Reid Says Senate Will Address Filibuster Rules Next Year
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) joined a growing chorus in his caucus and said he supports changing Senate filibuster rules, telling a group of liberal bloggers Wednesday that the chamber will address the issue next year.
“The filibuster has been abused. I believe that the Senate should be different than the House and will continue to be different than the House,” Reid told the bloggers, according to the Huffington Post.
“But we’re going to take a look at the filibuster. Next Congress, we’re going to take a look at it,” he added. “We are likely to have to make some changes in it because the Republicans have abused that just like the spitball was abused in baseball and the four-corner offense was abused in basketball.”
Reid joins Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Conference Vice Chairman Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to become the third member of the Democratic leadership to back filibuster reforms. Senate Democrats have become increasingly critical of what they view as GOP misuse of the filibuster. Schumer is planning to hold hearings on the issue in the Rules and Administration Committee later this month on the issue.