Sen. Steve Daines says Senate Republicans should scrap the filibuster so they can pass a bill funding President Trump’s border wall.
The Senate is expected to take up a bill Friday giving Trump $5.7 billion for the border wall. Democrats have said they would filibuster that bill, but Daines, R-Mont., said one way around that problem is ending the filibuster.
“House just passed a bill that fully funds government and enables @realDonaldTrump to secure our border/build the wall,” he tweeted. “Senate can do same by eliminating the filibuster. 51 votes, same as we do for judges!”
House just passed a bill that fully funds government and enables @realDonaldTrump to secure our border/build the wall. Senate can do same by eliminating the filibuster. 51 votes, same as we do for judges!
— Steve Daines (@SteveDaines) December 21, 2018
Republicans have resisted that idea so far. As a result, legislation still needs 60 votes to advance to a final vote, at which point it can be passed by a simple majority of 51 votes.
But today’s vote is likely to raise the issue once more, as Democrats are expected to prevent Republicans from getting the 60 votes need to advance the bill funding Trump’s wall.
Senate Democrats in 2013 changed the rules unilaterally so the Senate could approve former President Barack Obama’s nominees without letting Republicans block them. The rule applied to all nominees except those for the Supreme Court.
When Senate Republicans took over, they changed the rules to prevent Democrats from filibustering even Supreme Court nominees.
A remaining question has been whether to scrap the 60-vote rule for legislation, which would allow the majority party to act more like the House and pass bills without the need for compromise. One reason Republicans may not do it is fear of losing control of the Senate in 2020, which would then give Democrats the ability to pass bills freely over GOP objections.
