Exclusive—Bernie Moreno on Rules Reform Headwinds: Old Timer Senators ‘Cling to a View of What the Senate Could Have Been’ but ‘That’s Not the Reality’

Old timer senators “cling to a view of what the Senate could have been” and fail to operate in reality, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) said during a roundtable discussion with Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow and Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle on Thursday evening.

An audience member asked the Buckeye State senator why the Senate opted to go on recess without taking action on the SAVE America Act. Further, the audience member asked what needs to be done to get this bill across the finish line. Boyle broadened the scope by emphasizing the frustration many have with the Senate going on recess ahead of the midterm election.

“So the hope is that again, what can we see early next year to you know, after the election, assuming you guys hold the majority, to see those changes implemented?” Boyle asked.

Moreno briefly recapped the crux of the SAVE America Act, reminding the audience that it simply requires voter ID and proof of citizenship when registering to vote.

“Two things. That’s it. That’s all it is. We actually put forward a bill that said, how about just voter ID? How about when you show up at the ballot box and I say, ‘I’m Alex Marlow,’ they’re like, ‘Are you sure? Can I see an ID?’ I’m like, ‘Nope, take my word for it.’ Or in Minnesota, by the way, when you could say, ‘Hey, all these people behind me, 20 people, I vouch for them.’ And then, ‘Ok well, you guys can all vote.’ I mean, that’s totally insane,” Moreno said.

“Fifty-three Republicans out of 53 Republicans voted for that. Zero — not one single Democrat — voted for just simple voter ID,” Moreno said, noting that they lost support from three Republicans when they added proof of citizenship.

“Unfortunately, we lost three Republicans on that vote. Two of them are retiring, so we have virtually every Republican agreeing to the SAVE Act,” he said. “We need 60. We need 60 because that’s the threshold to end debate.”

“And unfortunately, unless we end that rule or modify the Senate rules, we can’t make that happen,” he said, walking through the reality of the situation. “Then you ask the question. Well, then get rid of the filibuster. We don’t even have close to 50 votes there. And again, why? Because we’ve had people that’ve been in the Senate for a long time, that cling to a view of what the Senate could have been, should have been, or was, but that’s not the reality of today.”

The senator added, “We’ve got to take a look at the rules. But look, we put forward a bill yesterday that would ban insider trading. Think about that for a second. What do you mean ban that we allow insider trading? Yes, we do. This bill would ban it. Every Democrat voted against it.”

Moreno used these Senate votes as examples of why conservative media is so important to get the truth out so the American people know what Democrats are really doing.

“This is why President Trump gets so angry at the media because they’re covering just the wrong things. They should be putting microphones in Democrats’ faces and go, ‘How would you vote against a bill that would ban insider trading? How do you vote against a bill that says you just have to prove who you are when you vote?'” Moreno added.

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