So I wrote to Senator Michael Bennet about ending the Filibuster..here's the response.
Dear Ms. XXXXXX,
Thank you for contacting me regarding the filibuster. I appreciate hearing from you about this important matter.
I share your frustration with the Senate’s inability to address many of the urgent issues we face as a country – from boosting economic mobility, to fighting climate change, improving gun safety, and protecting the right to vote. At a time when our nation faces these monumental challenges, the Senate remains gridlocked because current Senate rules require 60 votes to move legislation to a final vote.
I understand the view that requiring 60 votes to proceed on legislation can, in theory, promote more enduring outcomes by necessitating support from both parties. In practice, however, the filibuster is rarely used to promote bipartisan outcomes. It is almost always used to obstruct the American people’s business. Moreover, I worry the filibuster creates a lack of transparency and accountability in the Senate, because the American people never know who is responsible for defeating the policies they overwhelmingly support.
In my view, the stakes are too high to accept further obstruction. Our inability to get anything done diminishes our example of self-government at the very moment authoritarian governments like Russia and China are arguing that democracy doesn’t work. If we can’t make progress because of political posturing and brinksmanship, we have to consider all options to ensure we can conduct the business of the American people.
For our democracy to function, I believe we have to change the Senate rules so that legislation can move forward and ultimately pass with a majority vote. With that said, even though I support reforming Senate rules, I do not want the body to operate like the House, where the majority typically runs roughshod over the minority. I want to preserve the minority party’s voice in the Senate, for example, by requiring a minimum number of amendments or hours of debate. But once both parties have made their case on the floor and had votes on their amendments, the Senate must be able to pass legislation with 51 votes. My goal for changing the Senate rules is not to secure an immediate partisan advantage. It is to make the Senate work again and reignite American democracy -- not only for our nation, but also for the world.
I value the input of fellow Coloradans in considering the wide variety of important issues and legislative initiatives that come before the Senate. I hope you will continue to inform me of your thoughts and concerns.
For more information about my priorities as a U.S. Senator, I invite you to visit my website at
http://bennet.senate.gov/. Again, thank you for contacting me.
Sincerely,
Michael F. Bennet
United States Senator
www.pbs.org
