CWA, Progressive Allies Relaunch Filibuster Reform Coalition

Nov 28, 2012

CWA and its progressive allies are reuniting an advocacy coalition to build support for substantive Senate rules reforms at the start of the 113th Congress.

CWA, Alliance for Justice, Brennan Center for Justice, Common Cause, Sierra Club, and United Auto Workers will continue the work begun in 2010 when Democratic Sens. Tom Udall, Jeff Merkley and Tom Harkin led an effort to overhaul the filibuster:

Facing unparalleled challenges—a languid economic recovery, crushing debt, and threats at home and abroad—the country cannot afford another two years of inaction fostered by outmoded and broken legislative institutions.

In recent decades, Senate conventions have devolved to remove incentives for bipartisan comity, collegiality, and compromise. Whereas Senators once resorted to filibustering only in rare and exceptional instances of intense opposition, rampant obstruction has now transformed standard operating procedure. Today, majority rule in the Senate is the exception, not the rule.

We believe that common sense reforms will end routine and reflexive obstruction and will ensure that the Senate will once again be able to address the critical issues facing our country.

Senate leaders Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell have spent the past two days in a heated debate over Reid’s plan to prohibit filibusters for “motions to proceed” to a bill, which allows debate on the floor to start.

“To the average American, these reforms are just common sense,” Reid said. “Americans believe Congress is broken. The only ones who disagree are Mitch McConnell and Republicans in Congress.”