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WASHINGTON – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he is ready to move forward with a power-sharing deal after two Democratic senators said they would not support ending the legislative obstruction, a central sticking point for the GOP in the talks.
In a statement released Monday evening, the Kentucky Republican said his concerns about the filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes for most laws to move forward, were assuaged by comments from Democrats Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin reaffirming their opposition to its elimination. Their statements earlier today indicated that Democrats do not have the votes necessary to unilaterally kill the filibuster because it would require all 50, plus Vice President Kamala Harris, to vote en bloc.
President Biden, who served 36 years in the Senate, has said during his presidential campaign that he would prefer to preserve filibuster unless GOP resistance to his legislative agenda makes its elimination necessary. Asked on Friday whether Mr. Biden still opposes the elimination of the filibuster, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: “The president’s position has not exchange.
Democratic senators “agree with President Biden and my view that no Senate majority should destroy the right of future minorities from both parties to help shape legislation,” McConnell said in a statement. Monday evening. In his statement, he mentioned a 2001 accord – the last time there was a 50-50 Senate – as a model for 2021.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., NY) had previously taken this approach, which gave parties equal seats on committees and allowed candidates and bills to advance to the floor even if a vote in committee was equal.
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