Chuck Schumer Reads Thune's Own Words As GOP Poised To Go 'Nuclear' And Gut California Law Using CRA

Forbes Breaking News

During remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke about Republicans using the Congressional Rule Act to overturn California state law.

Transcript

00:00So, 100 days into Donald Trump's presidency, America is plagued with deep problems.

00:08Donald Trump's trade war is sending prices up and up.

00:12Republicans are on the brink of taking away people's Medicaid.

00:16Trust in American leadership is in decline on the world stage.

00:22But what are Senate Republicans focusing on today?

00:24Today, Republicans are going nuclear to appease the fossil fuel industry

00:30and at the same time erode away the institution they profess to care about.

00:37First, the facts.

00:39This week, Senate Republicans want to use a measure known as the Congressional Review Act, CRA for short,

00:46to repeal three vehicle emission waivers from California.

00:51These waivers have been used for decades.

00:54And are vital for helping keep our air cleaner, our kids healthier,

00:59and to lessen our reliance on big oil.

01:02Republicans have tried to get rid of California's emission waivers for a very long time.

01:07The fossil fuel industry, which knows it is in decline,

01:11which knows that clean energy is not only the cleaner wave of the future,

01:15but the less costly wave of the future.

01:18But the fossil fuel industry hates them, hates that industry.

01:22So Donald Trump's EPA tried to rescind the last iteration of one of these waivers during his first administration.

01:30But that effort fell short in the courts.

01:33The courts rejected it.

01:35Now Republicans want to try again.

01:37This time, by using the CRA to repeal these emission waivers at a simple majority threshold.

01:44But what was made crystal clear today on the Senate floor through parliamentary inquiries I made to the parliamentarian,

01:53that the Senate parliamentarian has advised both sides, Democrats and Republicans,

01:58that legislation to overturn these waivers does not, does not qualify for expedited consideration under the Congressional Review Act.

02:09That means any legislation to repeal these waivers should be subject to a 60-vote threshold in the Senate.

02:18The Senate parliamentarian, as we know, plays a vital role in keeping this institution whole.

02:26It's thankless work.

02:28The parliamentarian's advice and judgment on rules and procedures of this institution is indispensable to both parties.

02:37So Republicans face a choice.

02:38Do they adhere to Senate precedent, as they've claimed, long claimed to do, and find another way to pass their repeal?

02:48Or are they going to plow ahead, overrule the parliamentarian, do the bidding of big oil, and eat away,

02:56further eat away at the Senate in the process?

02:59Well, today we have our answer.

03:03Senate Republicans are going nuclear.

03:07Let's be very clear.

03:09To override the parliamentarian, and to use the CRA in the ways the Republicans propose,

03:16is going nuclear, no ifs, ands, or buts.

03:21And don't take my word for it.

03:23Let me read a quote from Leader Thune, from just a few months ago.

03:29When he was asked if he'd advise his party against moving to override the parliamentarian,

03:35Leader Thune said this, quote,

03:36quote, yeah, and that's totally akin to killing the filibuster.

03:41We can't go there.

03:42People need to understand that.

03:44Again, Leader Thune himself said overruling the parliamentarian is akin to killing the filibuster,

03:52and that is just what the Republicans are proposing to do today.

03:56Just yesterday, Leader Thune admitted that this step could, quote,

04:02create a precedent for the future.

04:05And what an awful precedent.

04:07And in his first address as Republican leader, Leader Thune stood right here in the chamber.

04:13I sat and listened and promised that, quote,

04:17one of my priorities as leader will be to ensure that the Senate stays the Senate.

04:23Unquote.

04:24Well, what happened to all of that?

04:27What happened to all the preaching we hear from the other side about norms and rules and precedent?

04:33Apparently, when the rules suit them, Republicans will preach about protecting precedent.

04:40But now that the rules are inconvenient, when they stand in the way of their ideological goals,

04:46Republicans say, away with them.

04:49Shameful.

04:51Shameful.

04:52Republicans don't need to take the Senate down this road.

04:56They have other alternatives at their disposal.

04:59If they want to repeal these waivers, bring legislation to the floor.

05:03Have a debate.

05:05There's nothing that prohibits that.

05:08That's what should be done in the kind of regular order our Senate Republicans professed

05:13they were going to restore when they got here.

05:15When they got the majority here in January.

05:19Make no mistake.

05:21This is not a narrow assertion of congressional authority, as Leader Thune claimed it was.

05:28Today, Republicans set a new precedent that cannot likely be reversed.

05:33Moving forward, congressional review acts will be weaponized like never before.

05:38Today, it's all about California emission waivers.

05:42Tomorrow, the CRA could now be used to erase any policy from an agency that the Trump administration

05:48doesn't like at a simple majority threshold.

05:51They could go after permits for oil and gas drilling.

05:56Some on the other side wouldn't like that.

05:58They could eliminate health care innovation waivers that states use to get care to people through Medicaid and ACA.

06:07They could even use the CRAs to make it even harder to form a union.

06:12They could go after agency actions that protect access to reproductive care,

06:18like making it harder to access the medication mefipristone.

06:21They could go after rules that protect access to reproductive care.

06:26All of this and more could now be done at a simple majority threshold with an expanded CRA.

06:35And all that would need to happen is for Donald Trump to choose an agency action or policy he doesn't like,

06:47stamp it with the label, quote, CRA, send it over to the Congress,

06:52and Republicans will bow in obeisance and repeal it at a simple majority threshold.

06:59This, in other words, is a backdoor strategy from Republicans to make Project 2025 a reality.

07:07And mark my words, many of our Republican colleagues are going to not like having to vote on CRAs that Trump wants.

07:14And we will be able to get votes on them because of what the Republicans are attempting to do today.

07:23It is the legislative branch ceding authority over to the executive if we go forward with this.

07:30And Republicans should tread carefully.

07:34What goes around comes around.

07:38If Republicans are willing to overrule the parliamentarian and hijack the CRA in a way it has never been used before,

07:44they will not like it the next time they are in the minority, that's for sure.

Category

Transcript

Recommended