by Jorge Gomez • 3 minutes
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York recently introduced the so-called “No Kings Act,” a bill that could destroy the judicial power the Constitution grants the U.S. Supreme Court.
But if attacking one of the Court’s most important powers wasn’t alarming enough, Schumer also appears ready to destroy the filibuster. According to Politico, he said in a recent interview that bypassing the legislative filibuster is an option for some pieces of high-profile legislation.
“We came close last time, as you remember, we couldn’t change the rules,” Schumer said about his party’s prior attempts to either alter or completely get rid of the filibuster. “But I think there would be a consensus in my caucus to try and do that.”
Shortly before the Senate left for its August recess, Schumer was asked whether he’d nuke the filibuster in some way in order to get his legislative agenda through over the next few months. He told NBC News that he wouldn’t “speculate,” but that his party was “looking at everything.”
“This year’s elections will decide not only the Senate’s composition, but also the institution’s character and, hence, the tenor of politics,” writes George Will in an op-ed for The Washington Post. “If you think this tenor could not get worse, wait until a Democratic-controlled Senate, acting impatiently on a slender majority, at last abolishes the legislative filibuster.”
“Ending the filibuster would be wrong,” adds Will, arguing that this key legislative norm was designed to prevent tyranny by the majority. “The filibuster implements the Constitution’s premise that minorities shall not be at the mercy of ‘the wantonness of power.’”
Elaine Mallon at the Washington Examiner thinks Schumer is closer than ever to busting the longstanding Senate rule.
“That prospect may be closer to reality, as Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Joe Manchin (I-WV) were two members of Schumer’s caucus who refused to change the rule and are not running for reelection,” Mallon writes.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says abolishing the filibuster is a top area of concern if Democrats win the election. “The first thing they’ll do is get rid of the filibuster,” he said at the National Conference of State Legislators Legislative Summit earlier this month. McConnell also said he fears a change in the filibuster could embolden the far Left and politicians to pack the Supreme Court.
Vice President Kamala Harris has previously said she would consider getting rid of the filibuster. “During her failed 2020 presidential campaign, she called for abolishing it to pass aggressive new policies,” NBC News reports. “But she has been quiet about it in this race.”
The filibuster is an essential part of our legislative process—a necessary guardrail that protects religious freedom and our God-given rights from being taken away at a moment’s notice.
The Founders designed the Senate to be more deliberative and to move more slowly than the House of Representatives. The filibuster rule used to lead to extended sessions of speech-making, prolonging debate in an effort to delay or stop a bill from moving forward. In more recent times, the Senate decided to keep the process moving by requiring a 60-vote majority to end debate and bring a bill to a final up-or-down-vote.
Schumer and other politicians want to change that threshold to a simple majority.
If the filibuster is “reformed” or removed, it would destroy the Founders’ vision for the Senate and open the floodgates to far-reaching legislation, policies and even radical changes to the Constitution. Destructive measures would likely pass very quickly—including court-packing, which would destroy judicial independence and the rule of law in America.
Learn More:
First Liberty: Radical Left Spending $10 Million to End Filibuster & Rebuild Supreme Court
First Liberty: Senators Introduce Bill that Could Destroy Supreme Court’s Constitutional Authority
First Liberty: Eliminate the Filibuster and America Could Quickly Descend into Tyranny
Related News:
New York Post: Opinion | Chuck Schumer potentially eliminating the filibuster is the key to a radical agenda
Washington Stand: Schumer Resurrects Filibuster Fight to Torch Senate Rules
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: Schumer Threatens to Nuke The Senate Once Again
Townhall: Schumer May Take Aim at Legislative Filibuster in 2025 Over These Issues
NBC News: Chuck Schumer outlines 2025 agenda if Democrats sweep, eying filibuster changes
Washington Post: Opinion | Giving Democrats a clear Senate majority is a very bad idea
Washington Examiner: Schumer signals Supreme Court blitz is coming if Democrats win big in November
Newsweek: Mitch McConnell Outlines His Three Fears if Kamala Harris Wins
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