McConnell offers scathing 'scorched Earth' filibuster warning
By Jordain Carney - 03/16/21 11:44 AM EDT Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) offered a scathing warning to Democrats on Tuesday, amid growing pressure to nix the legislative filibuster.
“Let me say this very clearly for all 99 of my colleagues: Nobody serving in this chamber can even begin, can even begin, to imagine what a completely scorched-Earth Senate would look like,†McConnell said.
He added that in a chamber that functions on a day-to-day basis by consent, meaning all senators sign off on an action, "I want our colleagues to imagine a world where every single task, every one of them, requires a physical quorum."
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McConnell's remarks come a day after Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2 Senate Democrat, offered a scorching rebuke of the 60-vote legislative filibuster, comparing it to a "weapon of mass destruction" that was holding the Senate "hostage."
Nixing the legislative filibuster or reverting it back to a "talking filibuster" — which would force senators to physically be on the floor — has momentum both with outside groups and Democratic senators.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/543404-mcconnell-offers-scathing-scorched-earth-filibuster-warning
