Durbin leaning toward eliminating the filibuster
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., tells Yahoo News Editor in Chief Daniel Klaidman and Chief Investigative Correspondent Michael Isikoff that he's "frustrated as hell" with the Senate filibuster and is considering supporting its elimination.
Video Transcript
MICHAEL ISIKOFF: You're going to do away with the filibuster?
DICK DURBIN: All the cards are on the table. Chuck Schumer made that clear yesterday, and a lot of us have been thinking about this, and it boils down to this. The Senate has become dysfunctional under Mitch McConnell because of his passionate commitment to filling every federal judicial vacancy with these ideologues that they dream up with the Federalist Society, we've done nothing.
Last year in 2019 in the United States Senate, in the entire calendar year we considered on the floor of the United States Senate 22 amendments-- 22 in an entire year. And six of them were laughers introduced by Rand Paul with a gun to our head. You can't go home unless you give me a vote. I mean, that is the disintegration of the Senate before our eyes.
There are many of us who run and ran for public office to do something. If the Senate rules stop us from doing something, we've got to take a look at the rules, and I don't rule out the filibuster's on the table in terms of reform.
MICHAEL ISIKOFF: Well, it's off--
DANIEL KLAIDMAN: If Joe Biden-- if Joe Biden wins, though, I believe he has said that he is not in favor of taking away the filibuster. Will he have a voice in this decision?
DICK DURBIN: Well, he will to this extent. You need to have a majority to change the Senate rules under this expedited procedure, and you need the vice president. It will be Kamala Harris, we hope, at that point. So certainly she's going to consult with her president before that decision is made.
But I think Joe has expressed an openness. Listen, I introduced the DREAM Act 19 years ago-- 19 years ago. It's still not the law of the land. I passed it in the Senate several times with majority votes. I can never beat the filibuster, never. That's a civil-rights and human-rights issue as far as I'm concerned.
I'm frustrated as hell, and there are 800,000, maybe 2 million lives in the balance here. There comes a point where we've got to say, all right, it's the 21st century. Let's get on board here. Let's do something that really is significant so the Senate can be significant.
DANIEL KLAIDMAN: It sure sounds like more than it being on the table. You are in favor of eliminating the filibuster.
DICK DURBIN: Well, I can tell you that's where I'm leaning. The alternative is if someone comes up with an approach that is more reasonable than the current system, I'm open to it. But I will tell you, I've been frustrated for a hell of a long time because of this filibuster.
