WASHINGTON – Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said he is ready to move forward with a power-sharing deal after two Democratic senators said they would not support an end to legislative obstruction, a central point for the Republican Party in the negotiations.
In a statement released on Monday, the Kentucky Republican said his concerns about the obstruction rule, which requires 60 votes to move most legislation forward, were allayed by comments by Sens Democrats. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, reaffirming their opposition to their elimination. His statements earlier in the day signaled that Democrats do not have the necessary votes to kill the obstruction unilaterally, as this would require all 50, plus Vice President Kamala Harris, to vote en bloc.
President Biden, who served for 36 years in the Senate, said during his presidential campaign that he preferred to preserve the obstruction unless the Republican Party’s resistance to its legislative agenda made its elimination necessary. Asked on Friday whether Biden is still opposed to removing the obstruction, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: “The president’s position has not changed.”
Democratic senators “agree with President Biden’s opinion and my opinion that no majority in the Senate should destroy the right of future minorities of both parties to help shape the legislation,” McConnell said in a statement late on Monday. . In his statement, he pointed to a 2001 agreement – the last time there was a 50-50 Senate – as a model for 2021.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D., NY) had already adopted this approach, which gave parties equal seats on committees and allowed nominees and bills to move forward, even if the committee’s vote was tied .