Durbin: Senate should consider changes to filibuster

A senior Democratic senator indicated Sunday that he believed his party should consider scrapping the Senate’s filibuster rule if Republicans prove unwilling to compromise on legislation pursued by the Biden administration.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the majority whip, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that “of course” Democrats would consider changing the filibuster rule that requires most legislation to reach 60 votes to pass the chamber should the Senate be paralyzed by GOP efforts to oppose Biden’s agenda.

“The American people want us to take action, action on this pandemic, action on this economy and on a host of other issues, and if this filibuster has become so common in the Senate that we can’t act, that we just sit there helpless, shame on us. Of course we should consider a change in the rule under those circumstances,” said Durbin.

“But let’s see. Let’s see if we can initiate a real bipartisan dialogue and get something done. That’s the bottom line,” Durbin added.

His remarks came following Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) rejection of a plan for sharing power submitted by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) this week over McConnell’s insistence that Democrats agree not to scrap the filibuster, which Schumer called “unacceptable.”

In order to change the rule, Democrats would require the support of every member of their caucus, including several members who have already indicated their opposition to doing so such as centrist West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D).

Calls to end the filibuster rule among the progressive left and even members of House leadership have grown in recent weeks as Democrats have urged Biden to act quickly with legislation to address the COVID-19 pandemic.