Sens. Udall, Harkin and Merkley: We must reform the Senate
The three Senators who introduced the Senate rules reform package -- Tom Udall, Tom Harkin, and Jeff Merkley -- explained the need for passage to members of the press this morning.
Senator Merkley pointed out that there were 44 filibusters in the two years prior to the last major Senate rules reform effort in 1975, whereas in 2010 there were 135 filibusters. He continued:
If we step back, this is about restoring the senate as a deliberative body so it can do the work it's required and expected to do under the Constitution."
The 111th Session of Congress was historically unproductive in the Senate, according to Sen. Udall. He pointed to the lack of a budget bill, the minimum number of authorizations issued for the major departments, and over 400 bills that passed through the House of Representatives but were not addressed by the Senate.
Concluding the call, Senator Harkin explained why we can't afford to employ the current system any longer:
The filibuster has become a means whereby the minority of the Senate dictates what the Senate can and cannot do. We have stood democracy on its head. The majority has responsibility, but not the power, to enact legislation...A small minority gets to decide what happens in this country.
The Washington Post's Greg Sargent called the Senators argument an "eloquent case for filibuster reform." You can listen to the full audio of the call below.
