Dem Sen Coons: ‘Precious Little’ Dems Can Do Procedurally to Block SCOTUS Pick

On Monday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) stated that there is “precious little” Democrats can do on the procedural level to block whoever President Trump nominates for the Supreme Court.

Coons began by saying that he doesn’t think the Senate should be considering Trump’s nominee given the 2018 election is a few months away.

Coons later added, “Well, there’s precious little that we procedurally can do. If the Republicans are willing to change the rules of the Senate, as they demonstrated they are. In changing the majority threshold required at the fight over now Justice Gorsuch, they changed the rules on filibuster margins. We could pull something that would last a day or two. But if they’re willing to change the rules, there’s very little we can do with just 49 members that would prevent them from moving ahead with a confirmation.”

He continued, “So what I’m doing, and what I expect my colleagues to do, is to remind our viewers and our constituents just how important this is, to ask them to speak up and express their opinion to their senators, and to remind folks that elections have consequences. And if you don’t like the ways that this new justice is going to impact everything from reproductive rights and health care — the pre-existing condition protections, to labor rights, and voting rights, speak up, get active and vote. That’s, frankly, our best tool.”

(h/t Grabien)

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett