Sanders, Warren respond to Sinema's filibuster defense, say Senate 'has got to act' despite rule

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Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren Tuesday dismissed arguments by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema that it is dangerous for Democrats to get rid of the filibuster, as divisions in the Democratic caucus over the 60-vote hurdle for legislation continue to bedevil progressives. 

Sinema, D-Ariz., is one of the most moderate Democratic senators and is just one of two Democrats in the chamber vocally defending the filibuster. She doubled down on that position in a Washington Post op-ed Monday, arguing that removing the filibuster now could hurt Democrats when Republicans regain power and that the filibuster prevents “radical reversals” in federal law. 

Sanders, I-Vt., and Warren, D-Mass., disagreed. 

“If Mitch McConnell believes that he will get even the tiniest advantage from removing the filibuster in the future, he will do it, regardless of what Democrats have done in the past,” Warren told reporters Tuesday when asked about Sinema’s arguments. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., talks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, on the fourth day of the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. Sanders said Tuesday that the Senate "has got to act" on Democrats’ elections bill. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

“I think that in this moment in American history, when there are coordinated efforts to undermine American democracy and take away the right of people to vote, the United States Congress has got to act and act decisively,” Sanders said in response to a question from Fox News about Sinema.  

“And if there is no Republican support to protect the rights of people of color, young people, people with disabilities to cast a ballot, the United States Senate has got to act and if it takes 50 votes and the vice president, that’s what it takes,” Sanders continued. 

The filibuster has come into focus in June as Democrats attempt to move some of their biggest agenda items, including the For the People Act, an elections bill that would massively expand the federal government’s role in elections. The Senate is also negotiating on police reform and infrastructure – negotiations those on the left point out would not be necessary if Democrats could simply pass legislation with their thin majority of 50 members plus Vice President Harris to break ties. 

The For the People Act is expected to receive a procedural vote Tuesday, and Republicans have said they will block it using the filibuster. Some Democrats had hoped that this GOP obstruction would motivate moderate members like Sinema to reconsider their filibuster stance. But Sinema made clear on Monday this was wishful thinking. 

Sen. Kirsten Sinema, D-Ariz., heads back to a bipartisan meeting on infrastructure in the basement of the U.S. Capitol building after the original talks fell through with the White House on June 8, 2021 in Washington, DC. Sinema doubled down on her support for the Senate’s filibuster Monday. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

“To those who want to eliminate the legislative filibuster to pass the For the People Act (voting-rights legislation I support and have co-sponsored), I would ask: Would it be good for our country if we did, only to see that legislation rescinded a few years from now and replaced by a nationwide voter-ID law or restrictions on voting by mail in federal elections, over the objections of the minority?” Sinema wrote in The Post.

“This question is less about the immediate results from any of these Democratic or Republican goals,” she continued. “[I]t is the likelihood of repeated radical reversals in federal policy, cementing uncertainty, deepening divisions and further eroding Americans’ confidence in our government.”

Republicans, meanwhile, have lauded Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who’s also resisted calls to get rid of the filibuster. GOP leaders say they will staunchly oppose any attempts to change the 60-vote filibuster threshold.  

“So let me say this very clearly for all 99 of my colleagues. Nobody serving in this chamber can even begin to imagine what a completely scorched-earth Senate would look like,” McConnell said in a speech earlier this year regarding Democrats’ filibuster threats. “This chaos would not open up an express lane for liberal change… The Senate would be more like a 100-car pileup, nothing moving.”

Fox News’ Jason Donner contributed to this report. 

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