Utah Senator Mike Lee has sent a letter to Republican offices outlining suggested actions for his successor Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Warning his colleagues that “the health of the Republican Party and the future of the Republic are at stake.”
Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas; John Thune, R.S.D. and Rick Scott, R-Fla., are among those attending Take over McConnell’s leadership role The 82-year-old had announced in February that he would step down in November.
“The best way to help lower the temperature of our politics and restore public confidence in our institutions is to ensure that people have more say in the laws that govern their lives,” Lee wrote in his letter. ” Obtained by Politico. “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do this with the upcoming election for our Senate Republican leadership.”
He said, “This is our moment to reaffirm and strengthen the Senate’s greatest attributes and to set a new course for our conference.” “I am confident that with the right leadership and commitment to these reforms, we can create a stronger, more accountable Senate that will truly serve the people.”
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Utah Senator Mike Lee, left, writes a letter to colleagues before Mitch McConnell stepped down from his position as Senate Republican leader. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein/AP/Mariam Zuhaib)
In his letter, Lee outlined three reforms that he says should “guide” Senate Republicans’ approach going forward.
He called for more time for debate and deliberation, writing that “We all know how much pressure comes with last-minute votes on massive spending bills that arrive on our desks just hours before the deadline.” are left on” and “This is not the way the Senate should work.”
“First, at the beginning of each year, the Republican Floor Leader must propose a structured process and floor schedule for considering appropriations legislation, just as the Leader publishes a calendar of days in session at the beginning of each year,” Lee said. “Second, when omnibus spending bills are considered, we must ensure at least four weeks for debate and amendments on them.”
Lee also said, “We must be strategic in promoting the conservative values that our voters elected us to champion” and “Currently, the legislation being passed is largely shaped by the progressive priorities of the Democratic Party. ”
“First, we should ask our new floor leader to propose policy goals at the beginning of each year, to be approved by conference,” he said. “Second, in addition to laying out general policy goals, the leader must offer specific strategies to achieve Republican victories with respect to legislation that must be passed.”
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arrives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the war effort against Russia on September 26. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
Lee continued, “Third, the Republican floor leader and whips should only vote for or against a bill or nominee with the support of a majority of the conference.” “Most of all, it will prevent Republican leadership from having to scramble for legislation that advances Democrat priorities, as happens from time to time when passing legislation is up against a critical deadline.”
Furthermore, Lee told his colleagues: “One of the fundamental issues we face is that our current processes are excluding the people we represent. Most Americans would be shocked to learn that their senators often (Amendment) has become common in recent years. Since Senator Harry Reid began centralizing the process in the early 2010s, most senators For bills to be kept out of the legislative process.”
senate Filling the amendment tree is described as “a process by which a certain number and types of amendments are introduced under the example of the Senate” and “once these amendments have been introduced and the ‘tree is filled’ no further amendments can be made. is not allowed.”
This is a process that the Congressional Research Service says the majority leader can use to “freeze” the amendment process and prevent additional floor amendments.
Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, joins House Freedom Caucus members for a press conference on the national debt ceiling at the U.S. Capitol in Washington in March 2023. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
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Lee wrote that “a simple, additional improvement” to this process could require “three-quarters of our conference to agree before we can fill out the tree.”
