President Biden told ABC News on Tuesday that he supports reforming the Senate obstruction rule to require lawmakers to speak to the Senate floor to delay the passage of a bill.
Why does it matter: It is the first time that the president has publicly supported action on the rule after the White House has said for several weeks that he opposes the total removal of the obstruction.
Context: Progressives have been lobbying the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.), to break the 60-vote limit in the House to pass major legislation on issues such as climate change and voting rights.
- Removing the obstruction would significantly limit the power of the minority party, which uses the procedural rule to delay or block the legislative action it opposes.
What they are saying: Asked if he would have to choose between preserving the obstruction and advancing his government’s agenda, Biden said: “I don’t think you have to remove the obstruction – you have to do what it used to be when I started the Senate in the old days. “
- “You had to get up and command the ground, you had to keep talking,” said Biden, adding that he would support making it a requirement.
- “This is what it should be. It is getting to the point where, you know, democracy is having a hard time functioning,”
The big picture: Biden is defending the same reform as Senator Joe Manchin (DW.V.), who told Axios on HBO that he supports “a little pain” for senators who want to obstruct and opposes a simple majority in the chamber.
- Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Again warned Democrats on Tuesday that removing legislative obstruction would “break the Senate” and turn the camera into a “100-car pileup” where chaos reigns.