Republicans are trying to distract from the popular Democratic agenda by complaining about a possible move to eliminate the filibuster, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday.
The New York Democrat told reporters that Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s threat to bring the Senate to a halt if Democrats spike the filibuster is a political tactic to steer attention away from the popular Democratic policy agenda items, including the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 spending package President Biden signed into law last week.
“Sen. McConnell is always looking for a diversion,” Schumer said.
On Tuesday, McConnell said that if Democrats eliminate the 60-vote threshold, Republicans will pursue a “scorched earth” approach to block the consent needed to do just about everything in the Senate.
McConnell threatened the possibility of complete gridlock on the floor, pointing out that the Senate runs by unanimous consent, which means all 100 senators must agree to the most basic terms of operating. Every move, he said, would require a vote of the full Senate, which is currently tied 50-50, he warned.
“It’s not broken, and it doesn’t need to be fixed,” the Kentucky Republican said Tuesday after meeting privately with fellow GOP lawmakers. “Our Democratic friends used to filibuster frequently in the last Congress. They were in a minority, and they took advantage of it.”
Democrats are mulling a move to end the legislative filibuster, which would allow them to pass legislation with just 51 votes and without needing cooperation from a single Republican.
A few centrist Democrats do not support the move, but the party’s liberal base is ramping up pressure on party lawmakers. They want the filibuster eliminated in order to pave the way for the Democrat-controlled House and White House to pass an ambitious agenda without Republicans blocking it in the Senate.
Schumer said he wants to work with Republicans on legislation but will forge ahead without them if necessary.
“We will try to get them to work with us, but if not, we will put our heads together and figure out how to go,” Schumer said. “And everything is on the table.”
