Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, president of advocacy group Repairers of the Breach, on Monday said it was important to get rid of the filibuster due to its history as a “regressive piece of public policy” that has stood in the way of progressive movements.
Appearing on Hill.TV’s “Rising,” Barber argued that the filibuster is “not even constitutional.”
“When you look at the history of the filibuster, from the 1800’s, every piece of anti-slavery legislation was filibustered; labor laws were filibustered; the attempt to give women the right to vote was filibustered; unemployment benefits were filibustered; civil rights legislation was filibustered; the attempt to let 18-year-olds to vote was filibustered,” Barber said.
“There’s been no point in this his country’s history that somebody didn’t attempt to use the filibuster to block us moving forward and moving this country forward,” Barber added.
Barber argued that the filibuster allows senators to avoiding debating important bills and express their thought on legislation, adding “that’s not democracy.”
Democratic support for getting rid of the filibuster has grown in recent weeks as the party maintains tenuous majorities in the House and Senate. President Biden has said he is not in favor of getting rid of the filibuster though he has signaled support for a return to a “talking filibuster,” which would force members to actually come to the floor to speak.
Last week, Biden warned that he would be open to making significant changes to the filibuster if it continues to remain a roadblock in passing legislation.
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