After a weekly meeting with the Democratic conference Tuesday, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) issued a statement calling on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to reform the filibuster with 51 votes.
“Leader Reid has left open two paths to rules changes. While I’ve always thought that improving how the Senate works should be an area ripe for bipartisan agreement, it is clear at this point that the constitutional option would produce the strongest package and make the Senate more functional. We face big challenges, and we can’t tackle those challenges if we miss this rare opportunity to end the paralysis of the Senate.”
Reid has been negotiating with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) over the prospect of reaching an agreement to avoid the constitutional option for changing the rules.
