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Senate should adjust filibuster rules (Rep. Jim McDermott)
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01/21/10 04:29 PM ET
On December 1, 2009, Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) sent a letter to his Republican colleagues outlining what he described as the rights of the minority allowed by Senate rules. What followed was a “how-to” guide explaining tactics to jam up the legislative process, including instructions on different ways to use the filibuster.
I agree that the minority party should always be guaranteed rights and all legislation should always get the thoughtful debate it deserves. What’s troubling is that the filibuster can be abused to prevent legislation from ever being voted on. It allows a single Senator to bring the entire legislative process to a halt.
Use of the filibuster has become so commonplace that it now requires a supermajority in the Senate to pass virtually anything. The framers of the Constitution very clearly outlined the five instances when they believed a supermajority was needed, and the day-to-day business of Congress was not one of them. In fact, the framers of the Constitution thought that the filibuster was such a critical part of our democracy that the word appears in the Constitution exactly zero times.
I firmly believe that this is not a partisan issue—I think the filibuster is no more democratic when used by a member of my own party. I’ve spent much of my career in the minority and know how frustrating that can be. But an individual Senator or the minority party shouldn’t have the power to derail the entire legislative process.
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) recently announced that he’ll be introducing legislation to change the filibuster rule, and I want to thank him for his leadership on this issue—he’s been an advocate for amending the filibuster for 15 years. I have also submitted a resolution urging the Senate to change its rules and I’m proud to say that we already have nearly 30 co-sponsors. I will be working with my colleagues to get more support in the days and weeks ahead.
The filibuster has created a legislative process that I believe no longer reflects what the framers of our Constitution intended. And it’s certainly not good for the country. The time has come for the Senate to change its rules.
I agree that the minority party should always be guaranteed rights and all legislation should always get the thoughtful debate it deserves. What’s troubling is that the filibuster can be abused to prevent legislation from ever being voted on. It allows a single Senator to bring the entire legislative process to a halt.
Use of the filibuster has become so commonplace that it now requires a supermajority in the Senate to pass virtually anything. The framers of the Constitution very clearly outlined the five instances when they believed a supermajority was needed, and the day-to-day business of Congress was not one of them. In fact, the framers of the Constitution thought that the filibuster was such a critical part of our democracy that the word appears in the Constitution exactly zero times.
I firmly believe that this is not a partisan issue—I think the filibuster is no more democratic when used by a member of my own party. I’ve spent much of my career in the minority and know how frustrating that can be. But an individual Senator or the minority party shouldn’t have the power to derail the entire legislative process.
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) recently announced that he’ll be introducing legislation to change the filibuster rule, and I want to thank him for his leadership on this issue—he’s been an advocate for amending the filibuster for 15 years. I have also submitted a resolution urging the Senate to change its rules and I’m proud to say that we already have nearly 30 co-sponsors. I will be working with my colleagues to get more support in the days and weeks ahead.
The filibuster has created a legislative process that I believe no longer reflects what the framers of our Constitution intended. And it’s certainly not good for the country. The time has come for the Senate to change its rules.
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