Rob Portman Says Democrats Are Going To Essentially Kill The Filibuster

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:30 pm

Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) said that Democrats are going to essentially kill the filibuster in the Senate by eliminating the Byrd Rule.

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Portman said on CNN’s State Of The Union, “Reconciliation is a tool you are able to use. It has to relate directly to the budget. What the Democrats are talking about doing is, one, using it right off the bat without trying to come up with a bipartisan compromise as we have on covid-19. If you can’t find bipartisanship on covid-19, I don’t know where you can find it. Our proposal is going to have all of the health care funding President Biden has in his proposal. All of it. There is a lot of bipartisanship. But second, reconciliation is not meant for the purposes that they are trying to use it for. They would have to get rid of what is called the Byrd Rule which keeps it to the budget. That would change the rules of the senate. It wouldn’t be the old reconciliation but a new reconciliation. They’ve been very clear about that. You know how that works. Essentially it is getting rid of the filibuster if you get rid of the Byrd Rule which is a huge change in our country and will lead to less bipartisanship not more.”

There are lots of small ways to kill the filibuster without making some Senate Democrats who are reluctant to kill the filibuster vote on getting rid of it. The elimination of the Byrd Rule would mean that Democrats could reconciliation to restore and strengthen The Voting Rights Act.

Majority Leader Schumer and Senate Democrats have learned from watching Mitch McConnell that the rules are what the majority decides that they are, and Democrats aren’t going to let the Biden presidency be a repeat of the obstruction that President Obama faced.

Senate Democrats have the power and they are going to use it.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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