Democratic Vermont Sen. Peter Welch derailed a Wednesday hearing on the cover-up of former President Joe Biden’s decline by launching into a seven-minute rant about climate change, congressional dysfunction and partisan tone.
During the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, titled, “Unfit to Serve: How the Biden Cover-Up Endangered America and Undermined the Constitution,” Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn called the cover-up a “constitutional crisis.” Welch responded to Cornyn’s claim by suggesting the real “constitutional crisis” is “the collapse of Congress asserting its Article I authority to make decisions about the well being of the American people.”
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“What has this Senate debated in the months that we’ve been here other than nominations? Have we discussed the possible war with Iran? Have we had a serious discussion on the floor about the massive and mounting debt?” Welch asked. “Have we had any discussion about the abdication of congressional spending authority by the impoundment actions of the administration? Have we had a discussion about climate change that is causing havoc throughout the world?”
Welch then pivoted to criticizing the behavior of Congress.
“We have different points of view,” the senator said. “But instead of this Congress debating those different points of view about oil exploration or about clean energy, about a good healthcare system, what we do is turn that debate into personal accusations, of motivations, of cover-up, of conspiracy, of bad character, of demeaning folks who disagree with us.”
“So we never get to the discussion about how do we have a healthcare system that works for the people in Texas, the people in Louisiana and the people in Vermont?” he continued. “We never get to the discussion about are we going to deny the reality of what you know is true — climate change. And how do we address that in a way that maintains a strong economy and actually builds a strong economy?”
Welch also touted his support for numerous policies of the Biden administration, including on the COVID-19 pandemic and domestic chip manufacturing. However, he acknowledged the administration mishandled immigration.
“I’ll take up something where we didn’t do well. And that’s immigration. You won that argument,” he said. “But does it mean that those who disagreed with you along the way were bad people, should be labeled Marxists, should be condemned? The American people ultimately gets to decide.”
“But to the extent that we have a responsibility that we share, Republicans and Democrats, whichever side of the issue you’re on, is to debate the issue and not debase the people who are in the debate,” he continued. “That’s what I see is the crisis that we’re facing in this Congress. Our refusal to engage in the serious discussion about the issues that are having such an impact on the people we represent.”
The senator then alleged that leaving Democrats out of the negotiations about President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is a “cover-up.”
Democratic Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin also spent a minute of the hearing airing a montage of out-of-context Trump statements to insinuate he is also in a state of cognitive decline.
Durbin and Welch were the sole Democrats present at the beginning of the hearing, Politico reported.
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