SINEMA: JOE’S PLAN A FILIBUST
Calls bid to nix 'divisive' as he scrambles
Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona vowed Thursday that she would not support eliminating the filibuster to pass election-reform legislation, warning that the brazen maneuver would worsen what she called the “underlying disease of division infecting our country.”
In a speech on the Senate floor less than a hour before President Biden met with the Senate Democratic Caucus, the moderate Sinema affirmed her support for the measures in question, but refused to back weakening the 60vote threshold.
“These bills help the symptoms of the disease, but they do not fully address the disease itself,” Sinema said. “And while I continue to support these bills, I will not support separate actions that worsen the underlying disease of division infecting our country.”
Defends ‘safety net’
In remarks lasting approximately 20 minutes, Sinema outlined the dangers of eliminating the filibuster, noting that when one party “only negotiates with itself, policy will inextricably be pushed from the middle towards the extremes.”
“It is clear two-party strategies are not working, not for either side, and especially not for the country,” she said. “So it’s comfortable for members of each party, particularly those who spent their career in party politics, to think that their respective party alone can move the country forward. Party control becomes a goal in and of itself.”
Sinema highlighted that her support of the filibuster has been consistent throughout her time in the House and Senate and described the parliamentary hurdle as “a weapon of obstruction or safety net to save the country from radical policies, depending on whether you serve in the majority or the minority.”
“But what is the legislative filibuster, other than a tool that requires new federal policy to be broadly supported by senators representing a broader cross section of Americans?” she asked. “A guardrail, inevitably viewed as an obstacle by whoever holds the Senate majority; but which in reality ensures that millions of Americans represented by the minority party have a voice in the process.”
Sinema then noted that in past years, “when a party in control pushes party-line changes exceeding their electoral mandate, the bitterness within our politics is exacerbated. Tensions are raised within the country, and traditionally nonpartisan issues are transformed into partisan wedges.”
“We must address the disease itself, the disease of division, to protect our democracy,” she emphasized. “And it cannot be achieved by one party alone.”
Near the end of her remarks, Sinema took a shot at her Democratic colleagues and Biden, saying that “some have given up on the goal of easing our divisions and uniting Americans. I have not.”
Senate vote in doubt
Biden arrived at the Capitol shortly after 1 p.m. in an effort to get total party unity to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act by eliminating or altering the filibuster.
On Thursday evening, the president met privately with Sinema and another moderate Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a White House official said.
Biden, who defended the filibuster for at least two decades, endorsed eliminating the procedure on Tuesday, saying there was “no option” but to change Senate rules to move the legislation forward in the 50-50 Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has vowed to call a vote on the rules change by Jan. 17 — although it was unclear Thursday if the vote would go forward due to Manchin’s and Sinema’s firm stances against any alterations.
Schumer will also lack the votes because of COVID-19 cases on the Hill.
On Thursday, Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) announced he had tested positive for the virus earlier in the week and was quarantining at home. He is not suffering from any symptoms.
As the Senate does not hold remote voting, Democrats will likely not have all of their members present before Monday, much less be able to pass a rule change, even if Manchin and Sinema were on board.
During her remarks, Sinema called the floor discussion “a poor substitute” for what “could have and should have been a thoughtful public debate at any time over the past year.”
Manchin admitted earlier this week that the Senate needs “some good rules changes,” but added that “getting rid of the filibuster does not make it work better.”
On Thursday, Manchin praised Sinema, saying that she had given a “very good” and “excellent speech.”
“I thought she did an excellent job,” he told reporters. “I think it’s the points that I’ve been making for an awful long time and she has, too.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also praised the Arizona Democrat, saying her remarks were “extraordinarily important” and an act of “political courage.”
“She saved the Senate as an institution,” he told reporters.