Senate Rules Committee Chairman Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) will hold hearings this month on possible changes to the filibuster rule to address what Democrats deem as Republican obstruction.
Charles Schumer (Gov)
Democratic leaders have complained since last year that Republicans have made it difficult for the Senate to consider bills and nominations — including some for Justice Department positions - in a timely fashion. The Democrats said they had to file for cloture to end debate on several nominations and bills because Republicans rebuffed time agreements on debate.
If there isn’t a time agreement, the Senate must vote to end debate, a procedure known as invoking cloture, which requires 60 votes in order to move to a nomination or legislation. The cloture process is time-consuming and in some cases takes several days. In addition, Democrats do not currently have a filibuster-proof majority, as there are only 59 members in their caucus after Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown was elected in January.
“[Filibuster reform] is something we are very serious about,” Schumer said Wednesday at a summit for progressive reporters, according to Talking Points Memo.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told the reporters Wednesday that the spitball in baseball, like the filibuster, did not receive many complaints but “the ball got wetter and wetter,” according to TPM. He said filibuster rules will probably have to change.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), a proponent of filibuster reform, drafted a proposal in January to change filibuster rules. Any changes to Senate rules must pass the body by a two-thirds vote.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has pointed to stalled several DOJ nominees, including Dawn Johnsen for the Office of Legal Counsel, Mary L. Smith for the Tax Division and Christopher Schroeder for the Office of Legal Policy, as examples of Republican obstruction.
The nominees waited several months for votes in the Senate last year before they were returned to the White House in December. The three were re-nominated in January and are again awaiting votes on the Senate floor.
Republicans maintain they are not blocking nominations and that the Senate Democratic leadership could bring nominees up for votes at any time.
