[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 147 (Wednesday, September 28, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6201-S6202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE SENIOR SENATOR FROM IOWA

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I don't know how anything could be more 
political, more repugnant to our system of government than what has 
happened with Merrick Garland.
  The senior Senator from Iowa came here, and I waited for him--came to 
the floor to talk for a long time and in the process took credit for a 
bill that was Senator Shaheen's bill. It was her bill. He took it and 
put his name on it. That was interesting. In the same setting, he 
complained that I had objected to some bills advanced by Republican 
Senators.

  I have to say that the Senator from Iowa has a lot of nerve to 
complain about our side blocking legislation. The Republican Senate has 
written the book on obstruction, filibustering 644 times in the time I 
was leader. That is a lot. It is so far out of the norm that it is not 
worth trying to be able to state more than what I did yesterday.
  Lyndon Johnson was the majority leader for 6 years. There is some 
dispute over how many filibusters he had to overcome. We know it was 
one, and some say two. So two compared to 644 shows how outrageous is 
the conduct of the Republicans. The Senator from Iowa has written the 
book on obstruction of nominations. He singlehandedly blocked Judge 
Garland's nomination, and doing so is unprecedented. Never has a 
Judiciary Committee acted in this manner.
  To use Senator Grassley's own words, Senator Grassley's action is 
``pure, unfiltered partisanship. It is election-year politics at its 
very worst.'' That was a quote from my friend, Senator Grassley. If the 
senior Senator from Iowa is looking for pure, unfiltered partisanship, 
the next time he combs his hair or shaves, he should look in the 
mirror.
  I yield the floor.

[[Page S6202]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.

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