Democrats are debating Vice President Kamala Harris’s recent call to end the legislative filibuster practice in order to protect reproductive rights, with some prominent senators warning that changing the rule “for one thing” will inevitably lead to changes in every area of law-making.
Harris made her stance clear during a Tuesday segment on Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR), Breitbart News reported. I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe,” she said, adding that it was essential to have protections for reproductive freedom in place. Interestingly, when she served as a California senator back in 2017, she had signed a letter pledging to support the Senate’s use of the filibuster.
This recent call from Harris has sparked concern among several current Senate Democrats. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) told The Hill that such changes should be approached cautiously because “what goes around comes around.” He pointed out how reducing the minimum threshold for approving district and circuit court judges in 2013 had backfired on the Democrats when the Republicans lowered it further to include Supreme Court justices, leading to a conservative majority on the court.
Reed explained that before the 60-vote de-facto threshold created by the filibuster was reduced, only highly qualified and more centrist candidates could be confirmed for the Supreme Court. Now, he feels that it would be better to try and get 60 votes in order to pass a national law protecting women’s reproductive freedom rather than changing the Senate rules.
Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) also expressed his hesitation about abolishing the filibuster, saying he would prefer to work with Republicans first. He believes that there is a reasonable chance of gathering 60 votes in order to pass such legislation, making it more durable and less likely to be changed with each change in government.
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), known as an outspoken advocate for abortion rights, also stopped short of agreeing with Harris’s call to end the filibuster. However, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) implied that the practice is making Senate proceedings inefficient and slowing down progress on key issues.
Senators Krysten Sinema (AZ) and Joe Manchin (WV), both independents after leaving the Democrat party, are the “two biggest” proponents for keeping the filibuster in place among Democrats. However, their terms will end after 2024, which could lead to further changes in the Senate’s stance on the issue.
Another Democratic senator, speaking anonymously, expressed concern that changing the filibuster rules “for one thing” would inevitably open the door to changes in all areas of legislation, rendering it impossible to “carve out” exceptions only for issues supported by the Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who was thwarted in 2022 when he attempted to make an exception to the filibuster in order to pass a voting rights bill, declined to say whether he supports Harris’s call to fight against it specifically for abortion rights but did state that the party would debate reforming the practice next year if they retain a majority of seats.