Obstruction reform: Biden says he supports the return of the Senate obstruction rule

Obstruction reform: Biden says he supports the return of the Senate obstruction rule

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“I don’t think you have to remove the obstruction, you have to do what it used to be when I arrived in the Senate in the old days,” Biden told George Stephanopoulos of ABC News. “You had to get up and command the ground; you had to keep talking.”

“So you are in favor of this reform? Are you about to bring back the talking obstructionist?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“I am. This is what it should be,” replied Biden.

He added: “It’s getting to the point where, you know, democracy is having a hard time working.”

It is the first time that the president has expressed support for any change to the Senate’s rule of legislative obstruction, which requires 60 senators to vote to end debate over a bill. The measure aims to guarantee bipartisan support for legislation, but it generally serves as a barrier to popular bills that fail to get enough votes from the minority party. The rule can be changed with a simple majority of votes and the obstruction has already been marked in judicial appointments.

While the talking obstruction rule would still require 60 votes to end debate on a bill, it would halt all business in the Senate floor until the obstruction is closed. Current Senate rules allow other bills to be considered and voted on while a more controversial bill is obstructed.

In his interview with Stephanopoulos, Biden also told migrants not to come to the United States as a crisis unfolds on the country’s southwestern border – with thousands of unaccompanied children now in federal custody – and said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo , you should step down if investigations into allegations of sexual harassment prove to be true.

The president’s comments on the obstruction came after the White House repeatedly insisted that his preference was not to end the obstruction.

“His preference is not to end the obstruction. He wants to work with the Republicans, with the independents,” White House communications director Kate Bedingfield told CNN’s Jake Tapper in “State of the Union” earlier this month. “He believes that, you know, we are stronger when we build a broad support coalition.”
Some Democrats are pushing to end the 60-vote limit on legislative obstruction in order to pass legislation in the narrowly divided chamber. The move could have a major impact on Biden’s legislative agenda in a 50-50 Senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris being able to cast the tiebreaker vote in favor of the Democrats.

If Democrats changed the Senate rule, a unified caucus would be needed.

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, for the first time earlier this month, opened the door to weaken the obstruction, but he is still in favor of maintaining the 60-vote requirement, people familiar with his thinking told CNN.

Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky gave a severe warning on Tuesday about how Republicans would paralyze the chamber if Democrats changed the rules of obstruction. He said it would lead to a “completely scorched earth Senate”.

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