President Trump urged Senate Republicans to abolish the filibuster Tuesday to advance his stalled agenda, but the idea has virtually no support in Congress, and his agenda faces bigger problems than Democratic obstruction.
Mr. Trump made clear in a Twitter post his dissatisfaction with the pace in Congress.
“The U.S. Senate should switch to 51 votes, immediately, and get Healthcare and TAX CUTS approved, fast and easy. Dems would do it, no doubt!” tweeted the president.
Ending the filibuster entirely would dramatically alter the nature of the Senate, making it less deliberative and more like the House, where the whim of the majority reigns. The rule change, which Mr. Trump has repeatedly floated, has garnered virtually no support.
“The president in general finds it frustrating how the Senate operates,” said White House press secretary Sean Spicer. “We’ve got a pretty bold agenda.”
Mr. Trump’s agenda has been held up in Congress, and his nominations have been slow-walked by Senate Democrats. But his top priorities — replacing Obamacare and reforming the tax code — are not subject to filibusters.
Those two items could pass the Senate on a simple majority vote under current rules that don’t allow filibuster of certain budget-related bills, which is called a budget reconciliation process.
The opposition to his plans also is not entirely partisan.
While Mr. Trump’s agenda faces solid resistance from Democrats, it also is hobbled by rifts within the GOP.
Regardless, there is no appetite in the Senate to end the filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said so.
“It would fundamentally change the way the Senate has worked for a very long time,” the Kentucky Republican said earlier this month when Mr. Trump made a similar remark on Twitter. “We’re not going to do that.”
Mr. McConnell hasn’t changed his stance on the filibuster, his office said Tuesday.
“Sen. McConnell agrees that both health care and tax reform are essential, and that is why Republicans in Congress are using the reconciliation process to prevent a partisan filibuster of these two critical legislative agenda items,” said McConnell spokeswoman Antonia Ferrier.
In April, a bipartisan group of 61 senators sent a letter to the Senate leaders pledging to oppose elimination of the filibuster. That’s enough senators to block the rule change.
“We are writing to urge you to support our efforts to preserve existing rules, practices, and traditions as they pertain to the right of Members to engage in extended debate on legislation before the United States Senate,” said the letter. “Senators have expressed a variety of opinions about the appropriateness of limiting debate when we are considering judicial and executive branch nominations. Regardless of our past disagreements on that issue, we are united in our determination to preserve the ability of Members to engage in extended debate when bills are on the Senate floor.”
The letter was organized by Republican Sen. Susan M. Collins of Maine and Democratic Sen. Christopher A. Coons of Delaware.
Most legislation requires 60 votes to clear the filibuster hurdle in the 100-member Senate, where Republicans currently hold a 52-member majority.
When Democrats were in the majority, they used the so-called “nuclear option” to end the filibuster of judicial and executive nomination, excluding nomination to the Supreme Court. The rule change aided Mr. Trump in filling his cabinet.
The Republicans went nuclear as well in April, ending the filibuster to confirm Mr. Trump’s pick of Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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