Silke Jasso
On Tuesday morning Republican members of the United States Senate Committee on Finance were left stunned when their Democratic colleagues decided to not show up for a vote.
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The committee was set to vote on Steve Mnuchin to be Treasury Secretary and Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) to be the next Health and Human Services Secretary. Their vote would then determine if both men’s confirmations would then be put to a full Senate vote.
Each Republican senator that spoke before those present expressed dismay that their Democratic colleagues had obstructed the rule of law.
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Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah.) called it a “dereliction if duty,” and seemed genuinely shocked that Senate Democrats had wasted everyones time.
“They have every right to express themselves…I don’t think anybody doubts that were going to treat them fairly,” Hatch noted.
“It really is amazingly stupid.”
JUST IN: Senate Democrats on Finance Committee move to postpone committee vote on HHS nominee Price. pic.twitter.com/TygCdaRoyQ
— Jason Calvi (@JasonCalvi) January 31, 2017
Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) expressed particular dismay that they had stopped a long held process, without even participating. Roberts noted that he had long heard complaints that politicians don’t get anything done in Washington, and that the actions of colleagues weren’t helping that case.
“That was one of the things I heard that we just didn’t get anything accomplished,” Roberts said.
“I think there is a lot of string pulling that could really harm the relationship between both of our parties. This doesn’t really do any good…but pulling on those strings.”
“I’m ready to vote, I wish they were.”
Senator John Thune (R-SD) later added that he didn’t feel his colleagues were taking their responsibilities to the public seriously.
“They are not taking the responsibilities we carry as senators seriously,” Thune said.
The members of the committee who did not show up were: Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Senator Michael Benet (D-CO), Senator Tom Carpenter (D-DE), Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Senator Debbie Stabenow (R-MI), Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), and ranking members Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR).
BREAKING: Democrats boycott Senate Finance Committee meeting on Trump's picks for Health, Treasury; demand more information.
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 31, 2017
According to the Associated Press, the Democrats wanted more information about the people they were voting on. In a chat with reporters, Senator Wyden expressed that there were questions about whether Rep Price had lied during his confirmation hearing and that they would need more time to investigate.
Earlier in the morning, President Donald Trump criticized actions Democrats had taken to slow down the confirmation hearings for his cabinet.
“When will the Democrats give us our Attorney General and rest of Cabinet! They should be ashamed of themselves! No wonder D.C. doesn’t work!” Trump tweeted.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/826391334248407040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
