[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 132 (Monday, July 27, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S4491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               FILIBUSTER

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Former Vice President Biden and Minority Leader Schumer 
have indicated a willingness to end the so-called filibuster if 
Democrats gain a majority in the U.S. Senate after this year's 
election.
  Meanwhile, Democrats used the same rule to prevent even taking up 
Senator Scott's very thoughtful police reform legislation. The rule in 
question is the cloture rule, which brings debate and amendments to a 
close so we can get to the finality of a bill. What Democrats blocked 
was ending debate on proceeding to police reform and starting to 
consider any amendments that wanted to be offered, but it would have 
taken yet another cloture vote to get to final passage.
  The cloture rule ensures that no police reform bill could be passed 
by the U.S. Senate unless at least 60 Senators were satisfied with the 
outcome of the amendment process. In other words, it guarantees that 
the concerns of the minority party--whether that be Republican or 
Democrat--would have to be addressed. There was no excuse for 
preventing the Senate from even beginning the legislative process on 
this extremely important and timely issue of police reform.
  There is also no excuse for Democrats who claimed to oppose the 60-
vote requirement to cut off debate on principle when they were last in 
the majority, who then immediately began using cloture to block bills 
that had majority support when they lost their majority, and who still 
continue to use cloture to block progress on important issues today, 
but who now fully admit that they will change the Senate institution--
the protection for the minority--if it suits their partisan purpose in 
the future.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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