Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, the running mate of former State Secretary Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, is quietly trying to change the U.S. Senate’s rules.
Kaine is trying to move around Republican opposition to President Joe Biden’s liberal agenda. So far, Biden’s agenda has faced roadblocks like a fracturing party within the Democratic Party and an evenly divided Senate.
The biggest obstacle is Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V.
“We’re not going to abolish the filibuster,” Kaine said in a recent interview. “Joe Manchin has made very plain we’re not abolishing the filibuster.”
Instead, Kaine is trying to advance other possible rule changes that would change the amendment process and how the Senate debates and works through White House nominations to bypass Republican objections — without invoking the controversial “nuclear option” opposed by Manchin.
“We’re looking at a number of complaints that Democrats and Republicans have had about the way the place operates to see if we can restore it to operating better and do it in a way that would facilitate passage of voting rights.”
According to a Politico report, Kaine’s efforts are being backed by Sens. Angus King, I-M.E., and Jon Tester, D-Mont. Democrats want to alter the rules in time for the anniversary of Biden’s inauguration.
He acknowledged that the rule changes were a last-ditch effort to advance Biden’s agenda.
“If we’re in the minority, how would we feel about this?” Kaine asked during an interview. “Can we live under this? Would this make the Senate work better for either party under a president of either party?”
Democrats admit to frustration with their inability to bypass unified Republican opposition.
“The reality is that it becomes more and more problematic with each passing month and I personally am advocating that it just has to be a top priority when we come back in January,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., told Politico. “Really what we’re talking about is restoring the Senate and the notion that the Senate should actually be able to get a bill to the floor.”
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The Horn editorial team