Trump Calls On Senate To Move Legislation ‘Fast And Easy’
" ... I don’t think that’s the right way to do it."
Reflecting his impatience with Capitol Hill protocols that take longer than he wants to get results, President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for the Senate to no longer allow the filibuster and move all votes to a simple majority.
“The U.S. Senate should switch to 51 votes, immediately, and get Healthcare and TAX CUTS approved, fast and easy. Dems would do it, no doubt!” Trump tweeted.
Trump has shown his disdain for the time-honored institution of the filibuster before.
“The reason for the plan negotiated between the Republicans and Democrats is that we need 60 votes in the Senate which are not there! We either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51 percent. Our country needs a good ‘shutdown’ in September to fix mess!” he wrote in a May 2 tweet.
At the time, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., indicated the filibuster, which allows senators to hold the floor so that no other business happens until enough votes are reached to cut off the filibuster, will remain a Senate fixture.
“There is an overwhelming majority on a bipartisan basis not interested in changing the way the Senate operates on the legislative calendar,” he said.
Some senators said they can move Trump’s agenda without destroying Senate precedents.
“I know it’s frustrating, particularly for somebody who wants to get things done. There are a lot of things that are the president’s priorities that are my priorities, but I don’t think that’s the right way to do it,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.
Budget bills require a 60-vote majority to pass, which gives the Senate’s minority party leverage in determining what gets spent.
However, through a process called reconciliation, the Senate could pass an ObamaCare repeal bill and tax reform using reconciliation, which means Republicans do not need 60 votes, only 51 votes. Because Republicans hold 52 seats, they would not need Democratic votes.
However, Republicans have not yet coalesced behind any single vision for overhauling Obamacare or reforming taxes.
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