Responding to President Donald Trump's early Sunday morning call for the Senate to impose the "nuclear option" to pass legislation by a simple majority, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said that would signal "the end of the Senate."
"That would be the end of the Senate as it was originally devised and created going back to our founding fathers," Sen. Durbin, a leader of Democrats' push to protect illegal immigration, concluded to ABC's "This Week." "We have to acknowledge a respect for the minority, and that is what the Senate tries to do in its composition and procedure."
The Senate failed to pass a Continuing Resolution (C.R.) to temporarily fund the government Saturday morning, falling 10 votes short of the 60 needed (50-49, with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., absent) and leading to a government shutdown Republicans and Democrats are blaming on the opposing party.
President Donald Trump's call to end a Democratic filibuster came via a tweet, adding he wants a long-term budget and not another C.R.
Sen. Durbin did pay respect to the Republicans' election-earned majority in the House, but the tight 51-49 edge in the Senate requires Democratic support on passing any legislation, he reminded.
"George, you've got to concede one thing: And that is the Republicans are in control of this government," Durbin admitted to host George Stephanopoulos. "They control the [White] House; they control the Senate; they control the House; by nominations sent to the court they basically control the Supreme Court. We're in a minority position. Republicans control what comes to the floor in both the House and the Senate.
"In the senate, though, with the 60 vote margin, there's a need for bipartisanship. That's all we've asked for. Sit down at the table and let us work this out in a bipartisan fashion. That's what [South Carolina Sen.] Lindsey Graham and I presented to the president on Jan. 11. That's what Sen. [Chuck] Schumer did Friday. We're still ready and willing to move forward."
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