Today, Fix Our Senate released the following statement from spokesman Eli Zupnick on new reports that Senate Democrats will be turning to voting rights in a critical end-of-year push.
We’ve arrived at the key moment for Senate Democrats to finally address the outdated, abused filibuster before it’s too late to protect Americans’ voting rights and to safeguard our democracy. Here are key points to keep in mind:
In new comments to NBC reporter Julie Tsirkin, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) reiterated his openness to filibuster reforms in order to pass voting rights legislation.
Several articles highlight the growing threat to our democracy posed by President Trump and allies’ plans to potentially subvert the results of the next presidential election.
Following reporting that Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell are considering a temporary suspension of the legislative filibuster in order to raise the debt ceiling, Fix Our Senate spokesperson Eli Zupnick released the following statement:
A Grace Segers article in The New Republic, “Chuck Schumer’s Daunting Quest to ‘Restore the Senate’” highlights the growing consensus within the Senate Democratic caucus on the need to reform the filibuster to pass voting rights and democracy legislation.
A poll commissioned by Fix Our Senate and conducted by Global Strategy Group found that 43% of registered voters in West Virginia see the filibuster as a way to create more gridlock.
Unless Democrats take steps to reform or eliminate the filibuster, McConnell can use this obstructionist weapon to block the For the People Act
President Biden’s legislative ambitions face a crucial test in the narrowly divided Congress this month, with key Democratic senators signaling they want to pump the brakes.
Once obscure, the Senate filibuster is coming under fresh scrutiny not only because of the enormous power it gives a single senator to halt President Joe Biden’s agenda, but as a tool historically used for racism.
Gun control groups are joining the progressive fight to end the filibuster as the Senate voting rule threatens their goal of passing comprehensive gun reform.
"Historian of the 20th century South here. I dispute Mitch's statement. The filibuster has a ton of 'racial history.'"
This brief will explore the racist history of the filibuster, how it came to be used as it is today, and outline this history specifically through the lens of gun violence prevention, cataloging legislation that has been impeded by the use of the filibuster, obstructing progress toward safer communities and fewer needless tragedies.
The filibuster is a procedural tool of the Senate that delays or prevents a piece of legislation from being brought to a vote. It is a vestige of a deal made to appeal to segregationists and has historically been used to block passage of civil rights legislation.
