Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, with Sen. Mitch McConnell on hand, again praises filibuster
Arizona Senato Kyrsten Sinema smiled at the conclusion of her remarks about bipartisanship as a guest of Sen. Mitch McConnell during an event at the McConnell Center on the campus of the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky on Sept. 26, 2022
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema defended the legislative filibuster Monday, saying it has produced recent, durable solutions for ordinary Americans, from fixing roads to preventing school shootings, and called to reinstate it for judicial and executive nominations as well.
“I still believe, with some pretty decent proof, that (the filibuster is) the best way to identify realistic solutions, instead of escalating this all-or-nothing political battle that results in no action or in those radical federal policy reversals,” Sinema, D-Ariz., said during a 20-minute speech on bipartisanship at the University of Louisville.
“There’s been a lot of talk about my continued support of it. American politics are cyclical,” she said in a message directed at her many critics.
“But what is the legislative filibuster, other than a tool that requires that new federal policy be broadly supported by senators representing a broader cross-section of Americans, a guardrail ensuring that the millions of Americans not represented by the majority party in the moment have a voice in the process?”
Sinema, along with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., have emerged as perhaps the two most influential members of the evenly divided chamber during President Joe Biden’s administration after showing a repeated willingness to hold up key bills and hold on to the filibuster effectively requiring 60 votes to pass new legislation.
It has made them saviors to Republicans fearful of a more-ambitious Democratic agenda and the target of fury from Democrats who see them as blocking their party from delivering promises to the voters who elected them.
What made Monday’s speech notable is it happened with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., praising her at the academic center bearing his name. It underscores how her approach has been received by top Republicans.
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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema defended the legislative filibuster Monday, saying it has produced recent, durable solutions for ordinary Americans, from fixing roads to preventing school shootings, and called to reinstate it for judicial and executive nominations as well.
“I still believe, with some pretty decent proof, that (the filibuster is) the best way to identify realistic solutions, instead of escalating this all-or-nothing political battle that results in no action or in those radical federal policy reversals,” Sinema, D-Ariz., said during a 20-minute speech on bipartisanship at the University of Louisville.
“There’s been a lot of talk about my continued support of it. American politics are cyclical,” she said in a message directed at her many critics.
“But what is the legislative filibuster, other than a tool that requires that new federal policy be broadly supported by senators representing a broader cross-section of Americans, a guardrail ensuring that the millions of Americans not represented by the majority party in the moment have a voice in the process?”
Sinema, along with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., have emerged as perhaps the two most influential members of the evenly divided chamber during President Joe Biden’s administration after showing a repeated willingness to hold up key bills and hold on to the filibuster effectively requiring 60 votes to pass new legislation.
It has made them saviors to Republicans fearful of a more-ambitious Democratic agenda and the target of fury from Democrats who see them as blocking their party from delivering promises to the voters who elected them.
What made Monday’s speech notable is it happened with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., praising her at the academic center bearing his name. It underscores how her approach has been received by top Republicans.
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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, with Sen. Mitch McConnell on hand, again praises filibuster
Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema defended the legislative filibuster and called to expand it in a speech before Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
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