Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, R-Ariz., said Monday that Senate Democrats have come out in support of the filibuster, even though her previous party has called for its elimination for the past four years to push through Democratic agendas. It seemed like he was teasing me.
Sinema, who left the Democratic Party about two years ago, responded to the Democratic Party's report on social media platform X. washington examiner Democratic senators are now saying they support a Senate filibuster to block President-elect Trump's policies in his second administration, he said.
“Please, please, stop what you're doing and read this quote,” Sinema said.
“Apply with Schadenfreude,” she continued.
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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent from Arizona, during an interview at the Capitol on Thursday, May 18, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who also left the party and is now an independent, were the leaders of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who opposed abolishing the filibuster during the Biden administration. There were two Democratic members. He would have been elected in 2022, but would have lost the race without the support of Sinema and Manchin in a slim Democratic majority.
Both independent senators will not run for re-election and plan to leave the Senate in January.
In August, Schumer told the New York Post, when asked whether he would try again to eliminate the filibuster, that Sinema and Manchin “will both be gone” by 2025.
After the election, Schumer urged Republicans to prioritize bipartisanship.
“I sincerely warn you to be careful not to misread the will of the people and not to abandon the need for bipartisanship,” Schumer said.
Earlier this month, Mr. Sinama told Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., that he did not support abolishing the filibuster now that Republicans control the House, Senate and White House, but that he would like to see Democrats maintain a three-party system. I answered that I would support it. .
“Don't you say?” Cinema wrote about X.
The Washington Examiner report quotes several Senate Democrats, including Sen. Dick Durbin (D). Brian Schatz, Democrat, Hawaii. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., both expressed support for keeping the filibuster in place to block bills backed by Trump.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema speaks to reporters alongside Sen. Chris Murphy at the U.S. Capitol on December 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“I would be lying if I said we would have been in a better position without the filibuster,” Blumenthal said. “We have a responsibility to stop this long and authoritarian abuse of power and policy, and we will use every tool available to us. We will not fight this fight with one hand tied behind our backs. ”
Durbin said he believes the filibuster is “part of the calculation” for how Democrats will resist Republican legislation in the next Congress, when Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
“When we were in the majority, we had to accept it,” he said.
“I'm going to try not to undermine my position on this,” Schatz said.
The Hawaii Democratic lawmaker previously denounced “unprecedented Republican abuse of the filibuster” during the Obama administration, which supported reform.
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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on February 5, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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“We're going to play with the existing rules,” Murphy said, adding that while he's open to changes, he doesn't intend to “abolish” the filibuster. In 2021, this is “utterly dangerous”, a “slap in the face to majoritarianism” and “an argument that inherently prioritizes coherence over democracy”.
Incoming Senate Republican leader John Thune, R.S., recently said the filibuster is “safe under Republican control” even if it blocks President Trump's policies.
“A political party that has spent a lot of time this election cycle talking about the importance of protecting democracy has now come out with the completely undemocratic idea that only one party should make decisions in this country. “I think it's ironic that they seem so eager to embrace it,” Thun said. .
