Joe Biden’s ‘preference’ is to leave filibuster intact: White House

The White House poured some cold water on possible changes to the Senate’s filibuster rules after Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, one of the Democratic party’s top defenders of the procedural tool, had signaled some possible wiggle room on the issue over the weekend.

“[The president’s] preference is not to make changes to the filibuster rules,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Monday. “He believes with the current structure that he can work with Democrats and Republicans to get work and business done.”

Ms. Psaki said President Biden speaks “regularly” with Mr. Manchin and that Mr. Biden is open to hearing ideas from him, but that the president’s “preference” is to leave the filibuster rules as they are.

Mr. Manchin signaled on Sunday that he might be willing to support changes, like requiring a senator to actually hold the floor in order to block legislation from moving forward in the Senate.

“If you want to make it a little bit more painful, make them stand there and talk, I’m willing to look at any way we can,” Mr. Manchin said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “But I am not willing to take away the involvement of the minority.”

Right now, the mere threat of a filibuster is oftentimes enough to derail major legislation from moving forward and grind the chamber to a halt.

It takes 60 votes to overcome a filibuster for most legislation. The Senate was operating under fast-track budget rules when the chamber passed Mr. Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package last week with a simple majority vote.

Many Democrats say that getting rid of the legislative filibuster is needed in order to advance major legislation on voting rights, climate change and gun control through what is currently a 50-50 split chamber.

The Senate, and not the White House, determines its own rules.

But Mr. Biden’s status as leader of both the Democratic Party and the country goes a long way in shaping how Capitol Hill Democrats operate.