Thune: Schumer’s Show Vote Summer Quickly Turning into Show Vote Fall

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WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke on the Senate floor about the latest installment of Majority Leader Schumer's season of political show votes that is consuming valuable floor time that could be otherwise used to consider important legislation like the National Defense Authorization Act and annual appropriations bills.

Thune's remarks below (as delivered):

"Mr. President, it was another installment of Show-Vote Summer in the Senate this week.

"Really, the Senate is starting to feel like an arm of the DNC.

"I say show votes, Mr. President, because of course this week's vote - and the other show votes we've taken this summer - had nothing at all to do with legislating.

"These were not attempts to pass bills.

"These were future campaign talking points and television commercials.

"Had the Democrat leader really wanted to pass legislation, I can think of a number of bills he would have brought up.

"But he isn't actually interested in getting anything done.

"He's interested in - he hopes - getting votes in November.

"Now, Mr. President, with rare exceptions, the Senate has spent essentially the entire summer confirming Biden nominees and conducting show votes.

"And that's not because there hasn't been important legislation for us to take up.

"In fact, it's quite the opposite.

"The Senate has crucial legislation it should have been considering.

"The National Defense Authorization Act, for one thing - one of the most important pieces of legislation we consider each year.

"Defense appropriations.

"Veterans appropriations.

"All appropriations.

"The end of the fiscal year is almost upon us - we have 11 days left - and yet we haven't taken up a single appropriations bill on the Senate floor.

"And that's not because the Appropriations Committee hasn't been doing its work.

"Again, quite the opposite.

"By the beginning of August, the Senate Appropriations Committee had passed 11 out of the 12 yearly appropriations bills - several of them unanimously.

"Just yesterday, Senator Collins, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, was on the floor urging the Democrat leader to take action on the appropriations bills.

"There is zero reason why we shouldn't have taken up these bills on the Senate floor.

"And the only reason we haven't is because the Democrat leader has been more interested in scoring political points than in doing the job we were all sent here to do.

"I hope these hypothetical political points were worth the costs to our military that come with continuing resolutions - which is what we are going to be forced to resort to now to keep the government running.

"Mr. President, in a properly functioning Senate, committee work would be reflected on the Senate floor - for example, by taking up the appropriations bills a committee has produced.

"But in the Schumer Senate, leadership is top-down.

"And so the actual work of the Senate - and the hard work of the committees - has taken a back seat to the Democrat leader's political machinations.

"As I said, he's currently ignoring the National Defense Authorization Act and 11 appropriations bills, all passed out of the committee.

"All available for floor consideration, in some cases for months.

"He's ignored some of those bills for months.

"And in addition to ignoring committee work, the Democrat leader is also happy to interfere with - or go around - committees when it suits him.

"The Commerce Committee's final release of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill was delayed for months because the Democrat leader objected to an amendment that was likely to pass in committee on a bipartisan basis.

"Rather than letting the democratic process play out, the Democrat leader chose to call a halt to committee consideration of the bill, bringing the Commerce Committee's work to a standstill literally for months.

"And while he did finally allow the Senate to take up the bill, we passed the bill a total of eight months after the previous reauthorization had expired - again, solely because the Democrat leader didn't like an amendment that was likely to pass with bipartisan support.

"I was not surprised to learn last week that the leader may proceed right to an informal conference on the National Defense Authorization Act, bypassing consideration of the Senate version of the bill on the floor of the United States Senate.

"Again, one of the most consequential pieces of legislation that we do on an annual basis, and which should have allowed to have every member have a voice through an amendment process on the floor.

"But he's made it very clear that member input is not one of his priorities.

"And as if the Senate weren't dysfunctional enough, if Democrats win the majority the Democrat leader intends to destroy perhaps the most important Senate rule we have, the Senate filibuster - permanently diminishing, if not eliminating, any meaningful voice for the minority in the United States Senate.

"Which is what this institution was created to represent.

"Mr. President, my great hope is to see a properly functioning Senate again.

"One where, for starters, we actually take up each year's appropriations bills after they come out of the committee.

"I want to see a Senate where committee work is recognized and serves as the basis for the floor schedule, and where committee chairmen are empowered.

"A Senate where members have the opportunity to have their voices heard through a robust amendment process, from committee to final consideration here on the floor of the Senate.

"And a Senate where the role the Senate plays in the legislative branch is respected and protected - starting with safeguarding the filibuster rule, which helps preserve the Senate's role as the, as the Founders said, 'cooling saucer of democracy.'

"I don't have much hope that we'll see this type of Senate if Democrats are reelected and the current Democrat leader continues in his role.

"But it's the kind of Senate that I will continue to work for, and that I hope a majority of senators aspire to.

"In the meantime, I guess we'll continue with the Democrat leader's show votes.

"Mr. President, I yield the floor."

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