Cornyn pledges to give GOP colleagues more power over Senate floor

Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R), who is locked in an intense three-way race to become the next Senate majority leader, is pledging to Republican senators that he will give them more opportunity to debate and amend bills on the Senate floor, responding to criticisms of current Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell’s (Ky.) style.

“It’s no secret that the Senate has not functioned as it should for some time,” Cornyn wrote in a letter to colleagues Tuesday.

Cornyn, who is promising to work closely with President-elect Trump, says the Senate has been dysfunctional for a long time and needs to reform how it considers major bills, which are often brought up for votes only a few days after being made public.

“In order to Make America Great Again, we must Make the Senate Work Again,” Cornyn stated in his letter.

He pledged to “reinvest” in the Senate committee process by giving chairpersons more opportunity to shape legislation and bring it to the floor.

He also promised the “default position for legislation considered on the floor will be an open amendment process managed by the committee chairs to allow for amendments and increase debate."

And he declared that if elected majority leader, “we will improve floor management and focus on efficiency to ensure vote schedules are managed well for members (and the vice president) while limiting surprises.”

Cornyn also promised to give rank-and-file senators more time to review legislation, instead of giving them short briefings on major legislation only a few days or hours before it is publicly unveiled.

Many Republican senators were angered that they learned only a few details about the bipartisan border security deal that McConnell and Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) negotiated with Democrats before it was publicly unveiled.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told Breitbart News in an interview that McConnell “ran a one-man dictatorship” in keeping a tight grip on the Senate floor.

Cornyn in his letter Tuesday said he plans to change that.

“Engagement with members can’t be hours or days before the floor — planning and preparation for the floor will incorporate the experience of all members and be done on a consistent and ongoing basis,” he wrote.

Cornyn said he would prioritize confirming Trump’s Cabinet and executive branch nominees and “filling judicial vacancies with young, conservative nominees, further cementing the president’s lasting legacy in the courts.”