Udall Launches New Assault on Filibuster

New Mexico Democrat Tom Udall has introduced a resolution that could, in the unlikely event that it passes, eliminate the Senate’s dreaded filibuster. Udall’s law doesn’t specifically end the filibuster; rather, it calls for the Senate to change its rules every two years based on a simple majority vote. That would be a big change from the status quo, which requires a 67-vote majority to change a Senate rule.

“We, as elected representatives, have a duty to our constituents. But partisan rancor and the Senate's own incapacitating rules often prevent us from fulfilling that duty,” Udall said in his floor remarks. “We have the authority within the Constitution to act.” But the proposal doesn’t yet have a co-sponsor, the Huffington Post notes, and would presumably need to pass the filibuster threshold itself. (More filibuster stories.)