[Pages S3240-S3241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Judicial Power

  We all know that Donald Trump sees himself as a King more than he 
does a President. He said it himself. Well, the Republicans' so-called 
Big Beautiful Bill will effectively place a crown on Donald Trump's 
head.
  Buried deep in the Republicans' bill is a nasty provision that would 
restrict the power of judges to hold government officials in contempt 
for violating court orders. The goal of this provision is very obvious: 
Republicans want to codify Donald Trump's attacks on our judiciary into 
law.
  When Senate Republicans include this lawless provision in their bill, 
Democrats will use every procedural hurdle in existence to kill it, 
including the Byrd bath process, because this type of draconian 
provision is a better fit for a dictatorship than for a democracy.
  Republicans want to defang the power of the courts. They want to make 
it easier, in effect, for the Trump administration to defy court 
rulings. If judges can't hold intransigent public officials in 
contempt, the judges' rulings are basically meaningless. Why

[[Page S3241]]

bother having courts if you are just going to ignore them?
  This is a naked attack on the separation of powers, a very serious 
and damaging one if it ever would be enacted. If Republicans think they 
can pull a fast one on our courts by slipping this devious provision 
into their bill, they are dead wrong. Democrats will fight with every 
tool we have to stop this provision from ever--ever--becoming law.