holding meetings at the white house, the vice president on the hill, his staff, to stand out across capitol hill holding one-on-one meetings with some of these reluctant, recalcitrant members, such as the tennessee senator who met with one of trump's deputies met for 45 minutes, and still wasn't able to turn the vote. these are the types of conversations and meetings happening all around capital. >> and our c-span viewers and listeners can stay on top of that from your reporting on twitter at scott wong dc read more at the hill. scott wong, thanks again. >> thank you. >> good afternoon everyone. the corset hearings began yesterday and you've seen on full display. what an outstanding nominee

judge gorsuch is. it leads me to wonder looking at the democratic comments during the opening statements yesterday as to who was before them. there's a lot of discussion about the president, a lot of discussion about mayor garland in an attempt to obviously avoid to the extent that they could the subject matter of the hearing which is this particular nominee. i understand, i haven't watched today, but i understand understand he's doing a great job today. yes i haven't seen a single democrat, unless they are one you've observed, indicate they were prepared to either vote for closure or vote for him. leading you to ask the following question: if judge gorsuch can't achieve 60 votes in the senate, could any?judge

appointed by a republican president be approved with 60 or more votes in the senate? i can only take you back to the first two years of clinton, ginsburg and breyer were confirmed without closure. this was at the beginning of a term, obama had to without closure. apples and apples. beginning of the term. if they don't find gore's it's acceptable, are they taking the position that the vacancy should never be filled? at all? last year they were complaining about there being a vacancy for roughly a year. so, we'll see how all this develops and will be on judge

gorsuch this week after next and will confirm him before we leave for the april recess. >> as the leaders pointed out the democrats tight as they may have not laid a glove on judge gorsuch. he's acquitted himself very well already, at the hearings and i think that the american people, have concluded that he is a mainstream well-qualified judge would make a great justice on the supreme court and when it comes to the democrats here at the senate you know the gold standard has always been the aba rating. that's what schumer and those have referred to in the past and they all now 12 democrats in the center and among those are schumer, feinstein and leahy who have voted for gore search when he was up for the tenth circuit about ten years ago. so, i hope the democrats will come to the conclusion that the

american people have and that this is a highly qualified judge who ought to be the next test on the supreme court. in terms of what's happening elsewhere in the senate, were paying close attention as the house moves through their obamacare repeal and replace effort over there. were also moving a lot of cra through the senate. we have eight to declared the senate that have been sent to the president for his signature. the achaemenid total of regulatory relief in those is $4 billion and about three and a half million man-hours saved. if you add up the administrative actions that have been taken unless the regulatory burden on businesses and families in the country, it's almost now over $50 billion of regulatory relief. that's good for the economy, that's good for the jobs, those are the type of issues that were going to stay focused on and lessen the regulations and the costs -- i should say the job killing regulations that came out of the previous administration and release this economy, getting a growing at a faster rate, raising wages for people in this country and

putting our economy on a solid track. >> as we proceed with repealing and replacing the obama health care law, the affordable care act continues to collapse. were going to see are more people receiving notices that their insurance has been canceled and specifically for people on medicaid what they're seen as their choices are lessening. to that point, last week week the president and ceo of the mayo clinic had given a speech to the employees there that said they have reached a tipping.because of medicaid patients and instructed the employees to give priority to people with private insurance over people calling for an appointment who have medicaid. medicaid is a program that the democrats have been saying was the savior of obamacare in the sense that half of the people newly insured under obamacare got that coverage under medicaid

, a feeling program that needs to be reformed. so, as we repeal and replace of the obama health care law, additionally, reform of medicaid is critical. i join my democratic counterpoint, michael bennett to introduce neil gorsuch before his senate confirmation hearing. i had the great privilege of explaining how he would be the only second color added to serve on the nation's highest court. however, the only color right into third on the nation's high court high court who did not lead the nfl in rushing, byron white, being the other justice from colorado. those people who know him best r&d from the state of colorado. i'll talk about the supporters that judge gorsuch had before his confirmation to the us up in democratic bill ritter who in an off published former republican attorney general, john sutter's expressed support for the nomination of judge gorsuch.

salazar under brock obama said ten years the glowing things about judge gorsuch, that seeking confirmation to the tenth circuit court. if you look at the comments made from steve barber, cohost of the 2008 democrats and national convention in denver in 2008 emma wrote a letter to the judiciary committee strongly supporting judge gorsuch confirmation to the united cream court. these are conservatives, these are liberal democrats who believe that judge gorsuch would make an excellent supreme court justice urging all of us to support confirmation. [inaudible]

what's the signal that we should back off of this ? >> what you're seeing on full display of the legislative process. this way it works. i mentioned before the speaker and i have the majority of members who have never with a republican president. in other words, the chances of getting a signature on many of the things that we support were never there. here we are in a real governing situation. it produces lots of stories for you guys but these are the various episodes that you go through and trying to make a law and get a signature. it's happening in the house and i'm confident they'll be successful and when it comes over here, it'll happen in the senate. lots of different points of view, opportunities to modify the proposal, will be listening to everybody in an effort to get

enough votes to clear the senate. so, i'm not going to comment on every single episode along the way. they'll be a lot more and you guys will be able to write a lot of stories. were not slowing down. were going forward. [laughter] don't rub it in. but in 2013 we we beat michigan in the final game for the championship. >> you said in an interview and i quote the republicans vote is that a threat? >> i think it's a statement of the obvious. this has been a huge issue in the country, 2010, 201210, 2012 tenant 2014, 2060. does anybody in america had any doubt that republican party was permitted to repealing and

replacing obamacare. i think that will weigh heavily on everyone who's participating in the process, as we get toward the end because will either pass something that will achieve a goal that we been working on or not. so it's certainly not a threat. it's more a statement of the obvious. [inaudible] >> you can ask the white house a question like that. but i have heard, prior to yesterday, no indication that this had occurred and had said so publicly. >> how realistic is it going to

be to get the repeal through next week if you're going to do core such for the retest. is it realistic to do it any weeks time? >> were in a reconciliation contact. there is a time limit to it. it comes to an end. this is not a bill that we have to follow closure on and wait two days and all the rest. yeah, we will reach a conclusion on healthcare, next week because were going to judge gorsuch to see the week after that. >> once again, obviously of the house passes something will begin to work on it and work on in the senate. we'll have lots have lots of stories about various people lobbying for different parts of it and will try to move it

across the floor next week. [inaudible] let me put it this way. we have an obligation to the american people to do what we called for in 10, 12, 14 and 16 and if we had the opportunity the american people gave us a president who would sign, repeal and replace belt we would do it. i think it's a pretty strong obligation to the american people. almost all of our candidates who have been elected have made that commitment and were hoping to keep it. what is your assessment on the legislative part state three getting to the senate?

>> that way on down the road. first step is what will be doing next week, second second step is administrative changes that the secretary price will advocate and then later, will be in a different context of a 60 vote context that will require democratic cooperation. [inaudible] >> now remarks by senator chuck schumer speaking to reporters about the sweat of slate agenda in the senate. >> okay. good afternoon, everybody. i am proud to be joined by --