Austin News

June 5, 2024

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) today criticized Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's legislative schedule, which includes only nine in-session weeks before the upcoming election. Cornyn expressed his concerns on the Senate floor, emphasizing what he perceives as a lack of productivity and focus on partisan issues.

"Under Democratic control, the Senate has turned into an unproductive body that follows a schedule that most American workers would envy," said Cornyn. He noted that "including this week – which is almost finished – the Senate’s only scheduled to be in session for nine weeks before the election."

Cornyn highlighted the proximity of Election Day, stating, "Election day is exactly five months away, and the Senate is not breaking any records for our productivity or our willingness to take on hard problems that seem to surround us everywhere."

He also criticized Schumer's decision to schedule a vote on contraception, arguing it was unnecessary and politically motivated. "One of the things that I think is an insult to the American people is, given the lack of productivity or the lack of willingness to deal with the challenges that face us, Senator Schumer schedules a vote on contraception this afternoon as if this were somehow controversial," Cornyn stated.

Cornyn argued that contraception access is already secure across all states and accused Democrats of using their majority power for political gain. "Contraception is available in every state in America, and there’s no legitimate effort to change that. Democrats are using their powers as the majority party to engage in fearmongering to further their own political agenda."

He further criticized the proposed bill related to contraception: "The bill before the Senate goes far beyond protecting access to contraception… It would force healthcare providers to provide abortion drugs, regardless of any religious objections." Cornyn described it as "a wolf in sheep’s clothing."

Reflecting on how time could be better spent addressing other pressing issues, Cornyn remarked, "Given the Senate’s long to-do list, I think there’s a better way to spend the chamber’s time."

In closing, he condemned what he called inefficient use of time by saying: "Two-and-a-half-day work weeks, truncated work periods, the time we’ve wasted here on nominees and political show votes – this is no way to run the Senate, and it’s certainly not the way Republicans will do things if we regain control of the chamber next year."