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Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell Tuesday threatened to basically shut down a "post-nuclear Senate" as Democrats velocity towards a possible vote on altering the Senate's 60-vote filibuster within the subsequent week.
"I think it's appropriate to ask: What would the Senate look like in a post-nuclear world?" McConnell mentioned, referring to the "nuclear option" of making a brand new Senate precedent with simply 50 votes wanted to permit passage of laws.
"A post-nuclear Senate would not be more efficient or more productive. I personally guarantee it," McConnell additionally mentioned. "Do my colleagues understand how many times per day the Senate needs and gets unanimous consent for basic housekeeping? Do they understand how many things could require roll call votes? How often the minority could demand lengthy debate?"
This isn't the primary time McConnell made related threats on the filibuster situation. He made almost equivalent feedback early final 12 months when Democrats first took over the Senate and appeared able to push for an finish to the legislative filibuster. However these newest feedback come as Democrats seem extra severe about eliminating the filibuster than ever.
Senate Minority Chief Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., discusses Democrats proposed filibuster modifications at a press convention within the Russell Senate Workplace Constructing on Jan. 11, 2022. (Tyler Olson/Unique News)
SENATE REPUBLICANS BLAST SCHUMER, DEMS FOR ATTACKING FILIBUSTER THEY USED TO SUPPORT: ‘WHAT’S CHANGED?'
McConnell Tuesday additionally threatened to make use of the Senate's "Rule XIV," which permits any senator to put a invoice on the Senate's calendar, to hijack "the ability to set the agenda" within the Senate, which is "now exclusively in the hands of the majority."
That remark adopted a gap salvo on the problem Monday night time by which McConnell used Rule XIV to put a number of GOP payments on the calendar. Majority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who promised to deliver filibuster modifications up for a vote within the subsequent week if Republicans do not vote for Democrats' elections payments, responded by providing to vote on these payments at a simple-majority threshold if Democrats bought simple-majority votes on the elections payments.
A 12 months in the past through the revolt, folks tried to interrupt the electoral faculty. And now, Senate Democrats try to interrupt the Senate,
"Last night, you may have seen Senator McConnell try to Rule-14 18 gotcha amendments. He was trying to say, ‘See, Democrats, you're not going to like 50 votes,'" Schumer mentioned in a press convention Tuesday. "I challenged him and asked unanimous consent that we have 50 votes on those 18 plus the voting rights Act, the Freedom to Vote Act, and the John Lewis Act. And of course, he objected. So we're not afraid of 50 votes. We want 50 votes. And McConnell's gotcha activity didn't quite work."
MANCHIN AND SINEMA COULD SCUTTLE ANOTHER MAJOR DEMOCRAT EFFORT, THIS TIME ON THE FILIBUSTER AND ELECTIONS
However nonetheless, McConnell doubled down on his threats to retaliate if Democrats "break the Senate" by eliminating or lowering the power of the filibuster.
"A year ago during the insurrection, people tried to break the Electoral College. And now, Senate Democrats are trying to break the Senate," McConnell mentioned.
Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer of N.Y., waits to talk throughout an occasion to mark one 12 months because the U.S. Capitol revolt on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 6, 2022.
(AP Photograph/Susan Walsh, Pool)
"Our colleagues who are itching for a procedural nuclear winter have not even begun to contemplate how it would look," McConnell mentioned. "Our colleagues who are itching to drain every drop of collegiality from this body have not even begun to consider how that would work."
The 2 payments Schumer is demanding the Senate go are the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Development Act. They're virtually universally opposed by Republicans and subsequently almost sure to fail in the event that they're voted on with the filibuster in place.
There's been some chatter on Capitol Hill a few a lot narrower election reform effort — an overhaul of the Electoral Rely Act, the invoice that lays out how electoral votes are tallied. McConnell mentioned he is open to modifications on that, as a result of it is "actually related to what happened on Jan. 6 of 2021."
However it's not clear Democrats will go for that much-narrower reform once they have extra bold priorities — a minimum of for now.
Unique News' Marisa Schultz and Jared Halpern contributed to this report.
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