The filibuster

Dear Friend,

I cannot support the continued abuse of the filibuster in the United States Senate. This procedural tactic was created to encourage debate and bipartisan deliberation. But in current practice, it has proven to achieve the complete opposite. The roadblock created by the filibuster has prevented the Senate from taking up meaningful action or even debate on so many important issues--at the detriment of the American people.

The filibuster is not what some folks might imagine it to be based on movies like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. In today's Senate, if one senator just threatens to use the filibuster, popular legislation that has majority support--but not 60 out of 100 votes--dies without any debate. We must change this. The filibuster should be abolished or, at the very least, reformed to force senators who have objections to physically hold the floor to extend debate and tell the American people why they are standing in the way of the Senate's consideration of a bill.

Too often in our nation's history, the filibuster has been used to block our country's continued march toward equality. It was the favored tactic of segregationist Southern senators who banded together as a minority in the Senate to block civil rights, voting rights, and anti-lynching laws in the era of Jim Crow. Today, the filibuster remains the obstacle standing in the way of the Senate passing immigration reform, climate legislation, gun safety measures, and protections for LGBTQ Americans.

Right now, Georgia state legislators are attempting to pass laws that would prevent Black voters from participating in our elections. Let's call this what it is: a racist attempt to steal future elections. We have the legislation to stop this. The House of Representatives has already passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which would strengthen ethics and campaign finance laws and restore voting rights to Americans targeted by efforts like those in Georgia. We will never be able to pass this important bill to strengthen our democracy until the Senate reforms or abolishes the filibuster.

This is not an arcane or abstract debate over rules. It has real consequences on people's lives. If the Senate wants to become a legislative body that delivers for the American people, it needs to finally confront the filibuster.