Schumer vows abortion law vote, but not filibuster changes

Mr President. This is *** dark and disturbing morning for America. Last night, *** report disclosed that *** conservative majority of the United States Supreme Court is ready to overturn roe v wade and uproot decades of precedent. Affirming *** woman's right to an abortion if this report is accurate, the Supreme Court is poised to inflict The greatest restriction of rights in the past 50 years, not just on women but on all americans. Under this decision, our Children will have less rights than their parents. The Republican appointed justices reported votes to overturn Roe V wade will go down as an abomination, one of the worst, most damaging decisions in modern history. Several of these conservative justices who are in no way accountable to the american people have lied to the U. S. Senate, ripped up the constitution and defiled both President and the Supreme Court's reputation all at the expense of 10s of millions of women who could soon be stripped of their bodily autonomy and the constitutional rights they've relied on for over half *** century. The party of Lincoln and Eisenhower has now completely devolved into the party of trump every Republican senator who supported Senator McConnell and voted for trump justices pretending that this day would never come, will now have to explain themselves to the american people. I'll have more to say later this morning, But I want to make three things clear first, now that the court is poised to strike down roe. It is my intention for the Senate to hold *** vote on legislation to codify the right to an abortion in law. Second, *** vote on this legislation is not an abstract exercise. This is as urgent and real as it gets. We will vote to protect *** woman's right to choose. And every american is going to see which side every senator stands. Every american is going to see on which side every senator stands. Third to the american people. I say this the elections this november will have consequences because the rights of 100 million women are now on the ballot to help fight this court's awful decision. I urge every american to make their voices heard this week and this year, I urge americans to call their members to write their members, to email their members, to text their members and most of all to cast their ballots. Make no mistake. The blame for this decision falls squarely on republican senators and the senate republicans as *** whole, who spent years Pushent extremist judges spent years confirming three far right justices to the Supreme Court, but who claimed somehow this day would never come. But this day has come and we will fight it all the way. I yield the floor

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer angrily denounced as an "abomination" the Supreme Court's leaked draft decision that would overturn the nation's landmark Roe v. Wade ruling and vowed that if it stands the Senate will vote on legislation to uphold women's access to abortions.Schumer said the conservative justices "lied" to the Senate during confirmation hearings when they assured senators the case that since 1973 has allowed abortion access was settled law. He said with the draft opinion circulating, "the Supreme Court is poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past 50 years — not just on women, but on all Americans.""This is a dark and disturbing morning in America," Schumer said as he opened the Senate on Tuesday.But the Democratic leader stopped short of promising to change Senate filibuster rules to allow Democrats to overcome Republican obstruction and pass legislation that would salvage the landmark abortion law on their own, as some party advocates are demanding.Schumer does not have the votes within the Democrats' razor-thin 50-vote majority to muscle through a rules change in the Senate that would allow Democrats to push past what is typically a 60-vote threshold on big bills.Instead, the Democrats shifted attention swiftly and intently on the chamber's two most prominent Republicans who support abortion access — Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Both had refused to help Democrats stop confirmation of the Trump-era judges who tipped the Supreme Court's majority to conservatives and are now putting the landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling at risk.Murkowski told reporters on Capitol Hill that if the direction of the draft becomes the final opinion, "I will just tell you that it rocks my confidence in the court right now."Murkowski and Collins introduced legislation earlier this year to turn the court's longstanding opinion on Roe v. Wade into law and President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged Congress to do just that.Passing an abortion access bill through the Senate remains a political longshot, especially under the rapid timeline that would be needed before the Supreme Court issues its final decisions in June. Such legislation would most likely require the 60-vote threshold and there are not enough Republicans publicly willing to join Murkowski, Collins and the Democrats to preserve Americans' access to abortion services.Collins in a morning statement pointed blame back to the justices themselves, personally singling out two of the three Trump-era judges, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, she had supported for confirmation.The Maine Republican said if the leaked draft opinion on abortion becomes the ruling of the court, "it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office."Even though Collins told reporters Tuesday her bill with Murkowski to put Roe v. Wade into law could have broader support, so far, there are not the number of Republicans needed to boost it to passage.As stark warnings of an end to Roe v. Wade become the potential new normal in the U.S., the political fallout in Congress is certain to be far-reaching and complicated, a gripping new phase in the partisan fights over abortion access, religious liberties and the fundamental aspects of women's reproductive health..The Republican senators in particular, who helped turn the court into a solid 6-3 conservative majority, face deep scrutiny over their public beliefs at the time and the reality now confronting the country.Collins helped confirm both of those nominees, though she did not vote for Justice Amy Coney Barrett because the nomination came so close to the 2020 election, when the presidency was being decided and she also faced a stiff reelection race.Murkowski, who is up for reelection this year, did not vote for Kavanaugh after his explosive confirmation hearings over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman acquaintance during high school. She did give her support to Gorsuch and Barrett.Other Republican senators slammed the unusual leak of the high-profile draft opinion as an attempt to bully the court.The Republican leader Mitch McConnell complained about "unhinged" Democratic rhetoric and said the leak should be "investigated and punished to the fullest extent of the law." Chief Justice John Roberts, confirming the authenticity of the leaked draft opinion, on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the leak.One pivotal Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who talks frequently with McConnell, declined to weigh into the debate — or whether he would be willing to rethink his opposition to changing filibuster rules. He has been a holdout denying Democrats of the 51 votes needed to change the rules."Let's wait to see everything," Manchin said.But Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., countered McConnell and the other Republicans who want to go after the leak. "What should be investigated and prosecuted is the fact that people who were nominated to the Supreme Court stood up and said they believed in the rule of law and precedent, and then at first opportunity, changed direction by 180 degrees and are going for a full repeal of Roe," said Warren, a former Harvard law professor.Schumer said Republican senators will have to answer to voters in this fall's election — signaling the Democrats prefer to fight the issue on the campaign trail than in Congress.Schumer said "the blame for this decision falls squarely on Republican senators" who voted to confirm justices that solidified the court's conservative majority.Conservatives have been focused for years working behind the scenes to undo the nation's 1973 abortion law, and Republican senators made judicial nominations their top priority during Donald Trump's time in the White House.Trump was able to nominate and have the Senate confirm three justices, engineering a wholesale revamping of the high court, now with a solid conservative 6-3 majority.As GOP leader, McConnell stunned Washington at the start of the 2016 presidential campaign season when he refused to allow the Senate to consider then-president Barack Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland, for a high court vacancy, holding the position open until Trump won election to become president that fall.McConnell then marshalled into place a Senate rules change to enable Republicans to bypass a Democratic filibuster and approve Supreme Court nominees on a simple 51-vote threshold — going further than Democrats had done on their own earlier rules change to allow majority confirmation of lower-level posts.Late Monday, a draft of the court's majority decision was leaked and reported showing the majority's intent to overturn the abortion law. It is unclear if the draft circulating will be the court's final decision on the case, which is expected by late June.A decision to overrule Roe would lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. Crowds gathered overnight at the Supreme Court, which sits across the street from the U.S. Capitol and can be seen from the House and Senate.___Associated Press videojournalists Padmananda Rama and Rick Gentilo and writers Farnoush Amiri, Kevin Freking, Alan Fram and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON —

Schumer said the conservative justices "lied" to the Senate during confirmation hearings when they assured senators the case that since 1973 has allowed abortion access was settled law. He said with the draft opinion circulating, "the Supreme Court is poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past 50 years — not just on women, but on all Americans."

"This is a dark and disturbing morning in America," Schumer said as he opened the Senate on Tuesday.

But the Democratic leader stopped short of promising to change Senate filibuster rules to allow Democrats to overcome Republican obstruction and pass legislation that would salvage the landmark abortion law on their own, as some party advocates are demanding.

Schumer does not have the votes within the Democrats' razor-thin 50-vote majority to muscle through a rules change in the Senate that would allow Democrats to push past what is typically a 60-vote threshold on big bills.

Instead, the Democrats shifted attention swiftly and intently on the chamber's two most prominent Republicans who support abortion access — Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Both had refused to help Democrats stop confirmation of the Trump-era judges who tipped the Supreme Court's majority to conservatives and are now putting the landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling at risk.

Murkowski told reporters on Capitol Hill that if the direction of the draft becomes the final opinion, "I will just tell you that it rocks my confidence in the court right now."

Murkowski and Collins introduced legislation earlier this year to turn the court's longstanding opinion on Roe v. Wade into law and President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged Congress to do just that.

Passing an abortion access bill through the Senate remains a political longshot, especially under the rapid timeline that would be needed before the Supreme Court issues its final decisions in June. Such legislation would most likely require the 60-vote threshold and there are not enough Republicans publicly willing to join Murkowski, Collins and the Democrats to preserve Americans' access to abortion services.

Collins in a morning statement pointed blame back to the justices themselves, personally singling out two of the three Trump-era judges, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, she had supported for confirmation.

The Maine Republican said if the leaked draft opinion on abortion becomes the ruling of the court, "it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office."

Even though Collins told reporters Tuesday her bill with Murkowski to put Roe v. Wade into law could have broader support, so far, there are not the number of Republicans needed to boost it to passage.

As stark warnings of an end to Roe v. Wade become the potential new normal in the U.S., the political fallout in Congress is certain to be far-reaching and complicated, a gripping new phase in the partisan fights over abortion access, religious liberties and the fundamental aspects of women's reproductive health..

The Republican senators in particular, who helped turn the court into a solid 6-3 conservative majority, face deep scrutiny over their public beliefs at the time and the reality now confronting the country.

Collins helped confirm both of those nominees, though she did not vote for Justice Amy Coney Barrett because the nomination came so close to the 2020 election, when the presidency was being decided and she also faced a stiff reelection race.

Murkowski, who is up for reelection this year, did not vote for Kavanaugh after his explosive confirmation hearings over allegations he sexually assaulted a woman acquaintance during high school. She did give her support to Gorsuch and Barrett.

Other Republican senators slammed the unusual leak of the high-profile draft opinion as an attempt to bully the court.

The Republican leader Mitch McConnell complained about "unhinged" Democratic rhetoric and said the leak should be "investigated and punished to the fullest extent of the law." Chief Justice John Roberts, confirming the authenticity of the leaked draft opinion, on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the leak.

One pivotal Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who talks frequently with McConnell, declined to weigh into the debate — or whether he would be willing to rethink his opposition to changing filibuster rules. He has been a holdout denying Democrats of the 51 votes needed to change the rules.

"Let's wait to see everything," Manchin said.

But Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., countered McConnell and the other Republicans who want to go after the leak. "What should be investigated and prosecuted is the fact that people who were nominated to the Supreme Court stood up and said they believed in the rule of law and precedent, and then at first opportunity, changed direction by 180 degrees and are going for a full repeal of Roe," said Warren, a former Harvard law professor.

Schumer said Republican senators will have to answer to voters in this fall's election — signaling the Democrats prefer to fight the issue on the campaign trail than in Congress.

Schumer said "the blame for this decision falls squarely on Republican senators" who voted to confirm justices that solidified the court's conservative majority.

Conservatives have been focused for years working behind the scenes to undo the nation's 1973 abortion law, and Republican senators made judicial nominations their top priority during Donald Trump's time in the White House.

Trump was able to nominate and have the Senate confirm three justices, engineering a wholesale revamping of the high court, now with a solid conservative 6-3 majority.

As GOP leader, McConnell stunned Washington at the start of the 2016 presidential campaign season when he refused to allow the Senate to consider then-president Barack Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland, for a high court vacancy, holding the position open until Trump won election to become president that fall.

McConnell then marshalled into place a Senate rules change to enable Republicans to bypass a Democratic filibuster and approve Supreme Court nominees on a simple 51-vote threshold — going further than Democrats had done on their own earlier rules change to allow majority confirmation of lower-level posts.

Late Monday, a draft of the court's majority decision was leaked and reported showing the majority's intent to overturn the abortion law. It is unclear if the draft circulating will be the court's final decision on the case, which is expected by late June.

A decision to overrule Roe would lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. Crowds gathered overnight at the Supreme Court, which sits across the street from the U.S. Capitol and can be seen from the House and Senate.

___

Associated Press videojournalists Padmananda Rama and Rick Gentilo and writers Farnoush Amiri, Kevin Freking, Alan Fram and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

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