Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., failed to appear for the first-day confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Monday, ripping Republicans for holding the proceeding indoors.
"This hearing has brought together more than 50 people to sit inside of a closed-door room for hours, while our nation is facing a deadly airborne virus," Harris said, during a remote address to the Senate Judiciary Committee. "This committee has ignored common sense requests to keep people safe, including not requiring testing for all members, despite a coronavirus outbreak among senators of this very committee."
As a member of the committee, Harris appeared remotely at the hearing on a screen on the Senate Judiciary floor.
"This hearing should have been postponed," Harris said. "The decision to hold this hearing now is reckless and places facilities workers, janitorial staff, and congressional aides, and Capitol police at risk."
Harris talked about President Donald Trump nominating Barrett as a way to overturn the Affordable Care Act healthcare legislation.
"They are deliberately defying the will of the people in their attempt to roll back the rights and protections provided under the Affordable Care Act," Harris said. "And let's remember: In 2017, President Trump and Congressional Republicans repeatedly tried to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, but people from all walks of life spoke out and demanded Republicans stop trying to take away Americans' healthcare."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.