A prominent ally of President Biden says he is “disappointed” after the president vetoed a bill that would increase the number of federal judges currently serving.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware), who served as campaign co-chairman of Mr. He emphasized that he kept a bipartisan position as a top priority when doing so. invoice.
“I am disappointed in this outcome, both for my own state and for federal judges across the country who are struggling with ever-increasing caseloads. I have been working on this bill for years. But thanks to the tireless bipartisan efforts with Senator Young, it made it to the President’s desk, and we are very disappointed that it will not become law,” Coons said in a statement Tuesday.
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Sen. Chris Coons said he was disappointed that President Biden made good on his veto threat. (Fox News Digital)
He then said the bill’s ultimate failure was the fault of House Republicans, who voted on it after the 2024 election.
“Senator Young and I have worked hard to make this a bipartisan process, and that Congress, whether Republican or Democratic, will pass the bill before we know who will occupy the White House and nominate new federal judges in 2025.” “We built the Judges Act so that it could be passed,” Coons said.
“The Senate did its part by unanimously passing the bill in August, but the Republican-controlled House waited for election results before moving forward with the bill. As a result, the White House now has a veto on the bill. The right is being exercised.”
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House Speaker Mike Johnson accused Biden of politicizing the process. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
Republicans, meanwhile, have accused Biden of threatening to veto the bill two days before it was due to be voted on in the House of Representatives to avoid giving President-elect Trump a new role.
“This important bill received broad bipartisan support when it passed the Senate unanimously in August,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana). “This is because it directly addresses the pressing need to reduce the case backlog and strengthen the efficiency of our justice system.” he said in a statement after the bill was passed earlier this month.
“At the time, Democrats supported this bill and thought Kamala Harris would be elected president. But now the Biden-Harris administration has chosen to threaten a veto, and Democrats oppose this bill. It’s just partisan politics that is holding back progress.”
The Senate passed the bill weeks after Vice President Kamala Harris replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee. (Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The bill would add the role of 66 federal district courts, spread out their creation over a decade, and prevent certain administrations from benefiting from new appointments.
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At the time of the Senate’s passage, Democratic morale was high after Biden withdrew from the 2024 campaign and was replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris.
However, the bill passed unanimously in the Senate, meaning not a single Republican opposed the bill.
Elizabeth Elkind is a political reporter for FOX News Digital, where she leads coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines can be found on the Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow @liz_elkind on Twitter and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com.
