Topline
President Joe Biden on Thursday signaled he may support the elimination of the filibuster if there is “complete lockdown” in the Senate, the latest sign Democrats who have fiercely defended the rule in the past are increasingly willing to remove it to pass their sweeping agenda.
Key Facts
Biden said during a formal press conference, the first of his presidency, that the filibuster is “being abused in a gigantic way,” pointing to a steep increase in cloture votes, in which 60 senators must vote to overcome an individual senator’s effort to block legislation.
Biden said he “strongly” supports a talking filibuster, in which senators would be required to remain on the floor and speak in order to filibuster, but said the chamber should go “beyond” that “if we have to, if there's complete lockdown and chaos as a consequence of the filibuster.”
The filibuster threatens to stymie Biden and Democrats’ big plans on everything from gun control to election reform to immigration unless they can get 10 Republican votes – an unlikely prospect – and Schumer has not ruled out pushing to scrap it.
“It used to be you had to stand there and talk and talk and talk until you collapsed,” Biden said of the talking filibuster, which was eliminated in 1971, but which moderate Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) have signaled support for reviving.
Biden noted that people “got tired of talking and tired of collapsing,” when there was a talking filibuster, allowing the Senate to “break the filibuster, get a quorum and vote.”
Key Background
Biden, a 36-year stalwart of the Senate, has long defended the filibuster, but he’s not the only one. Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have both vowed not to nuke the filibuster, all-but-dooming any effort to do so.
Crucial Quote
“I have no comment for you today,” Sinema replied when asked by reporters about whether she would support a talking filibuster. Asked about lowering the 60-vote threshold, she said, “I love your enthusiasm” but declined to comment.
Chief Critic
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has threatened to go “scorched-earth” and create a “100-car pileup” in the Senate if Democrats nuke the filibuster. Specifically, McConnell has warned he could force procedural votes at every step of the process that would stall passage of bills by hours and even days.
Further Viewing
"complete" - Google News
March 26, 2021 at 01:29AM
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Biden Hints At Support For Nuking Senate Filibuster If There’s ‘Complete Lockdown’ - Forbes
"complete" - Google News
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