‘Let’s Just Vote With Republicans’: Bernie Moreno Accidentally Makes The Case For Killing The Filibuster

Sen. Bernie Moreno, a first-term Republican from Ohio, wants to get rid of the Senate filibuster to end the federal government shutdown. During a Wednesday night appearance, Moreno said his party should use its 52-seat majority to go around Democratic opposition and reopen the government without needing 60 votes.

The idea came as the Senate turned down a House-passed funding bill for the sixth time. Democrats refused to move forward without extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to end at the end of the year. According to MSNBC, millions of Americans would see their insurance costs go up sharply if those subsidies end, including more than 400,000 people in Ohio alone.

“My point of view would be this: We have almost all Republicans on board,” Moreno told host Laura Ingraham. “Maybe it’s time to think about the filibuster. You say look, the Democrats would have done it. Let’s just vote with Republicans. We got 52 Republicans. Let’s go. And let’s open the government.”

Why Gop Leaders Said No To The Filibuster Change

Even though Moreno was frustrated, Senate Republican leaders quickly shot down the idea of getting rid of the filibuster. GOP senators worried that removing the 60-vote rule would hurt them when Republicans are back in the minority. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other top Republicans have long said the filibuster helps bring the two parties together, even though it now stops their own party from passing laws.

The Republican Party has gotten more benefits from the filibuster than Democrats over the years. This is because conservative goals often need less new laws to happen. When Republicans are in the minority, they have often used the 60-vote rule to weaken Democratic bills or stop them completely.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer made it clear that Democrats would not vote to reopen the government without fixing the expiring ACA subsidies. The eight-day shutdown shows a strange problem. Republicans want to keep the filibuster so they can use it later against Democratic plans, while also complaining that it stops them from running the government with their current majority.

Past Congresses have made exceptions to the filibuster for court picks and budget bills, but funding bills still need 60 votes. Moreno’s idea shows the conflict in Republican thinking about Senate rules. The party wants the good parts of having a majority while keeping tools that help when they are in the minority.