Senator Coons: “We’ve got a lot of Senators concerned about where we’re headed”

WASHINGTON - In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today joined MSNBC's Morning Joe to discuss the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch and the failed Republican attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

"Gorsuch got what Garland didn't, which is a fair hearing. He got a full four days of hearings last week. I questioned him vigorously, some would say aggressively," said Senator Coons. "And he is a charming man, he has a good resume, he has strong qualifications in terms of his education, service on the court, but he would be, by some measures, the most conservative Justice on the Supreme Court."

"In talking to friends on both sides of the aisle, we've got a lot of Senators concerned about where we're headed. There are Republicans still very mad at us over the 2013 change to the filibuster rule," said Senator Coons. "We're mad at them for shutting down the government. We're mad at them about Gorsuch. We are not headed in the right direction. I'm very concerned about where we're headed."

Full video and audio available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcKN9GUeeH8&feature=youtu.be.

Excerpts from the interview:

Senator Coons on whether Vice President Biden could have won the presidential election: "He would have brought people together. I think Joe Biden could have spoken to the middle class anxiety that I think drove a lot of the primaries in both parties and I think he would be a terrific president. So I share that regret. One of the ways that I think Joe is going to make an enormous difference in our country is fighting cancer, as we've been talking about, cancer is a scourge that affects so many families. There's a lot of important work left to be done. In the last days of the lame duck, one of the things that we did was pass some significant funding that was named after Beau Biden, after his remarkable son, who passed too early."

Senator Coons on Judge Gorsuch: "Gorsuch got what Garland didn't, which is a fair hearing. He got a full four days of hearings last week. I questioned him vigorously, some would say aggressively. And he is a charming man, he has a good resume, he has strong qualifications in terms of his education, service on the court but he would be, by some measures, the most conservative Justice on the Supreme Court."

Senator Coons on whether Gorsuch deserves an up or down vote in the Senate: "He will get an up or down vote. Senator Schumer, our minority leader, has said it's going to be a 60-vote margin. I doubt he's going to get 60 votes. The question then becomes what do we do? There's a lot of finger pointing; a lot of Democrats justifiably still very mad about the treatment of Merrick Garland."

Senator Coons on whether he thinks Gorsuch will get 60 votes: "I don't think he's going to get 60 votes."

Senator Coons on whether Republicans are going to pass Gorsuch using the 'nuclear option:' "Almost certainly. I think this is tragic. In talking to friends on both sides of the aisle, we've got a lot of Senators concerned about where we're headed. There are Republicans still very mad at us over the 2013 change to the filibuster rule. We're mad at them for shutting down the government. We're mad at them about Gorsuch. We are not headed in the right direction. I'm very concerned about where we're headed."

Senator Coons on tax reform: "I think tax reform is going to be very hard. And, one of the things I'm finding is that we are more and more driven apart, there is less trust between the parties in Congress than there's ever been. Even in the Senate. We are different; we are structured in a different way. We have longer terms. We represent entire states. We're more insulated from the partisanship. But, we're going to have to work very hard to pull back together after the fights of the last couple of years. This is one of the areas we should be able to do it. As you point out, there's a lot of reasons why it's going to be extremely difficult. It hasn't happened since 1986 for a good reason."

Senator Coons on working with Republicans: "We are different in that Democrats want government to work. You heard Senator Schumer saying, and I would agree, if they'll put repeal off the table and sit down and talk about repairing and improving the Affordable Care Act, a lot of Democrats are eager to work on that. In fact, 15 of us sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell back in January saying we're ready to work together to find ways to improve affordable health care, to improve access, quality, and affordability. I introduced bills in the last Congress to expand tax credits for small business owners. We recognize Obamacare isn't perfect. It wasn't written by gods; it was written by people. We took a long time to write it, but it was far from perfect."

Senator Coons on a tax reform package that could unite both parties: "Yes. If we have a move towards tax reform that could strengthen manufacturing, strengthen exports, and provide tax relief to the middle class, not overwhelmingly to the wealthiest. There's a menu for us to start talking about, but tax reform generally is very difficult. If you want a border adjustment tax, everybody who is importing component parts is upset. Everybody who is exporting is happy. You get very different sectors engaged and supportive or opposing depending what the pieces are of the plan. There's a lot of work and first what we have to do is to restore trust."

Read this original document at: https://www.coons.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/video-senator-coons-weve-got-a-lot-of-senators-concerned-about-where-were-headed