Senator Schmitt, Senator Grassley, Call on Senate Republicans to Return to Regular Order in the Legislating Process in New Congress

WASHINGTON – Senator Schmitt, along with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), have written a letter to their fellow Senate Republicans, urging the Senate Republican Conference to consider returning to regular order and pushing for reforms in how the Senate debates major pieces of legislation, including the Upper Chamber’s broken amendment process:

“The role of the Senate is to serve as the world’s most deliberative body, yet, under the leadership of Sen. Schumer, the Senate has become allergic to any sort of deliberation or debate on the Senate floor. I was elected by Missourians to fight for their best interests on the Senate floor – not to sit idly by and allow must-pass legislation be crafted through backroom deal making with zero input from others. Reforming the Senate and democratizing the legislating process requires buy-in from Republicans. I’m proud to co-lead this effort with Senator Grassley, who has pushed for important reforms like the Stop Cloture Abuse Resolution and reforms to add transparency to this chamber,” said Senator Eric Schmitt.   

“Iowans at my town meetings often wonder why those of us in Washington can’t seem to get along. A lot of the dysfunction here in the Senate has to do with the slow disintegration of the deliberative process. For starters, it’s hard to get much done when the Majority Leader only calls votes for two-and-a-half days a week. And, when the Senate is voting, the debate and amendments process are extremely limited, if not totally nonexistent. Our Founders did not intend this body to act as a rubber stamp. We in the Senate ought to return to regular order and start living up to the obligations assigned to us in the Constitution,” said Senator Chuck Grassley.

The letter begins, “Often, the senatorial prerogatives of each member—to debate and to amend—are non-existent. As United States Senators, we are required to take up-or-down votes on omnibus packages, in which very few have had any input. We have no ability to amend these packages, effectively ensuring that we are unable to advocate for our principles and for the concerns that matter to our constituents.”

The letter continues, “But as of recent our deliberative body has resisted both deliberation and action. Our Congress is set to become one of the least productive sessions in American history. Since October 30 of last year, a member of this body has not been able to successfully amend another member’s bill on the floor—over seven months ago. The Senate only votes on an amendment is if it is sure to fail. The most basic tool each legislator has to forward their state’s interest has been taken away. There is now a backlog of bills, amendments, and other matters without a lever to release them in sight. Instead of fixing this issue, the Democratic leadership wastes time and money to have members fly into DC to take political show votes.”

BACKGROUND:

• Senator Grassley has been at the forefront of the fight to reform the Senate, including introducing the Stop Cloture Abuse Resolution and the Witness Sunshine Resolution. Senator Grassley has also pushed to have the Secretary of the Senate make public the amendment database.
• Senator Schmitt also has a staunch record of calling from reform and moving towards an open process.
• Senator Schmitt and Senator Grassley are specifically suggesting the following reforms come the 119^th Congress:
  1. Each Senator who wants an amendment on a given piece of legislation can make one pending. Let the body deliberate and debate on ideas. Let the cards fall where they may. Members come to the Senate expecting to take tough votes, and it is antithetical to this body to have Senators vote on something they had no opportunity to effect on the floor.
  2. The Conference should adopt a new rule that supports the right of Senators to amend legislation on the floor. As a result, this rule would have our Conference block cloture if Senators are unable to offer amendments. 
  3. The Conference should commit itself to avoiding procedures that inhibit these rights. Clearly, this entails ensuring that the amendment tree is not filled when we reclaim the majority. Further, this means committing each of us to also not reflexively objecting to amendments from our colleagues.

Read the full letter attached.