WSJ: (LTE): What if Republicans Ditch the Senate’s Rules?
By U.S. Senator Alex Padilla
I was interested to read my colleague Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R., Wyo.) endorsing the editorial board’s stance on overturning California’s legal right to set its own emissions standards (“The Senate Can End California’s EV Mandate,” Letters, May 7).
For a party so dedicated to protecting the filibuster, Republicans are going to extreme lengths to undo California’s Clean Air Act waivers. There’s a saying in Washington that holds that if you’re arguing over process, you’ve already lost. In this case, Senate Democrats have the scorecard to prove it.
Senate Republicans lost with the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office and Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, our chamber’s independent referee. But hope springs eternal, and Republicans are now considering overruling Ms. MacDonough, essentially going nuclear and throwing out the rule book in order to get their way.
Don’t take my word for it. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said earlier this year that overriding the parliamentarian would be “totally akin to killing the filibuster. We can’t go there.” If they can ignore the parliamentarian on this, why not on their tax bill? On healthcare? On the president’s latest overreach? But what happens in a Democratic majority? All bets are off.
I admire my colleague’s respect for “federalism and congressional authority.” I trust it extends to California’s ability to protect the health and well-being of our own residents, just as it does to Wyoming and its residents.
Read the full article here.