WASHINGTON – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he is ready to proceed with a power-sharing deal after two Democratic senators said they will not support ending the legislative filibuster, a central sticking point for the GOP in the talks.
In a statement released late Monday, the Kentucky Republican said his concerns about the filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes to pass most legislation, had been allayed by comments from Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin who affirmed their opposition to its abolition. Their statements earlier in the day indicated that Democrats do not have the votes necessary to unilaterally kill the filibuster, as all 50, plus Vice President Kamala Harris, must vote as a bloc to do so.
President Biden, who has served in the Senate for 36 years, said during his presidential campaign that he would rather keep the filibuster unless opposition from the GOP to his legislative agenda necessitated its elimination. When asked on Friday if Mr. Biden is still against eliminating the filibuster, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “The position of the president has not changed.”
Democratic senators “agree with President Biden’s view and my view that no majority of the senate should destroy the right of future minorities of both parties to help shape legislation,” Mr McConnell said in a Monday evening. statement. In his statement, he pointed to a 2001 agreement – the last time there was a 50-50 senate – as a model for 2021.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D., NY) had previously embraced that approach, giving the parties equal seats on committees and allowing nominees and bills to go to the floor even if the committee votes tied.