Senators Casey, Coons Push For Vote On Supreme Court Nominee
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A pair of local U.S. senators has a message for their Republican colleagues...do your job. The call comes one day after Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois met with President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. Kirk is the only Republican senator to sit down with Garland.
Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey and Delaware Senator Chris Coons appeared together on Independence Mall Wednesday to call on their Republican colleagues to stop holding up Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination. The GOP caucus has refused to meet with Garland, let alone vote on his nomination.
"If Republicans continue to say they will not vote on the nomination made by President Obama, they are not doing their job," said Senator Casey.
Senator Coons admonished the opposition for taking out of context words from his predecessor in Delaware, now Vice President Joe Biden. Republicans have said Biden established a "rule" that a hearing shouldn't be allowed in an election year.
"A full understanding of that speech and exactly what he actually said, and a full understanding of his record as the chairman of the judiciary committee, in fact, says the opposite," said Senator Coons.
A spokesman for Casey's office said constituent calls are running 2 to 1 in favor of a vote on Garland's nomination.