Eli Zupnick of Fix Our Senate: “People across the country put Democrats in charge, not Senator Mitch McConnell or an unelected parliamentarian.”
WASHINGTON, DC — Last night, the Senate parliamentarian ruled against the inclusion of immigration provisions in the budget reconciliation package.
While the ruling does not signal the end of the prospects of enacting immigration reforms this year—Senate Majority Leader Schumer indicated Senate Democrats have “prepared alternate proposals and will be holding additional meetings with the Senate parliamentarian in the coming days”—it is another indication of a fundamentally broken Senate with the filibuster center-stage in that breakdown.
The following is a statement from Eli Zupnick, spokesman for Fix Our Senate:
“The Parliamentarian’s ruling is the latest reminder of how the filibuster stands in the way of progress – on immigration and many issues that have popular support with the American people and unanimous support across the Democratic caucus. To circumvent a Republican filibuster on immigration and other top priority issues, Senate Democrats are forced to jam them into a reconciliation package and hope the parliamentarian allows them to proceed.
“As immigration advocate Frank Sharry of Fix Our Senate member organization America's Voice noted last night, 'With no disrespect to the role of the Parliamentarian, let’s be clear: this is a helluva way to run a democracy.’
“People across the country put Democrats in charge, not Senator Mitch McConnell or an unelected parliamentarian. Barring a breakthrough on Democrats’ alternate proposals, we can add immigration to the list of priorities on which Democrats must choose between keeping the filibuster or delivering on the progress and promises they made to the American people.”