Washington
As Gorsuch began a series of meetings on Capitol Hill, Trump said at the White House that if the gridlock of recent years persists in the Senate, Republicans should move to change the rules of the chamber to permit the confirmation of a Supreme Court nominee with a simple majority vote.
“I would say, ‘If you can, Mitch, go nuclear,’ ” Trump said, referring to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “Because that would be an absolute shame if a man of this quality was put up to that neglect. I would say it’s up to Mitch, but I would say, ‘Go for it.’ ”
Some Democrats are indeed pushing to block Gorsuch, citing not only Republicans’ refusal last year to move ahead with then-President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, but also their concern about the constitutionality of Trump’s travel ban for refugees and foreign nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries.
But coming on a day when some key Democratic senators from conservative states signaled openness to voting for Gorsuch, Trump’s words threw a divisive wrench into efforts to improve bipartisan relations, which have sunk to historically low levels in Congress. His comments echoed previous remarks nudging McConnell to abandon long-standing Senate rules that the Republican leader does not take lightly.
Republican leaders are hopeful they can secure the eight crossover votes they would need to overcome Democratic resistance without changing Senate rules, which can require a 60-vote majority for Supreme Court confirmations.
Many Republican senators sought to distance themselves from Trump’s talk about going nuclear.
“I don’t think it’s going to be necessary,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tex., McConnell’s top deputy.
“It’d be better to let it cool for a while,” said Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah.
Cornyn and Hatch were among the senators Gorsuch met with on his whirlwind first day. The U.S. court of appeals judge arrived on the Senate side of the Capitol accompanied by Vice President Pence and a team of aides including former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, of New Hampshire.
Sen. Joe Manchin III, W.Va., a centrist Democrat who met with Gorsuch on Wednesday, said the nuclear option is “wrong.”
“It diminishes the true balance and effectiveness of the Senate,” said Manchin, who remains open to voting for Gorsuch.
Other Democrats were more hostile to the nominee. In a speech on the Senate floor, Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., accused Gorsuch of favoring corporate interests over regular people and injecting a conservative ideology into his legal decisions.
“I have very serious doubts that Judge Neil Gorsuch is up to the job,” said Schumer, who has committed to forcing Gorsuch to clear a 60-vote procedural hurdle before getting to a final up-or-down vote.
It remains unclear whether Senate Democrats will be able to band together to stop Gorsuch.