Image: Nancy Pelosi, Jen Psaki, YouTube Screenshots

Biden Administration Hints Election Reform Bill Failure Could Force Filibuster Rule Changes

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In response to a question regarding the Senate’s debate over voting rights legislation, like S.1, the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “As it relates to the filibuster, I don’t think you have to take it from us, that would be Congress moving forward — or making a decision. If the vote is unsuccessful tomorrow, we suspect it will prompt a new conversation about the path forward. And we’ll see where that goes.” Psaki is implying that Biden may take steps to adjust filibusters in the Senate.

Filibusters have been utilized by the Senate since 1837 and used increasingly over the past 10 years, to help delay proposed legislation from reaching a vote. So far, a filibuster has only been used once, by GOP Republicans to block a vote on the January 6th Commission.

On Tuesday, Senate Democrats will begin debate over the For The People Act. GOP leaders have attacked this bill, believing that it will hurt election integrity and increase fraudulent votes in U.S. elections. Supporters of the bill, believe that minorities and low-income Americans are systemically discouraged from voting and that this bill will support their ability to vote. For this bill to advance, one hundred percent of Democrats must vote for it, along with ten Senate Republicans. The two most prominent Democrat moderates, Joe Manchin (WV) and Krysten Sinema (AZ) have announced their intentions to oppose the act. This has inspired Democratic leaders to push to change Senate rules and potentially end the ability to filibuster.

In March, President Biden offered support towards changing the filibuster back “to what it used to be”. Biden said, “I don’t think that you have to eliminate the filibuster, you have to do what it used to be when I first got to the Senate back in the old days. You had to stand up and command the floor, you had to keep talking.” This would force filibusters to follow in the steps of former State Sen. Wendy Davis (TX) who filibustered an anti-abortion bill for 13 hours in pink athletic shoes.

Currently, to start a filibuster, a Senate staffer can simply send an email announcing their Senator’s objection, effectively triggering a 60-vote requirement to advance the bill to a final up-or-down vote, without any speech or time period needed.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) warned of repercussions that’d occur if the filibuster rules were changed. This would force lawmakers to be physically present at the Capitol during session. McConnell said this would create a “100 car pileup” with multiple quorum calls since senators musty be present in the Capitol day and night. McConnell warned Democrats what would happen if Republicans reached a majority: “We wouldn’t just erase every liberal change that hurt the country. We’d strengthen America with all kinds of conservative policies with zero input from the other side.”

If the Biden administration successfully pushed to change filibuster rules, it would have a massive impact on the Senate and spark controversy nationwide. There is an outrageous amount of support amongst Democrats supporting the end of the filibuster while no prominent Republican figures have voiced support towards it.

Read more on the “For the People Act” and controversy surrounding filibusters here.

Stay tuned to Media Right News for any updates.

Paul Aubert
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