
Biden says filibuster is being abused, threatens to back changes if legislation stalls
Fox News
President Biden opened the door Thursday to reforming the filibuster to pass voting rights legislation and more if partisan gridlock prevents the Senate from moving on key legislation that he says is elemental to the functioning of democracy.
The Senate tradition requires 60 votes for most legislation to advance, which means Democrats would need GOP support for their top priorities this year -- including immigration reform, gun control, climate change and voting rights. Biden said Thursday he "strongly support[s]" reforming the silent filibuster to a "talking" filibuster where senators who want to block legislation would have to hold the floor by talking endlessly. He cited statistics that there were just 58 motions to break a filibuster from 1917 to 1971, but just last year, there were "five times that many."More Related News