• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
Thursday, June 30, 2022
The Millennial Source
TMS
Home WORLD

Resistance to Biden’s agenda in the Senate, explained

byJake Shropshire
June 8, 2021
in WORLD
Resistance to Biden’s agenda in the Senate, explained

Source: Ken Cedeno, Reuters

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin
For parts of Biden’s agenda, such as the For The People act – a massive piece of voting rights legislation that would wipe out the voting restrictions passed by GOP state legislatures – it doesn’t look so good.

What’s the deal with the filibuster?

  • Ah, the filibuster. You might have seen this word a lot recently. That’s mostly because it’s really not ever been as relevant as it is now, with a 50-50 tie in the Senate and Democrats having the majority thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie breaking vote. 
  • The filibuster is a Senate rule that makes it so that you don’t need a simple majority of 51 to pass a bill, but instead need at least 60 votes to move forward from the “debating” phase to an actual vote.
  • Basically, this means that debate on a bill can last forever as long as there are 41 senators opposed to a bill. As a result, most bills that pass the Senate require 60 votes instead of 51.
  • Now, you might be asking, “what about that stimulus package that was passed earlier this year? Didn’t all 50 Republicans oppose it?” Yes, they did. But Democrats managed to pass that bill anyway thanks to something called “reconciliation,” which meant that this type of bill couldn’t be stopped with the filibuster. If that sounds bizarre, that’s because it is – the Senate is a strange, inconsistent place.
  • Strange rules aside, “reconciliation” is the exception, not the rule, and Democrats are unlikely to be able to use it with everything.

Aren’t Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema causing problems for Biden too?

  • Well, sort of. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema both come from pretty moderate states (Manchin’s from West Virginia, Sinema’s from Arizona) and as a result they tend to voice moderate opinions, sometimes even voting with Republicans rather than Democrats. 
  • Democrats have actually been discussing ways to get rid of the filibuster, but any possible solution to getting rid of it requires 51 votes in the Senate (or 50 plus Kamala Harris’ one) and Joe Manchin, in particular, has been very public about his intentions to keep the filibuster around, going so far as to say that he can’t support “blowing up the Senate rules to expedite one party’s agenda.”
  • Some Democrats in the Senate have publicly expressed frustration with Manchin, arguing that if Democrats don’t enact bold policy now, the party is going to lose seats in the upcoming 2022 midterm elections, when a third of the Senate is up for reelection. 
  • Others, including President Joe Biden, have taken a softer approach, saying that while they might disagree with Manchin on the issue of the filibuster, working with him to pass other pieces of legislation that have more support across the aisle is still important. 

So what does this all mean for Biden’s agenda?

  • For parts of Biden’s agenda, such as the For The People act – a massive piece of voting rights legislation that would wipe out the voting restrictions passed by GOP state legislatures – it doesn’t look so good. 
  • Manchin has already voiced his opposition to a voting rights bill and the only path forward for Democrats is to convince him that it’s worth voting for. 
  • For others, like Biden’s infrastructure package, talks seem a little more beneficial. Analysts still see Democrats and Republicans as miles apart, but they do seem to be getting closer and 10 Republican votes, as well as Manchin’s vote, may be within reach.
  • Plus, if talks fall through on the infrastructure bill, Democrats do have the possibility of falling back on the reconciliation format (remember the stimulus package we talked about earlier?). This would allow Democrats to pass the bill with only 51 votes, but it isn’t clear yet if Manchin is on board with that kind of tactic. 
  • Basically, there’s a lot of work the Biden administration has to do if they want their agenda to pass through the Senate. Parts of it seem dead in the water, while other parts seem to be progressing slowly. But in a Senate so evenly divided, nothing is a given.

Have a tip or story? Get in touch with our reporters at [email protected]

Like TMS? Subscribe to our free daily newsletter

Related

Tags: Longer readNorth AmericaPoliticsUS domestic policy
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

period tracking apps

Why people in the US are deleting – and downloading – period tracking apps

June 30, 2022
Spotify R. Kelly

Spotify removed R. Kelly’s music in 2018, but then put it back up. What happens now that he’s a convicted sex offender?

June 30, 2022
Supreme Court abortion

The US Supreme Court’s abortion ruling

June 27, 2022

Here’s what’s happened at the G7 summit so far

June 27, 2022

The US orders Juul vapes off the market. Here’s what you need to know

June 24, 2022

US Senate agrees to fast-track new gun law

June 23, 2022

The fourth day of the January 6 hearings show Trump’s pressure campaign on election officials

June 22, 2022

Senator Ron Wyden proposes a tax increase on price-gouging oil companies

June 15, 2022

US House of Representatives holds primetime TV hearings on the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Here’s what you need to know

June 13, 2022

SUBSCRIBE TO THE TMS NEWSLETTER

By providing your email, you agree to our Privacy Policy

The Millennial Source Ltd. 2021

No Result
View All Result
  • Your daily briefing
  • About us
  • Explore
    • Startups
    • Climate change
    • Tech giants
    • Crypto
    • The future of work
    • Banking giants
    • Economy
  • Lifestyle
  • Human stories
  • TMS archives
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy & Terms

2022 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

string(24) "jsonld single post debug"
The Millennial Source
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.