Before a bill can be voted on in the Senate, it must first move to the Senate floor for debate. But what happens if the bill never leaves the Senate floor? Nothing, thanks to the filibuster. The Senate's filibuster is essentially a loophole that prevents a bill from ever leaving a debate floor to get voted on. While traditional filibusters were long speeches used to stall a vote, senators now can simply threaten a filibuster, silencing debate and removing any incentive to compromise. The filibuster allows a small group of Senators to prevent any meaningful and progressive laws from ever even going to a vote.
Sign the petition to encourage the Senate to abolish the filibuster!
The filibuster's origins are deeply racist -- Barack Obama even called the filibuster a "Jim Crow relic." Pro-slavery senators used it to protect the interests of Southern white landowners who depended on slave labor. Filibusters blocked anti-lynching bills, the Civil Rights Act of 1957, and legislation that would have outlawed discrimination in employment, housing, and voting.
The use of the filibuster has increased dramatically in recent years. About half of all filibuster use since 1917 has happened in the last 12 years, and it's leaving Congress gridlocked. Until the filibuster is abolished, Democrats will struggle to pass legislation on immigration, police reform, voting rights, gun control, raising the minimum wage, and abortion and LGBTQ rights. The Senate has changed the filibuster rules in the past -- now, they have a moral obligation to abolish it in order to save countless lives.
Sign the petition to encourage the Senate to abolish the filibuster!
