Republicans blasted plans by Democrats to end or modify the long-standing 60-vote threshold in the Senate in order to circumvent the GOP and pass a voter overhaul bill.
“This, in my view, is genuine radicalism,” Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters Tuesday.
Democrats have been meeting privately to try to convince two centrist Democrats to join them in voting to end or modify the filibuster, perhaps by creating a “carve-out” for a massive voter overhaul measure aimed at eliminating red-state election integrity laws.
McConnell and fellow Republican leaders said the Democrats are now poised to destroy the Senate, which is supposed to act as a moderating force in balance with the House, where legislation passes with a simple majority.
“It’s called the nuclear option for a reason,” said Senate Minority Whip John Thune, a South Dakota Republican.
McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, resisted calls during his reign as majority leader to ditch the filibuster in order to pass more of President Donald Trump’s agenda. Dozens of Democrats signed a letter at that time, urging Republicans to maintain the 60-vote threshold, Republicans said Tuesday. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, previously defended the filibuster as critical and said ending it would turn the nation into “a banana republic.”
But Schumer said this week it’s time to at least modify the filibuster to stop the GOP’s obstruction of the Democrats’ agenda.
“It appears to me that the majority leader is hell-bent to try to break the Senate,” McConnell said.
Democrats say their voter overhaul measure is critical for preserving democracy by stopping red-state election integrity laws they believe will limit access to the polls, such as voter ID requirements, and politicize election results.
“We know that if they federalize this, they will eliminate voter ID at the polls,” McConnell said. “That’s overwhelmingly supported by Democrats, Republicans, and independents around the country. So I dispute the notion that this underlying bill is popular with the American people.”
Republicans have blocked several attempts by Democrats to advance voter overhaul legislation, arguing it would federalize elections, enable voter fraud, and skew election results in favor of Democratic candidates.
Schumer said Tuesday that “the stakes could not be higher” for democracy and that the Senate “will move forward” on taking steps to allow the voting overhaul bill to pass with a simple majority.
So far, however, he’s been unable to convince two centrist Democrats, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Without their support, Democrats are stuck with the filibuster.
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McConnell said he speaks to both Democrats regularly.
“The only two Democrats who seem to be resistant to breaking the Senate these days are Sen. Manchin and Sen. Sinema,” McConnell said. “So, obviously, yes, we do talk to them. And all indications are that they still believe the Senate as an institution is important and doesn’t need to be turned into the House or, put it another way, doesn’t need to be broken.”
