GOP razes Senate rules to install Gorsuch
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Senate voted to trigger the “nuclear option,” changing the long-held rules of the Senate requiring 60 votes to confirm a Supreme Court nominee. The rule change will allow Republicans to confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch with a simple majority.
Friends of the Earth Senior Political Strategist Ben Schreiber issued the following statement:
Today, Senate leadership launched another attack in its war against our environment. Senate Republicans will do anything they can to build an activist Supreme Court that will undermine environmental protections. They broke longstanding Senate rules to ram through an extremist nominee for a stolen Supreme Court seat.
Neil Gorsuch is a right-wing zealot whose placement on the Supreme Court threatens our planet, our civil rights, and the foundations of our democracy. The actions taken today by the Republicans will have a devastating impact on our environment for years to come.
Senate Republicans put us on this path when they hijacked the confirmation process for President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland and usurped President Obama’s constitutional power. Our members will hold Congress accountable for politicizing our courts and working against the will of the American people.
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Expert contact: Ben Schreiber, (202) 222-0752, [email protected]
Communications contact: Erin Jensen, (202) 222-0722, [email protected]