Following today’s failed vote to change the Senate rules and institute a talking filibuster, Fix Our Senate released the following statement from spokesman Eli Zupnick.
“We are deeply disappointed that two Senate Democrats and every Senate Republican prioritized an outdated and abused Senate rule over the urgent need to protect voting rights and our democracy. This is a sad day for our democracy and a major victory for Republicans attacking voting rights across the country and using the filibuster to defend those attacks in the United States Senate.
“Leader Schumer’s proposed rules changes would have implemented common-sense reforms to address Sen. McConnell’s egregious abuse of the filibuster and taken important steps toward fixing the broken Senate. Senate Democrats used the same process for reforming Senate rules that Sen. McConnell used in 2017 to eliminate the filibuster on Supreme Court nominees and in 2019 to reduce debate time for President Trump’s nominees. To be very clear: A vote against these reforms was a vote for the broken status quo and continued gridlock and obstruction.
“Despite this setback, it has never been clearer that the filibuster is a dead rule walking. Forty-eight Senate Democrats support reform. President Biden, a long-time supporter of the filibuster, now supports reform. Every Democrat running for Senate, from moderates to progressives, supports reform. Millions of people across the country now understand that the filibuster is broken and that preserving it is a choice that guarantees inaction on so many of the promises Democrats made to voters. The filibuster has been eliminated for budget and tax issues, nominees, and now the debt limit. And anyone who thinks that Sen. McConnell will preserve the filibuster for other legislation the moment it’s in his interest to eliminate it simply hasn’t been paying attention. As the late Leader Reid said, it’s not a matter of if the filibuster will be eliminated, but when – and who is in charge when that happens.
“Today was a tough day but this fight is far from over. The filibuster remains a brick wall blocking progress not only on voting rights and democracy-protection, but also on the minimum wage, gun safety legislation, reproductive and LGBTQ rights, immigration reform, and so much more – and people across the country are going to continue standing up and fighting for reform.”