Republican senators listen as attorney Rachel Mitchell questions Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.

Seventy former senators, Democratic, Republican, and Independent alike, criticized current senators for failing to do their job in an open letter published Tuesday by The Washington Post—and they’re not wrong. “The Senate’s abdication of its legislative and oversight responsibilities erodes the checks and balances of the separate powers that are designed to protect the liberties on which our democracy depends,” the former legislators wrote.

They explained that while legislating is often a messy process akin to “sausage making,” they are concerned the Senate's failure goes beyond the usual unkemptness, rendering the whole process ineffective. The former senators wrote: “Senate committees have lost responsibility for writing legislation. Rules allowing extended debate, a feature of the Senate that is essential to protecting the rights of minorities, have been abused as the filibuster and cloture have shut down action on the Senate floor. It is now commonly said that it takes 60 votes to pass anything in the Senate. This is new and obstructionist ...”