Thursday, January 28, 2021

Democrat Dream to End Filibuster Gets Crushed 
JANUARY 26, 2021

Moderate Democrat Senators including  Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have crushed Democrats’ hopes of ending the filibuster.

According to The Washington Free Beacon:

West Virginia senator Joe Manchin (D.) said he will defend the congressional filibuster despite pressure from liberal activists to abolish the legislative maneuver.

Manchin’s office told the Washington Free Beacon the senator’s opposition to eliminating the filibuster has not changed. Other moderate Democratic senators such as Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), and Chris Murphy (Conn.) have also expressed their support for the procedure despite internal pressure.

Manchin’s continued support for the filibuster affirms the stance he has taken since President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. The West Virginia senator has repeatedly said he opposes ending the filibuster, which would allow Senate lawmakers to enact legislation with a simple majority of votes. “I can assure you I will not vote to end the filibuster, because that would break the Senate,” he said. “We’ve harmed the Senate enough with the nuclear option on the judges…. The minority should have input—that’s the whole purpose for the Senate.”

After dual triumphs in the Georgia runoff elections, Democrats hold a narrow 50-50 majority in the Senate with Vice President Kamala Harris casting a tie-breaking vote. One defection from the party is all that is necessary to prevent the elimination of the filibuster.

Dick Durbin and Jim Clyburn are also on that list.

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