Filibuster

Eric Boehm | 11.12.2024 12:35 PM

Three years ago, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D–Wash.) and nearly 100 of her House colleagues signed a letter urging top Democrats in the Senate to take radical action.

"This is an existential moment for our country," Jayapal and the other House Democrats wrote. "We cannot let a procedural tool that can be abolished stand in the way of justice, prosperity, and equity."

That procedural tool? The filibuster, which requires 60 voters for the Senate to pass most legislation—except for judicial nominations and some budget bills. The filibuster rule, those House Democrats argued in 2021, was preventing Congress from preventing the Senate from "advancing critical legislation that can meet the needs of the people we represent."

It's a good thing the Senate Democrats didn't listen.

In the aftermath of last week's election, Republicans appear poised to have full control of the federal government starting in January. (Control of the House remains uncertain, but a slim GOP majority seems likely even though........

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