colleagues who did participate in the hearing, asking hard question and suggest she would not be openminded, you lost that debate, and she deserves a vote, yes or no. Qualifications no longer matter. If you vote yes i dont know if you could stay in the Democratic Party. I am still here. Just a shame we allowed it to get to where we have. A shame senator feinstein who opposed the process or the nomination at the moment of Human Interaction which apparently, not enough to agree with the cause. You got to hate the people they want you to hate. America is in for a tough ride. Its not enough to agree with underlying cause, you must hate in order to be a legitimate liberal, not enough to embrace the cause but you have to hate it i hope it doesnt come on our side, be reduced to hating each other rather than debating each other. It wont be about our ideas but the fact we just oppose the concept of each other. I will end on a positive note. Donald trump had a lift that was that it. A list of qualified people. Ted cruz said this is the most important decision and this would be a historic moment, historic for young conservative women, a historic moment for the court, somebody like judge barrett on the court who embraces their faith and a consequential life. America is for all of us. Africanamerican, people of color, who embrace republican ideas and conservatism have a tough time of it in modern society, same for women. This is a breakthrough moment. I regret that we cannot do it the normal way. Look what i dont regret, reporting her out of committee. I could not have lived with myself knowing someone disqualified who worked this hard all of their life to be a good decent person is a giant when it comes to understanding the law, the disposition that all of us would yearn for in a judge. I could not have lived with myself. If i denied her her day. This is combination of a well lived life. There is one more step in the process in the United States senate. Whatever you think about republicans or democrats, we are very divided. This was about judge barrett. This was about her and qualifications. Was she worthy of the nomination. Did she conduct herself in a manner to be worthy of our votes and i think that is a very easy question. My democratic colleagues denied her your vote, i regret that. Are participating in the hearing, they didnt go too far. For that i very much appreciate that part of the hearing. So we will go to the floor now and take up a nomination, judge barrett, on the floor of the United States senate. I doubt if a single democrat will vote for her and i will end with this. Elections do have consequences, i understand a lot of kagan and sotomayor will be the type judge a democratic person would be looking at, highly qualified, closer to president obamas than mine, that is why i voted for both of them. Now we find ourselves in a situation where qualifications no longer matter. It is about holding open seats to have them filled after the next election, weve lost sight of individuals being nominated matter, i think they do matter. I just want to again complement donald trump for sending to the senate this outstandingly outstanding nominee, incredibly where qualified, and i dont know what the future holds. There is an election around the corner. The Democratic Party of 2020 is hellbent on changing all the tools. There will be 9 members of the court, the legislative filibuster would fall like the judicial requirement of 60 votes has fallen. Dc will become a state. Affordable care act will be replaced by some more aggressive form of socialized medicine but that is for the ballot box. Today was a process that has been in place for a couple hundred years. Advise and consent. I am proud to have supported judge barrett, the people of South Carolina would be very happy with somebody like her sitting on the court so the role of advise and consent has been around a couple hundred years. The last couple of decades, taking a sinister turn. I would imagine that our Founding Fathers would be proud of the fact that a woman is on the court. Probably not possible when it started as a nation, moving in the right direction. The thing i like about judge barrett is the constitution was a document written and the words matter and change comes when the people of the United States have a say about change, not 5 people. The most important thing we have done today is we have ensured that in the future, judge barrett, the changes people hope and dream about is not excluded. She will redirect them to the process the founders had in mind, the people making the change, not 5 justices on the Supreme Court. With that we will conclude the nominating process of judge barrett and i will end where i began, the committee did the right thing. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer and democratic members of the committee who boycotted the vote on judge barretts nomination talked to reporters