Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday charged Democrats with engaging in a “naked power grab” in trying to make changes to the filibuster.
“In the name of efficiency, their plan is to use a heavy-handed tactic that would poison party relations even more,” the Kentucky Republican said in a lengthy floor speech on Monday,
according to Politico. “In the name of efficiency, they would prevent the very possibility of compromise and threaten to make the disputes of the past few years look like mere pillow fights.”
The filibuster, designed to protect the minority party in the Senate, has become a tool for constant gridlock in modern times. McConnell said any change to the procedure would fundamentally alter how the Senate operates.
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Senate Democrats, however, have made changing the filibuster a huge priority, Politico reports. They have constantly complained about Republican-led filibusters to block legislation from being debated on the Senate floor.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told Politico that he has experienced 386 Republican filibusters in the chamber in nearly six years as party leader.
“We can’t continue like this,” the Nevada Democrat told Politico in response to McConnell’s comments.
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