Continuing Appropriations Act, 20201 and Other Extensions Act--

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to discuss the President's historic choice for the U.S. Supreme Court. The President has nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. She would fill the vacancy left by the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

This is a powerful and positive appointment by President Trump. Judge Barrett is a brilliant jurist. She has a stellar record, and she has a solid character. She will serve as a role model for an entire generation in the legal profession.

She has already been vetted by the Senate. She was vetted and received bipartisan support when she was confirmed 3 years ago to her current court position. Well, that is the definition of ``highly qualified.''

She embodies the qualities the American people want in a Justice. Now, the American people want fair Justices. They want Justices who know that their job is to apply the law, not legislate from the bench.

That is what people in my home State of Wyoming talked about this past weekend, when I was visiting at home with the people of Wyoming. They want Judge Barrett, and she is committed, through her time in the legal profession and on the bench, to these very values.

So here in the Senate, in this body, we have a job to do, and it is to offer advice and consent.

We will hold fair hearings, and we will hold a timely floor vote on Judge Barrett's nomination.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle don't seem to feel the same way about this process. In fact, they have already announced their opposition to the nominee--regardless of how qualified this nominee is who is before us, regardless of the vacancy that exists on the Court, regardless of the spectacle that the American people saw 2 years ago with the confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh.

The Senate minority leader has made his position clear. He appears to be so disturbed by the prospect of a constitutional jurist on the bench that he is willing to upend the core institutions of our Nation.

The Democratic Senators are calling on their colleagues to pack the Court--to add two more liberal, activist Justices to the Supreme Court.

One Senator tweeted about it this weekend. That is, of course, what they plan to do if they win the White House, the House, and the Senate in the November elections. Now, this would deliver partisan decisions that make law but don't apply the law.

Now, for Vice President Biden in the Presidential debate last night, he refused to answer a specific, direct question about this very topic. He refused to reject a position that Democrats are holding that is highly unpopular and highly divisive.

And now adding members to the Supreme Court--you know who said that was a bad idea? Well, it was Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She said nine members is the right number; that it works. People shouldn't try to add to that. It would be seen as partisan, political. And, of course, that number has been in place since 1869.

Last year, in an interview, she said that nine was the right number. So this isn't something she said a long time ago. It was just last year in an interview with National Public Radio.

Democrats aren't going to listen to her. Senior Democrats appear determined to remake the Senate and destroy the Supreme Court in the process.

The radical left sees Judge Barrett simply as collateral damage. She is an obstacle to be overcome, no matter the cost. That is why she is being attacked for her faith--for being an active member of her church, for participating fully.

She is being attacked as a mother, being attacked for her religious beliefs. The far left, in their haste to attack the judge, never mention that she has seven children. Now, two of those seven children were adopted from Haiti. One of her children has special needs. Judge Barrett is a full-time caregiver, as well as a public servant. She understands the importance of healthcare. She understands how precious life is. She is an outstanding nominee.

Two years ago, we considered another nominee for the Supreme Court. Democrats dragged him through the mud. We witnessed a gangland character assassination. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the same thing happen again, and the far left is already demanding it.

They are demanding that mud continue to be thrown at this nominee until it sticks--something, anything to undermine her character and to undermine her credibility.

Now, I might remind my friends what the outcome of that seek-and- destroy mission was the last time. Justice Kavanaugh's family was put through the meat grinder, and Republicans stood by him. He was confirmed by the Senate and sits on the Supreme Court.

The Senate and the American people will not stand for more political gains. We will not accept the dirty tricks that the far left is going to continue to try to pull.

Chairman Lindsey Graham has promised a fair process in the Judiciary Committee. The majority leader has indicated full and fair consideration on the Senate floor. We will not yield an inch to the mob.

Let me be even clearer. If Democrats continue to smear this outstanding nominee, this mother of seven, this woman of faith, it is going to backfire on them again. They continue such stunts at their own peril.

After the Kavanaugh confirmation devolved into a circus, Democrats lost seats in the Senate, and they lost credibility with the public.

The American people expect fairness. They demand it for the highest Court in the land, and Senate Republicans will ensure it. We will ensure Judge Barrett is fairly treated. She deserves dignity and respect, and we will ensure that she is heard

Amy Coney Barrett appears to have all the qualities I look for in a Supreme Court Justice. She is a model of integrity, intelligence, and of judicial independence. She is highly qualified for the role to which she is nominated, and she will receive a fair vote in the U.S. Senate.

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