President Biden told ABC News on Tuesday that he supports reforming the Senate filibuster rule to force lawmakers to speak on the Senate floor to delay the passage of a bill.
Why it’s important: It is the first time the president has publicly supported action on the rule after the White House maintained for several weeks that it was opposed to completely eliminating the filibuster.
Context: Progressives have pressured Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) to end the House’s 60-vote threshold to pass important legislation on issues such as climate change and voting rights.
- The elimination of the filibuster would significantly limit the power of the minority party, which uses the rule of procedure to delay or block the legislative action it opposes.
What they say: When asked if he should finally choose between preserving the filibuster and moving forward on his administration’s agenda, Biden said, “I don’t think you have to eliminate the filibuster; you have to do what it used to be when I arrived. in the Senate in the old days. “
- “He had to stand up and command the word, he had to keep talking,” Biden said, adding that he would support that this was a requirement.
- “That was what it was supposed to be. It gets to the point where, you know, democracy has a hard time working.”
The big picture: Biden advocates the same reform as Sen. Joe Manchin (DW.V.), who told “Axios on HBO” that he supports “a little pain” for senators who want to face and opposes a simple majority in the room.
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Warned Democrats Tuesday that removing the legislative filibuster would “break the Senate” and turn the chamber into a “100-car pile” where chaos reigns. .