Lawmakers Comments On Filibuster Debate
Alright, buckle up because things just got real in the world of American politics! Vice President Kamala Harris is making headlines again, and this time it's all about the filibuster and abortion rights. In a recent interview with Wisconsin Public Radio, Harris came out swinging, saying she’s fully on board with eliminating the filibuster to pass federal legislation that would restore Roe v. Wade’s protections.
Now, for those who don’t know, Roe v. Wade was the landmark Supreme Court case that protected the right to abortion nationwide—until it was overturned in 2022. And now, Harris is determined to bring those protections back.
In the interview, she laid it all out. Harris said, "We should eliminate the filibuster for Roe," arguing that 51 votes should be enough to codify the right to abortion into federal law. To her, it's simple: reproductive freedom means women get to make decisions about their own bodies without government interference, and the filibuster is standing in the way of that.
On WPR, Harris announces support for filibuster carve-out to codify Roe:
"I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe and... get us to the point where we 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom" pic.twitter.com/O8NAsrcA5B
— Jacob Gardenswartz (@reporterjacobg) September 24, 2024
But—and here's where it gets messy—not everyone in her own party is thrilled with this idea. For example, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a former Democrat who’s made a name for himself as a centrist, wasn’t having any of it.
He straight-up told CNN, “Shame on her,” making it clear that he thinks the filibuster is critical to keeping the Senate functioning. According to Manchin, ditching it would be like turning Congress into "the House on steroids." He didn’t stop there either, warning that such a move could “destroy our country.”
And Manchin isn’t alone. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island also urged caution, reminding everyone that “what goes around comes around.” Reed's warning is a classic one: once you change a rule like the filibuster, you open the door for the other side to do the same when they’re in power. In other words, this could come back to bite Democrats.
Meanwhile, Senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado offered a more hopeful take, suggesting there’s still a chance to reach a bipartisan agreement without scrapping the filibuster. He believes it's possible to get the 60 votes needed to restore the protections Roe v. Wade offered—and he's already been chatting with some Republican senators to test the waters. Hickenlooper thinks that, with enough effort, a more durable solution could be achieved.
So, where does that leave us? Harris is ready to nuke the filibuster to make sure abortion rights are protected, while some of her fellow Democrats are warning against such a drastic move. With key voices like Manchin and Reed pushing back and others like Hickenlooper betting on bipartisan cooperation, it's clear that the debate over the filibuster—and the future of abortion rights in America—is far from over.