With a batch of House-passed bills languishing in the Senate, a group of far-Left Democrats on Thursday said they’re stepping up pressure on their party colleagues across the Capitol.
Nearly 100 House Democratic lawmakers signed a letter to Senate lawmakers demanding that they begin to take steps to eliminate the filibuster, a rule effectively requiring 60 votes to pass legislation. With the Senate divided 50-50, Democrats generally need at least 10 Republicans to cross the aisle on bills — a tall order amid today’s sharply partisan politics.
MANCHIN UNDER PRESSURE TO CAVE ON FILIBUSTER
“The filibuster must be eliminated this morning,” Rep. Cori Bush, a Missouri Democrat, said to reporters at a press conference. “We’re leading a letter with nearly 100 Democratic members of the house to our dear Democratic colleagues in the Senate so that they can feel the urgency in our hearts and so that they feel our support at their backs to do what is right to eliminate the Jim Crow filibuster.”
Many House Democrats will also host dozens of events around the country in their districts, where they will explain to their constituents why the filibuster must end. This will culminate in a May 6 national town hall event featuring House members and national progressive movement and civic leaders.
Only Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona are public about their opposition to ending the filibuster, but other less vocal Democrats might also feel uncomfortable about eliminating the measure altogether.
Reforming the filibuster, as opposed to getting rid of it, has President Joe Biden’s tentative support and may give a path for Democrats under pressure by House lawmakers to capitulate. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat and the chairwoman of the Progressive Caucus, argued that Senate lawmakers started changing the filibuster previously.
“The reality is, this has already been changed to benefit the party in power,” she said. “My belief is that we, actually, as Democrats, will not be able to maintain our majorities, will not be able to address the deep divisions across the country.”
However, Senate Democrats previously used the filibuster 327 times in the last congressional session to block bills pushed by Republicans, including South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott’s police reform bill.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
House Democrats took exception to Scott’s bill when asked by the Washington Examiner why their party did not take responsibility for their own history of filibusters.
“The filibuster is a tool that prevents the Senate from voting on things the American people want. I don’t think we care whether Democrats are using it or Republicans are using it, but we should be very clear about the Tim Scott bill,” said Rep. Sean Casten, an Illinois Democrat. “The bill that we passed in the House provided very specific guidance to eliminate chokeholds to reform police departments.”
