U.S. Senate Dems Want to Eliminate the Filibuster

Written by David E. Smith

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) promised that if Republicans filibuster a voting rights bill supported by the entire U.S. Senate Democratic caucus, as they are expected to, he’ll schedule a vote on changes to the rules by January 17.  See report.

On August 24, 2021, Democrat lawmakers in the U.S. House voted 219 to 212 to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act which seeks to federalize elections and take control of voting regulations away from the states. Then on November 3, 2021, all 50 Democrat U.S. Senators voted  to pass this bill.

However, the cloture rule requires that 60 votes are needed to end debate on legislation to move past a filibuster. This means Democrats need at least 10 Republicans to vote for the bill. Leader Schumer is threatening to take a vote on rule changes which will do away with or restrict the 60 vote cloture rule for future votes.

If Democrats succeed with changing this rule, their party will be able to pass the election power grab legislation and many other left-wing legislative proposals with the help of Vice President Kamala Harris, who would be the tie breaking vote.

The cloture rule keeps the U.S. Senate a consensus-driven body by requiring the majority party to work with the minority party and negotiate areas of agreement. Eliminating this negotiating tool makes the U.S. Senate no different than the U.S. House of Representatives.  The filibuster is the necessary safety provision that keeps extreme legislation from being rushed through. The filibuster also helps to stabilize public policy by making it harder for the minority party to repeal legislation when it becomes the majority party.

Take ACTION:  Click HERE to send an email to U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth to urge them to maintain the 60 vote cloture rule which protects all Americans from extreme legislation that favors one party at the expense of the other. Moreover, the federal government has no business taking over local elections. That responsibility rests with the states.

More ACTION: You may want to also visit the websites of moderate U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) to ask them to keep the 60 vote cloture rule.

Read more:

Democrats’ Voting Rules Takeover Is A Threat To Democracy (U.S. Senator Marco Rubio)