Stayfocused nuclear option hours7/21/2023 Obama and Democrats have complained for months that Republicans prevented the President from filling three vacancies on the D.C. He blamed newer Democratic senators who never served as the minority party for pushing the issue, adding: “They succeeded and they will pay a very, very heavy price for it.” John McCain of Arizona told reporters Thursday. “This changes everything,” veteran Republican Sen. The altered filibuster rules also will apply when the day comes that Republicans hold the Senate majority, a fact emphasized by GOP leaders who decried the change. In the Senate’s first move after the 52-48 vote Thursday to change the rules, it ended a filibuster against one of Obama’s three nominees for a key federal appeals court in Washington who had been blocked by Republicans. Once a rare maneuver of specific opposition, the filibuster has become routine, especially since President Barack Obama took office in 2009.Īccording to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Nevada Democrat who spearheaded Thursday’s nuclear option rule change, there have been 168 filibusters of executive and judicial nominations in Senate history, with about half of them occurring during the Obama administration. With Democrats holding a 55-45 majority, the filibuster served as an effective minority veto. Here are five things that will change because of the move:įirst and foremost, eliminating the ability of senators to block most nominations means the majority party – in this case Democrats – can hold votes and approve presidential nominations and appointments more quickly.īefore the rule change, minority senators could mount a filibuster that required 60 votes in the 100-member chamber to overcome.
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