Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below today regarding the Senate’s decision to modify its rules to break through repeated Republican filibusters of qualified nominees:
“The Constitution gives President Obama the responsibility to fill executive and judicial vacancies, and the Senate the responsibility to advise and consent. Senate Republicans recently have used filibusters to seize the Senate’s advice and consent function and give it to the minority party. Nothing in the Constitution provides for filibuster, and nothing in the Constitution gives the Senate minority party the right to obstruct nominees. This pattern of obstruction had to stop. I support Majority Leader Reid’s decision today to end the obstruction and put the Senate back to work for the American people.”
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