Although Republicans jumped to a red spot with a trifecta of wins in last week’s elections, effectively capturing the White House and majorities in both chambers of Congress, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s pre-election hype asserted a Democratic victory. It shows a different tone. It could pass the Senate and then eliminate the filibuster and other radical proposals.
Eliminating the filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes to pass a bill, would have made it easier for Democrats to significantly strengthen their agenda and essentially push Republican opposition.
Schumer and Democrats tried to override the filibuster once they had 50 votes in 2022, with the vice president potentially breaking the tie, but Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema refused to toe the Democratic Party line. They eventually became independent.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.Y.) speaks after a policy luncheon at the Capitol on September 24, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
With Manchin and Sinema leaving the Senate, Schumer was confident that Vice President Walz could break the tie on a filibuster vote and win at least 50 seats in the Senate after this year’s election.
“We got it up to 48 votes, and of course Sinema and Manchin voted against it, so they couldn’t change the rules. Well, neither of them,” Schumer told reporters Tuesday of Democratic Week. It’s gone,” he told reporters. at the convention, according to NBC News.
“Ruben Gallego is for it and we have 51. So even if we lose Manchin, we still have 50.”
The result essentially means one-party control of the Senate, and Schumer will also work to expand voting rights across the country by passing the Voting Freedom Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. It was.
He also discussed possible rule changes to codify abortion rights in federal law, a priority for the party after Roe v. Wade was overturned, which is a Republican priority. Facing staunch opposition, there would have been no path to getting 60 votes in the Senate.
Schumer also called for reforming the Supreme Court by eliminating the 18-year term limit for judges and overturning the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling, which exempts presidents from prosecution for some “official acts.” He insisted.
He previously announced his intention to pass legislation that would expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 members.
But this week, he took to the Senate floor and essentially told Republicans to cut back on his colleagues on the other side of the aisle, given that Republicans hold a 53-47 majority.
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President-elect Trump wins the election at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“I offer a sincere warning to my Republican colleagues,” Schumer said.
“Be careful not to misread the will of the people and abandon the need for bipartisanship. There may be a temptation to go to extremes after winning an election. has seen such things happen for decades, and it continues to do so consistently.” It backfired on the ruling party. ”
“So, rather than go to extremes, I remind my colleagues that this organization is most effective when it is bipartisan. If we want it to be productive, the only way it will happen is through bipartisan cooperation. ”
Schumer’s sour face was not lost on Byron York, the Washington Examiner’s chief political correspondent and Fox News contributor.
Schumer previously announced his intention to pass legislation that would expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 members. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“Simply put, don’t do to us what we would do to you,” York wrote in the Washington Examiner.
“Mr. Schumer is clearly concerned that Republicans could adopt a plan to eliminate the filibuster and pass all sorts of consequential legislation without any involvement from Democrats. do not have!”
“Fortunately for Mr. Schumer, Republicans are more principled than Democrats when it comes to the legislative filibuster and filibusters in general. Republicans could win a majority for the next two years but slip back into the minority. So any time after that, Mr. Schumer is not going to do as well as he intended for Republicans. ”
Mr. York wrote that Mr. Schumer’s “stigma of hypocrisy is particularly egregious.” Rather than insisting on passing specific bills, Schumer said he would change Senate rules on a partisan basis to eliminate the minority party’s ability to demand higher approval standards for controversial bills. This is because he insisted on changing the . line.
“He was. And when Mr. Schumer’s party loses, he instantly turns around and becomes Mr. Bipartisan. That requires language that goes beyond mere hypocrisy.”
Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R.S., is set to replace Schumer as Majority Leader and has put pushing for President-elect Trump’s immigration policies first on his list of things to do if he succeeds. We plan to make this an item. He has not indicated he intends to vote on filibuster rules.
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He said that rebuilding the economy is also close to his top priority. With key elements of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by President Trump set to expire in 2025, Thune said Republicans will take steps to update the bill through the budget reconciliation process.
The trifecta makes it easier for Trump to advance his policies without opposition from the Democratic majority. The Republican Party had a three-party system from 2017 to 2019. Republicans accomplished much of their agenda, including sweeping tax reform and confirming a conservative majority on the Supreme Court.
But Thune said he would abide by the filibuster rule, even if it gets in the way of President Trump’s policies he hopes to advance.
FOX News’ Jamie Joseph, Julia Johnson and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
