Request for Authority for Committee to Meet

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Over 90 percent of Judge Kavanaugh's record has not been received by the Senate and may never be. What has been delivered to the committee was prescreened by a Republican lawyer, with no guidelines as to what we were receiving and what we were not. It is just whatever entered his whim. Of that small subset of prescreened documents--less than 10 percent of Judge Kavanaugh's full record--Chairman Grassley is prohibiting large segments from being shared with the public, without explanation.

Republicans are trying to jam through, with as little scrutiny as possible, a lifetime appointment to the Nation's highest Court, with the power to affect the lives of Americans for a generation. That is why it is so important for the Senate and the public to review the nominee's record--because healthcare, a woman's freedom to make medical decisions, civil rights, voting rights, and marriage equality all hang in the balance. The Republican majority is deliberately obstructing the Senate's constitutional duty to fairly and thoroughly conduct our advice and consent powers.

As a result, we will not consent to business as usual on the Senate floor today. This means the Senate will adjourn for the day after my two colleagues finish speaking.

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