President Trump on Tuesday reiterated his call for the Senate to end the legislative filibuster so he could pass his tax reform and healthcare initiatives.
“The U.S. Senate should switch to 51 votes, immediately, and get Healthcare and TAX CUTS approved, fast and easy. Dems would do it, no doubt!” Trump tweeted.
The U.S. Senate should switch to 51 votes, immediately, and get Healthcare and TAX CUTS approved, fast and easy. Dems would do it, no doubt!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2017
Trump has previously come out in favor of ending the 60-vote threshold to stop debate on a piece of legislation. The 60-vote threshold usually requires a measure of bipartisanship because it’s rare that one party holds 60 seats in the upper chamber.
However, Senate Democrats are using that legislative filibuster in order to block most of Trump’s agenda. Republicans only hold 52 seats in the Senate, and there are rarely eight Democrats willing to jump across the aisle to vote on a bill that Trump is backing.
Senate Republicans used the so-called “nuclear option,” ending the 60-vote threshold, in order to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. That move represented the end of the filibuster for judicial nominations; Senate Democrats used the same tactic in order to speed up confirmation of former President Barack Obama’s judicial nominations during the previous administration.
The most recent whip count on healthcare shows the American Health Care Act does not have 51 votes in the Senate, as at least two Republicans, Sen. Susan Collins and Sen Bill Cassidy, are already leaning against the bill. Senate Republicans are writing their own healthcare bill.
Trump has yet to present a detailed tax reform package to lawmakers. A press conference last month introduced the broad points of his tax reform package, but many details were still under negotiation, White House officials said.
