Johanns: Reid's action Muzzles Voices of Nebraskans in Senate

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) today said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s decision to change Senate rules on certain nominations, a move commonly referred to as the “nuclear option,” shuts out the voices of Americans represented by the minority party. The action is widely recognized as an effort to change the national conversation about the failures of Obamacare.

“Senator Reid’s action bears striking resemblance to another action taken by his party – the passage of Obamacare,” Johanns said. “Both were forced through on a party-line vote and both trampled the opinions of every American represented by the Senate minority. We’ve already seen the consequences of Obamacare and, mark my words, Sen. Reid’s actions will carry disastrous consequences as well.
“We’re talking about lifetime appointments to the bench, and this change will allow the most radical of nominees to be confirmed. This is about Senate Democrats issuing a gag order on the voices of the minority, just to direct attention away from the disastrous health care law.”
Reid’s action allows the Senate to confirm presidential nominations, regardless of how controversial or how much time has been allowed to review their qualifications, without any input from the minority. Reid promised in July that he would not change Senate rules to allow a simple majority vote to confirm judicial nominations.
Despite Reid’s claims that Republicans are obstructing the Senate’s role of advice and consent, the Obama Administration has enjoyed a 99 percent confirmation rate of lower court justices. This year, the Senate has confirmed 38 lower court nominations, compared with only 14 confirmations at this time during the fifth year of the George W. Bush Administration.