Congressman Sires’ Statement on Senate Leader McConnell’s Stance on Supreme Court Confirmation Vote

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congressman Albio Sires (D-NJ)released the following statement after Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) stated that the President’s nominee for the seat would receive a vote:

“In 2016, Senate Leader McConnell refused to hold a vote on President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court after the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia. He argued that, because it was an election year, a confirmation vote shouldn’t be held until after the election so that the American people could have a voice in the selection of the next Supreme Court Justice. He made that statement on February 16, 2016, more than six months before the 2016 election. On Friday night, as our nation was rocked by the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and as early voting for the November election was already underway in some states, McConnell released a statement saying that President Trump’s nominee would receive a vote in the Senate.This decision is hypocritical, breaks with McConnell’s own past precedent, and makes it clear that he has a different set of rules for a Republican President versus a Democratic President. Due to the 2016 precedent, I strongly believe that no confirmation vote should occur until the 117^th Congress begins.”

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