According to Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI), discussions among Senate Democrats about changing or eliminating the filibuster are heating up as Republicans refuse to play ball on a number of bills that would benefit the American people.
During an interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, Hirono said moderate members of the Democratic caucus are starting to change their tune, even if slightly.
“It’s very much developing,” the Democratic lawmaker said of discussions surrounding the filibuster.
“When you hear even Joe Manchin say that maybe we should do filibuster reform that requires that anybody who’s against a measure to come to the floor and have to talk all night and all day, if possible, that is an opening on Joe Manchin’s part for filibuster reform,” Hirono added.
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Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) says discussions about eliminating or changing the filibuster are heating up among Senate Democrats. pic.twitter.com/GxvpBw4qpm
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 9, 2021
Biden and the Democrats have learned their lesson
Democrats spent a lot of time during the Obama years courting Republicans in an attempt to win bipartisan support for major pieces of legislation, from the Recovery Act to Obamacare.
Each and every time, Republicans either delayed or weakened the bills before ultimately voting against them.
With razor-thin majorities in both the Senate and the House, President Biden and the Democrats have learned their lesson.
Biden sought Republican support for his COVID relief plan – a historically popular piece of legislation that will help millions of Americans – but he refused to let the GOP play political games with it.
As a result, Democrats quickly moved forward without Republicans and are now on the verge of passing landmark legislation that will tackle the pandemic, jolt the economy, and cut child poverty in half, among other things.
If Republicans couldn’t even bring themselves to support a COVID relief bill in the middle of an ongoing public health and economic crisis, it’s hard to imagine anything they would support as long as a Democrat is in the White House.
It’s no surprise, then, that a growing number of Democrats are open to tweaking the filibuster, or eliminating it altogether.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
