Senators John Ensign (R-NV), Jim DeMint (R-SC) and 20 colleagues sent a letter to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on December 2 to say not so fast on New START (8 months is too fast?).
The Senators said:
“We have numerous amendments requiring significant debate to the treaty as well as the resolution of ratification that we would like to offer and have votes on. It would be unwise and improper to do this in a hurried fashion over the course of only a few days.”
The letter serves as a signal that these 22 Senators are most likely to vote no when the Senate takes up the treaty. See list below.
Also noteworthy are the dogs that did not bark (fans of Sherlock Holmes?).
The tendentious 22 (actually only 21 Senators are listed, perhaps because the Ensign office could not read one of the signatures) :
John Ensign (NV)
Jim DeMint (SC)
Mike Enzi (WY)
Kit Bond (MO)
Jim Bunning (KY)
David Vitter (LA)
John Barrasso (WY)
James Inhofe (OK)
Roger Wicker (MS)
Mike Johanns (NE)
John Cornyn (TX)
Richard Shelby (AL)
Richard Burr (NC)
Sam Brownback (KS)
Pat Roberts (KS)
Orrin Hatch (UT)
John Thune (SD)
Mike Crapo (ID)
James Risch (ID)
Tom Coburn (OK)
Chuck Grassley.(IA)
