What's the Senate filibuster and why change it?
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans used a filibuster Friday to block a Democratic bill to launch a bipartisan probe of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. It was the first time under new President Joe Biden in which the GOP used the delaying tactic to derail major legislation.
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WHAT’S A FILIBUSTER?
Unlike the House, the Senate places few constraints on lawmakers’ right to speak. Senators can also easily use the chamber’s rules to hinder or block votes. Collectively these procedural delays are called filibusters.
Senate records say the term began appearing in the mid-19th century. The word comes from a Dutch term for “freebooter” and the Spanish “filibusteros” that were used to describe pirates.
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HOW DO FILIBUSTERS END?
Records from the first Congress in 1789 show senators complaining about long speeches blocking legislation. Frustration grew and in 1917, the Senate voted to let senators end filibusters with a two-thirds majority vote.
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https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-filibusters-government-and-politics-c3648d8192515d9b15b4a6fd92e27152