Senate Democrats on Thursday announced plans to force a vote on reversing the Trump administration’s new emissions standards for existing coal-fired electric plants.
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said they would use an obscure procedural move to force the vote and spotlight how the GOP-led chamber is blocking the Democrats’ agenda.
He said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, had turned the upper chamber into “a legislative graveyard for priorities of the American people.”
“For months, Senator McConnell and Senate Republicans have shunned vital proposals to improve American’s lives, including those to address the climate crisis and gun violence epidemic, save protections for people with pre-existing conditions, secure our elections, get big special interest money out of politics and more,” said Mr. Schumer, New York Democrat. “Senate Democrats will not sit around and wait for Senator McConnell to finally wake up and take action.”
Mr. Schumer stressed that Senate Republicans began blocking the legislation from the Democrat-run House long before the impeachment inquiry targeting President Trump. Capitol Hill Democrats are increasingly sensitive to the impression that their obsession with impeachment is crowding out legislative priorities.
The vote to reverse the Environmental Protection Agency’s new Affordable Clean Energy Rule will be the first in a series of votes the Senate Democrats will force to challenge Trump administration policies.
The new rule replaces the stricter Clean Energy Plan implemented by President Barack Obama. A coalition of 22 states and seven cities, most of which are led by Democrats, have sued to stop the new rule and the fight is expected to end up in the Supreme Court.
Senate Democrats plan to force votes this month on resolutions to reverse several Trump administration rules including the ending of deductions for State and Local Taxes (SALT) under the Trump tax cuts.
They are forcing the votes under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to review and overturn rules implemented by the executive branch. The act only requires a simple majority to pass the resolution and can be placed on the Senate calendar and scheduled for a vote with 30 members’ signatures.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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