Ending the filibuster is about to be more important than ever
Opinion by James Downie Digital opinions editor Oct. 18, 2020 at 6:18 p.m. EDT Add to list By the end of Tuesday, weeks of uncertainty for millions of Americans likely will have turned to disappointment. That’s the deadline House Speaker Nancy Pelosi set on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday for getting a stimulus deal passed before Election Day. Of course, even if House Democrats can reach an agreement with the Trump administration, that still leaves the Republican Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell literally laughs at the idea of helping Americans. Should Joe Biden become president, a new economic relief package will be the first — really, the only — priority. Democrats should recognize now that passing that stimulus will require unprecedented steps — including ending the filibuster.
As my colleague Greg Sargent has pointed out, Republicans are already preparing to pivot hard to austerity the moment Biden becomes president. The night of Barack Obama’s inauguration, congressional Republicans committed to block every bill — including desperately needed economic aid. In a Biden administration, we’ll see the same. We’ll hear wails about the national debt, fake fury about small programs that right-wing outlets have turned into scandals (think Solyndra), and nonsense about balancing the budget like a family checkbook, all amplified by credulous media. Never mind that Republicans blew hundreds of billions on ineffective tax cuts for the wealthiest and ran a $3.1 trillion deficit. Without stimulus, Americans will continue to suffer, and Republicans want to benefit politically from that.
How a Biden administration deals with this depends on whether Democrats also retake the Senate. If McConnell remains majority leader, Biden’s presidency will be in trouble even before Inauguration Day. The new president will have to get creative, using his executive powers to create new stimulus. Exactly how much Biden can do remains unclear, but Democrats shouldn’t be cautious in such dark economic times.
How Democrats have defended their $2.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), along with several colleagues, has repeatedly defended the $2.2 trillion relief bill that House Democrats passed Oct. 1. (The Washington Post) With a Democratic Senate — the more likely scenario currently — the filibuster becomes central. Even if Democrats all but run the table on Election Day, they’ll end up with around 54 or 55 seats — well short of a filibuster-proof majority. Biden, bless his heart, may believe that there are “between 4 and 8” Republicans who might work with him on bills. But no one aside from the Democratic nominee knows who those senators might be — and a smaller Republican caucus will have even fewer of them. That means no serious stimulus package can become law without ending the filibuster as we know it.
Both scenarios involve laying the groundwork now. Before the election, Biden should say he will ask Senate Democrats to end the filibuster if Senate Republicans block pandemic relief. If the former vice president is squeamish about being that specific, he should at least promise Americans he’ll do whatever it takes to get them the economic stimulus they desperately need. That way, next year Democrats can say that they’re executing the will of the voters.
Second, settle on a specific stimulus package as early as possible. Axios reports that the Biden team’s current plan is about $1 trillion in short-term stimulus and a $3 trillion “Build Back Better” plan in the longer term. Specific targets include aid to state and local governments, expanded unemployment insurance and infrastructure. It’s a good start, but Democrats shouldn’t be afraid to go bigger. Supporting Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s Paycheck Guarantee Act, for example, would end mass layoffs and be a smart gesture of goodwill to the Democratic left. Don’t forget: To try to persuade Republicans, the Obama administration went smaller on stimulus than many on the left wanted. It didn’t work, and Democrats regretted not going big.
Third, if Democrats flip the Senate, the Biden team should begin a full-court press on Democrats who are reluctant to kill the filibuster, with the goal of putting a bill on Biden’s desk on Day One. Even senators such as Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) who have been adamant about keeping the filibuster may be persuaded otherwise when the very well-being of their constituents is at stake. With 12.6 million Americans still unemployed, businesses closing by the day and no other sources of help available, now is not the time for procedural niceties.
Come Inauguration Day 2021, it will be almost a year since the last economic relief package. Americans need help, and Democrats should do everything they can to get them that help as fast as possible, including ending the filibuster. The stakes could not be higher.
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