Springfield Standard

Senators Eric Schmitt and Chuck Grassley have called on their fellow Senate Republicans to return to regular order in the legislative process. In a letter addressed to the Senate Republican Conference, they urged for reforms in how major pieces of legislation are debated, particularly criticizing the current amendment process.

"The role of the Senate is to serve as the world’s most deliberative body, yet, under the leadership of Sen. Schumer, the Senate has become allergic to any sort of deliberation or debate on the Senate floor," stated Senator Schmitt. He emphasized that he was elected by Missourians to advocate for their interests on the Senate floor and not allow legislation to be crafted through backroom deals without input from others. "Reforming the Senate and democratizing the legislating process requires buy-in from Republicans. I’m proud to co-lead this effort with Senator Grassley," he added.

Senator Grassley echoed these sentiments, highlighting concerns raised by his constituents about dysfunction in Washington. "A lot of the dysfunction here in the Senate has to do with the slow disintegration of the deliberative process," he said. He pointed out that it is challenging to accomplish much when votes are only held for two-and-a-half days a week and when debate and amendments are extremely limited or nonexistent. "Our Founders did not intend this body to act as a rubber stamp," he asserted.

The letter criticizes how senatorial prerogatives like debating and amending are often non-existent, forcing Senators into up-or-down votes on omnibus packages with little input. It also points out that no member has successfully amended another member's bill on the floor since October 30 of last year, indicating a significant backlog of bills and amendments without any resolution in sight.

Senator Grassley has been at the forefront of efforts to reform Senate procedures, introducing measures such as the Stop Cloture Abuse Resolution and advocating for transparency regarding amendments. Both Senators propose specific reforms for consideration in the 119th Congress:

1. Allow each Senator who wants an amendment on a given piece of legislation to make one pending.

2. Adopt a new rule supporting Senators' rights to amend legislation on the floor.

3. Commit to avoiding procedures that inhibit these rights, including ensuring that amendment trees are not filled when reclaiming majority control.

They argue that these steps will restore deliberation and debate within what is intended as a highly deliberative legislative body.