Debt fight revives Democrats’ filibuster angst – By Jordain Carney (The Hill) / Oct 1 2021
An entrenched stalemate over the debt ceiling is reopening Senate Democratic wounds over their inability to change the filibuster.
The high-stakes battle, which could lead to dire economic consequences, has thrust the longstanding Senate rule back into Washington’s vocabulary. Both White House press secretary Jen Psaki and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) fielded questions this week about changing the 60-vote requirement needed for most legislation to pass.
Senate Democrats, despite growing support on Capitol Hill and pressure from liberal activists, have been unable to unify their caucus over nixing or changing the rule, with the nation’s borrowing limit the latest item to run into the procedural buzzsaw, which requires GOP support for most bills.
“At some point a day of reckoning comes. And some people who don’t support filibuster reform will finally say, ‘Well, we need to accomplish all of these things for the American people, and if this self-imposed rule is stopping us … we can be clear eyed and we need to do filibuster reform,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), who favors changing the rule.
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