The Case For Filibuster Reform

Democratic Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico, a leading voice in the effort to reform the filibuster, makes the case in today’s Washington Post. Udall will introduce ways to fix the system. Among the problems:

Up-or-down votes on important issues have been unreasonably delayed or blocked entirely at the whim of a single senator. In the past two years alone, more than 400 House-passed bills went unnoticed by the Senate. Stalled judicial and executive nominations left more key government posts vacant longer than during any other period in our country’s history. We couldn’t even properly fund the government.

What Udall is advocating is rules reform which would make it easier to get rid of the filibuster in its current form. If senators actually had to filibuster rather than just get away with the threat of one, more actual work would be accomplished.

With reform, we will ensure that all senators have a full and fair opportunity to debate legislation, offer amendments and evaluate nominees. We will respect the Senate’s unique history of unfettered debate and ensure that the minority’s voice is heard. But we also will prevent the chamber’s rules from being manipulated to allow a small minority to silently obstruct the will of the majority.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.