{"id":2330842,"date":"2024-08-26T07:14:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T11:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-bills-harris-would-sign-and-how-the-filibuster-might-stop-her-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-26T07:20:18","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T11:20:18","slug":"what-bills-harris-would-sign-and-how-the-filibuster-might-stop-her-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-bills-harris-would-sign-and-how-the-filibuster-might-stop-her-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"What bills Harris would sign \u2014 and how the filibuster might stop her &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhat-bills-harris-would-sign-and-how-the-filibuster-might-stop-her-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2330842&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217;s \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-pete-stauber-introduces-legislation-to-block-federal-coronavirus-funds-for-basic-income-programs\/\" title=\"Rep. Pete Stauber Introduces Legislation to Block Federal Coronavirus Funds for Basic Income Programs\">proposed legislative agenda<\/a> if she\u200b becomes president,\u200c highlighting key areas such as the codification of Roe v. Wade, immigration reforms, and voting \u2063rights bills. However, it emphasizes the significant \u200bobstacle presented by\u200b the Senate filibuster, \u2064which requires 60 votes to pass most legislation.\u2064 The Democrats currently hold a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mitch-mcconnells-betrayal-hurts-the-nation-goodwin\/\" title=\"Mitch McConnell\u2019s betrayal hurts the nation\">slim majority<\/a> and face challenges in \u2063maintaining this with upcoming retirements and \u200ccompetitive\u2062 seats.<\/p>\n<p>Harris&#8217;s outline\u200c reflects continuity with President Joe Biden&#8217;s\u2063 past policies, but\u2062 Democrats will need to reconsider the\u200b filibuster rules\u2062 to implement her agenda \u2063effectively.\u2064 Senate Majority Leader Chuck \u2063Schumer has indicated that exceptions may\u2064 be sought for critical issues like abortion and voting rights, but there\u2064 is indecision\u200d among other \u2062senators\u2064 regarding the potential changes to the filibuster.<\/p>\n<p>The article also notes that both parties have previously modified filibuster \u2062rules\u200d to serve their needs, leading\u2062 to\u2062 current tensions\u2064 where \u2064Republicans portray attempts to change the filibuster as a\u200d threat to\u200c bipartisanship and\u2063 institutional\u200d integrity in\u2063 the\u200d Senate. As \u200bthe elections approach, Republican candidates are seizing on this issue to rally support \u2063against their Democratic opponents.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">What bills Harris would sign as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-joy-reid-compare-trump-surviving-a-shooting-to-biden-surviving-covid-in-a-wild-segment\/\" title=\"Watch Joy Reid compare Trump surviving a shooting to Biden surviving COVID in a wild segment\">president &#038;mdash<\/a>; and how the filibuster might stop her<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1736225\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Vice President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kamala Harris<\/a> has begun to outline the legislation she would sign if elected president &mdash; but Democrats have their sights equally set on one of the biggest obstacles to passing those bills: the Senate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/filibuster\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>filibuster<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>At the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-national-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Democratic National Convention<\/a> on Thursday night, Harris listed several pieces of legislation that she would support if passed in Congress. She mentioned Senate Democrats&rsquo; attempt to codify <em>Roe v. Wade<\/em> into law, a failed immigration deal, plus two voting rights bills.<\/p>\n<p>Her speech reflects a continuation of the agenda Joe Biden pursued in his four years as president. But Democrats will have to do more than win a trifecta in Washington, D.C., if they hope to deliver on Harris&rsquo;s promises.<\/p>\n<p>They will need to overcome the filibuster, a legislative hurdle that two retiring Democrats-turned-independents did not allow their party to eliminate even though it had a majority in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Senate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Senate<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Senate&rsquo;s 60-vote requirement to pass nearly all legislation, rather than a simple majority, is a threshold that used to be higher but was reduced to its current level in 1975. It stands as one of the most effective tools of the minority party.<\/p>\n<p>In the most plausible winning scenario for Democrats, they come away from November with a 50-50 majority. The current makeup is 51-49.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats are poised to lose <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/West-Virginia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>West Virginia<\/a> with the retirement of Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV), one of two former Democrats to support the filibuster, while the party controls another eight competitive seats up for reelection. The path to maintaining their majority is uphill, with Democrats needing to run the table on the battleground races.<\/p>\n<p>But the retirements of Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), the other Democratic obstacle to the filibuster&rsquo;s elimination, mean the caucus has its best chance yet to remove the Senate rule if they do win.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), the Democrat running to succeed Sinema in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Arizona\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Arizona<\/a>, for example, supports filibuster &ldquo;reform.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The degree to which other Democrats would be willing to alter the rule stands to be seen. <br \/>Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) expressed optimism at the DNC that changes would be made, telling reporters he would seek exceptions to the filibuster for abortion access and voting rights.&nbsp;But there may be other Democratic senators uncomfortable with the so-called nuclear option.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is vital to democracy,&rdquo; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2024\/08\/22\/kamala-harris-voting-rights-legislation-senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>told the<\/a> <em>Washington Post<\/em>. &ldquo;This is not just another extraneous issue. This is the wellspring of it all.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It wouldn&rsquo;t be the first time either party modified the filibuster, but it would be for legislative purposes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With a simple majority, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) lowered the threshold for Supreme Court nominations in 2017, allowing Republicans to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch. The move came in the years after then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) lowered the threshold for all lower court and executive branch nominees.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Republicans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Republicans<\/a> have honed in on Schumer&rsquo;s bullish predictions to warn that Democrats are a threat to a core institutional feature of the Senate that forces bipartisanship.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>McConnell&rsquo;s office assailed filibuster changes as an &ldquo;infamous power grab that would severely undermine our constitutional order.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Republican candidates in battleground Senate races are also taking note, highlighting the issue on the campaign trail against their Democratic opponents.<\/p>\n<p>In Pennsylvania, Republican Dave McCormick said Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Harris want to get rid of the filibuster &ldquo;to impose their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-campaign-responds-to-kamalas-vp-selection-by-using-tim-walzs-own-words-against-him\/\" title=\"Trump Campaign Responds to Kamala&#039;s VP Selection by Using Tim Walz&#039;s Own Words Against Him\">dangerously liberal agenda<\/a> on Pennsylvania and America.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In Arizona, Republican <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Kari-Lake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Kari Lake<\/a>, running against Gallego, said she &ldquo;always admired the courage [Sinema] showed in putting country over party to preserve the filibuster.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Democrats are leveling similar warnings about former President Donald Trump, though the preservation of the filibuster is not part of their electoral argument.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He and his allies would limit access to birth control, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-doj-launches-task-force-to-try-to-protect-abortion\/\" title=\"Biden DOJ Launches \u201cTask Force\u201d to Try to Protect Abortion\">ban medication abortion<\/a>, and enact a nationwide abortion ban, with or without Congress,&rdquo; Harris said of Trump in her DNC speech.&nbsp;The former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/president\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>president<\/a> has denied the Democrats&rsquo; claims.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans have eyed another legislative maneuver to enact their agenda, using what is known as reconciliation to pass a series of budget-related provisions, likely centered on taxes, with only 51 votes. It&rsquo;s a mechanism Democrats used in 2022 to pass the Inflation Reduction Act.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1736225\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1736225\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vice President Kamala Harris has started to detail the legislation she would endorse if she becomes president, but Democrats are also focused on a significant barrier to enacting those laws: the Senate filibuster. During her speech at the Democratic National Convention, Harris highlighted several legislative initiatives she would support if they were approved by Congress, including efforts to codify Roe v. Wade, a failed immigration reform proposal, and two voting rights bills. Her remarks indicate a continuation of the agenda pursued by Joe Biden during his presidency. However, for Democrats to fulfill Harris&#8217;s commitments, they must not only secure control in Washington but also navigate around the filibuster\u2014a legislative challenge that two retiring Democrats-turned-independents previously prevented their party from abolishing despite having a Senate majority.<\/p>\n<p>The filibuster requires 60 votes for most legislation instead of a simple majority and has been an effective tool for minority parties since its threshold was lowered in 1975. In an ideal scenario for Democrats following November elections, they could achieve a 50-50 split in the Senate; currently, it stands at 51-49. With Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) retiring\u2014one of two former Democrats who supported maintaining the filibuster\u2014and eight competitive seats up for reelection that could be lost by Democrats, retaining their majority is challenging.<\/p>\n<p>However, with Manchin&#8217;s and Senator Kyrsten Sinema&#8217;s (I-AZ) departures\u2014both seen as obstacles to eliminating the filibuster\u2014the Democratic caucus may have its best opportunity yet to change this rule if they win enough seats. For instance, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who is running to replace Sinema in Arizona, advocates for &#8220;reform&#8221; of the filibuster.<\/p>\n<p>The willingness of other Democratic senators to modify this rule remains uncertain. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) expressed hope at the DNC about potential changes regarding abortion access and voting rights exceptions within the filibuster rules but acknowledged that some senators might be hesitant about such drastic measures.<\/p>\n<p>Schumer emphasized that these issues are crucial for democracy itself: \u201cThis is vital to democracy&#8230; This is not just another extraneous issue.\u201d While both parties have previously adjusted aspects of the filibuster\u2014most notably when Mitch McConnell (R-KY) lowered it for Supreme Court nominations in 2017\u2014it would mark a new precedent if done specifically for legislative purposes.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans have seized upon Schumer\u2019s optimistic outlook as evidence that Democrats threaten an essential feature of Senate governance designed to encourage bipartisanship; McConnell\u2019s office criticized any changes as an \u201cinfamous power grab\u201d undermining constitutional order. Republican candidates are leveraging this issue against their Democratic opponents on campaign trails across battleground states.<\/p>\n<p>In Pennsylvania, Republican Dave McCormick accused Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Harris of wanting to eliminate the filibuster \u201cto impose their dangerously liberal agenda.\u201d Similarly in Arizona, Kari Lake praised Sinema\u2019s commitment over party loyalty regarding preserving it.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, while warning against former President Donald Trump\u2019s potential policies\u2014which include restricting access to reproductive health services\u2014Democrats do not incorporate preserving the filibuster into their electoral strategy.<br \/>\nTrump has denied these allegations made by his opponents.<br \/>\nRepublicans are also considering using reconciliation\u2014a process allowing budget-related provisions like tax reforms\u2014to advance their agenda with only 51 votes; this method was successfully employed by Democrats in passing last year\u2019s Inflation Reduction Act<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3158,"featured_media":2330843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Harris_DNC_Democrats_l2.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[10130,4021,4762,5894,32076],"class_list":["post-2330842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-filibuster","tag-harris","tag-legislation","tag-politics","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Harris_DNC_Democrats_l2.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2330842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3158"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2330842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2330842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2330843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2330842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2330842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2330842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}