‘Let’s be clear: the rules change that’s being proposed is not an affront to me or to the Republican Party. It’s an affront to the American people. It’s an affront to the people who sent me and the other 46 Republicans here to represent them in the Senate, but whose voices would be shut out if the Majority Leader and this cohort of short-sighted senate sophomores have their way and permanently change this body. At the moment, Republicans represent the voters of 31 states, representing a total population of more than 180 million Americans. Shutting off our right to express the views of our constituents, as is being proposed, would effectively shut these people out of the process.’