WASHINGTON — Stymied in their attempts to pass a bill that would curb President Barack Obama’s immigration orders, some conservative House Republicans have a fallback option: They’re pushing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to change the Senate’s rules.
On Thursday, four GOP lawmakers called on McConnell to eliminate the filibuster where it’s used to prevent consideration of legislation dealing with appropriations. Doing so, they argued, would allow the Senate to bring a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security to the floor even though it has been filibustered three times by Democrats.
–
Meanwhile, at a reporter breakfast on Thursday morning, another Republican House member made the case for setting a simple-majority threshold for debating budget acts and appropriations bills. Reid, this member said, had opened the door. Now was the moment to widen that opening.
“I think the Senate should have said, ‘We are going to limit debate. Here are our new rules: It takes 51 votes to say on areas of appropriations from the House, they may not be limited from debate, they must go to the floor, and we are going to demand that appropriation is every bit as important as judicial appointments,'” said the member, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. “The idea that you will not consider an appropriations bill in the Senate is actually a reprehensible abuse. … They have an advice and consent to the president. That’s fine. They can say no. They have no ability to say no to appropriating the government.”
