The Senate filibuster is paralyzing our Republic and has been weaponized against democracy. By requiring 60 votes to move forward with legislation, there are now well over 400 bills passed by the House that have never been voted on in the Senate. How is it that in the Senate it only takes 51 votes to confirm three conservative Supreme Court Justices, yet requires 60 votes to safeguard women’s reproductive rights, pass universal background checks on gun purchases and protect the right to vote?

I joined Brian & Company on WTIC Newstalk 1080 to discuss the threats we face due to the Senate filibuster. You can listen to my remarks below.  

Over the weekend, my op-ed, “Senate Rule 22 is the ‘Catch-22′ paralyzing our republic,” was featured in the Hartford Courant. Here’s an excerpt:

“Once revered as the world’s greatest deliberative body, the Senate is now the most debilitating threat to our Democratic Republic. How so? Forty-one senators determine what bills the Senate will take up through Rule 22, the cloture vote.

“These are consequential times, and the American people are looking for results and accountability. Rule 22 must go, and the good news is we do not need a constitutional amendment to change this rule. We only need a majority vote from a Senate that cares more about the nation’s well-being than power and politics. We cannot let the procedures of the Senate remain a Catch-22 for our republic.”

Click here to read my full op-ed. 

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Regards,

John B. Larson
Member of Congress