Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who is challenging Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to be the next Senate majority leader, said Friday he wants to abolish the filibuster and ruled out a potential presidential run in 2028.
Van Hollen, speaking to reporters at the What’s Next conference in Denver, argued that legislation should pass the Senate with simple-majority votes and that the filibuster, which requires senators to muster 60 votes to pass most legislation, is “undemocratic.”
“My personal opinion is that we need democracy in the United States Senate and that means allowing ultimately a majority of senators to answer the call of the American people, so that means 51 votes,” Van Hollen said.
“My personal view has been all along that the filibuster is an antidemocratic — small ‘d’ — provision. It’s not in our Constitution. It was put in there by senators to enhance their power over the power of the people,” he added.
Oh I agree to that. My issues is that the senate itself is so arcane that there is a low chance that dems will hold it…:which means removing the filibuster benefits republicans more than democrats. WY gets the same two votes as CA despite huge population differences. I don’t know what the solution is but I have a fear of a republican senate majority that no longer has to worry about the filibuster.
Depends who is holding the leadership. Under McConnel as majority leader we saw them abandon any attempt at a legislative agenda item her than tax reform through reconciliation. Not that Democratic filibusters held them at bay, but McConnell just wasn’t allowing any non-reconcilliation bills.
And, in reality it’s just a rule change that is voted on by a majority. If they have the majority and a determination to pass some dumb shit, they can just get rid of the filibuster right then and there.