Hoping to defuse a brewing showdown over the filibuster, a bipartisan group of senators on Friday outlined tentative changes to Senate procedure rules designed to ease persistent gridlock in the chamber.
The plan’s main changes would allow the majority leader to skirt the filibuster on motions to proceed while guaranteeing two amendments for the minority party or allow the Senate to move onto bills more quickly once procedural hurdles are cleared. It would also make it easier to go to conference with the House and move some presidential nominations through the Senate.
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The proposal, laid out privately to colleagues during party lunches Friday afternoon, doesn’t go as far as that pushed by a younger coalition of senators. But it is an effort to build a compromise while preserving some key minority rights that distinguish the Senate from the House, lawmakers said.
“Democrats in the majority, understandably, wants to move forward with legislation,” said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). “Republicans in the minority want to have amendments. We think that this proposal will provide a path for both of those concerns and priorities can be satisfied.”
“We believe very strongly that we must reform the Senate procedures if it’s going to do business more efficiently and more fairly,” added Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.).
The changes would last for two years, according to the proposal.
