Fix The Senate Now, a coalition of advocacy groups supportive of weakening the filibuster, hasn’t given up on pushing for a full “talking filibuster” plan but is keeping its options open, a spokesperson for the coalition told TPM late Wednesday.
“While we await the actual package of reforms proposed by Senator Reid, the Fix the Senate Now coalition believes a post-cloture ‘talking filibuster’ provision would not go far enough to cut down on silent obstruction,” said the spokesperson, Michael Earls. “However, we remain optimistic that Senator Reid’s ultimate reform proposal will acknowledge these concerns, also expressed by reform-minded leaders like Senator Merkley, and will advance Senate changes that raise the costs of Senate obstruction, while speeding up the legislative and confirmation processes.”
The coalition, like other reform advocates, isn’t ruling out supporting a less far-reaching version of filibuster reform.
