WASHINGTON – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he is ready to move forward with a power-sharing deal after two Democratic senators said they would not support ending the legislative filibuster, a central point for the GOP in talks.
In a statement released Monday, the Kentucky Republican said his concerns about the filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes for a majority of legislation to move forward, were allayed by Democratic comments Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, reaffirming their opposition compared to its elimination. Their statements earlier in the day showed that Democrats do not have the necessary votes to kill the unilateral filibuster, as this would require all 50 of them, plus Vice President Kamala Harris, to vote en bloc.
President Biden, who has served in the Senate for 36 years, said during his presidential campaign that he would prefer to keep the filibuster, unless the GOP’s resistance to its legislative agenda made removal necessary. Asked on Friday whether Mr Biden still opposes the elimination of the filibuster, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: “The president’s position has not changed.”
Democratic senators “agree with President Biden and my view that no majority in the Senate should destroy the right of future minorities on both sides to help shape legislation,” McConnell said in a statement Monday night. In his statement, he indicated a 2001 agreement – the last time there was a 50-50 Senate – as a model for 2021.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., NY) previously adopted this approach, which gave parties equal seats on committees and allowed candidates and bills to advance, even if the committee vote was equal.