Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said this week that if Senate Democrats revive the talking filibuster in an effort to weaken the rule’s power as a tool of endless obstruction, he would speak until he “fell over” to try to block passage of a major expansion of voting rights as well as legislation aiming to protect LGBTQ people […]
“That’s what it was supposed to be.” President Joe Biden for the first time on Tuesday endorsed significantly overhauling the legislative filibuster by requiring senators who wish to obstruct to hold the floor and speak continuously, a major departure from the current no-show filibuster that allows lawmakers to tank bills with minimal effort. Previously averse to filibuster […]
“We have the opportunity to give hope to the American people and restore faith in our government by telling them that… we understand the pain that they are experiencing and we are gonna do something very significant about it,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders. Following more than 14 hours of votes on nonbinding Republican amendments that often had […]
“McConnell engaged in the most blatant, ridiculous act of obstructionism imaginable, and instead of telling him that if he kept it up, they’d take that power from him, key Dems reassured him that they’d never take that power from him.” After holding up a must-pass organizing resolution and delaying Democrats’ takeover of the Senate for […]
“McConnell is already abusing the filibuster to block the constitution of the new majority. Nuking the filibuster is the appropriate response.” In an early effort to keep the GOP in a position to cripple President Joe Biden’s agenda, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is threatening to block a must-pass organizing resolution that establishes the rules for the […]
“The sheer scale of Wednesday’s Democratic surrender was truly a sight to behold. And it probably ended the chance for more immediate aid to millions of Americans facing eviction, starvation, and bankruptcy.” After Senate Republicans repeatedly stymied a Sen. Bernie Sanders-led effort to force a clean up-or-down vote on $2,000 direct payments, dozens of Democrats late Wednesday […]
“The House must pass this legislation tomorrow and the Senate must quickly follow suit. Let’s get this done—NOW!” After President Donald Trump belatedly signed a $900 billion coronavirus relief package into law late Sunday, Democratic lawmakers and Sen. Bernie Sanders turned their attention to an upcoming vote on stand-alone legislation that would increase the one-time […]
“You have to be all sorts of twisted to think ‘making poor people more comfortable’ is a bad thing.” The grassroots organization People for Bernie on Tuesday advised the Democratic Party to take a page from an unlikely source—right-wing Vice President Mike Pence—after Pence told a rally crowd in Florida that progressives and Democrats “want to […]
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will campaign next Tuesday in the southern state of Georgia for two Democratic Senate candidates involved in crucial runoff elections next month that will determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate during the first two years of Biden’s presidency. Biden said Thursday he will appear with the candidates — investigative […]