The Senate’s Coming Crisis Over Majority Rule

Ron Brownstein: “The quick turn by Biden and congressional Democrats toward reliance on the special ‘reconciliation’ procedure for passing their Covid-19 ‘rescue’ package with only 51 Senate votes underscores their conviction that in today’s highly polarized environment, they are unlikely to secure support for anything close to their plan from 10 Senate Republicans, the number they would need to break a GOP filibuster.”

“Yet by relying on the reconciliation process to pass that priority, Democrats may only raise more questions about whether they should sustain other venerable Senate procedures — including the filibuster and deference to home state senators on judicial nominations — that impede majority rule and provide the minority a virtual veto on many fronts.”

“Though the Senate has trimmed back rules that empower the minority party to block the majority, it has not completely eliminated procedures such as the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to pass most legislation, or the ‘blue slip’ system that has allowed senators from the opposite party to veto judicial nominations in their home states.”