The Filibuster is Working. You Just Can’t See It

“The same Dems who argue to keep the filibuster ‘for when we need it’ do not use it when we need it,” posted Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. The New York Democrat’s complaint followed Senate passage of the House Republican “continuing resolution”—aided by 10 Senate Democratic caucus members who supported cloture—that kept the government open without restraining President Donald Trump’s unconstitutional attempts to impound congressional appropriations.  

Her accusation of hypocrisy is widely echoed in the party but it’s misdirected. None of the 10 voted to preserve the filibuster in January 2022, when Democrats tried to suspend the filibuster rule to pass voting rights legislation. Back then, Democrats were thwarted only by conference members Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who are no longer in the Senate. (One of the 10, Senator John Fetterman, wasn’t in the Senate at the time but is on record supporting the abolishment of the filibuster.)