Vice President Kamala Harris faces pushback from two independent U.S. senators after saying that she supports ending the filibuster, hoping the measure would help restore women’s federal abortion safeguards.
Harris outlined her position while speaking with Wisconsin Public Radio in an interview that aired Tuesday morning, saying that she supports ending the 60-vote threshold needed in the Senate to pass most legislation. The vice president’s stance is fueled by her desire to reinstate the abortion protections that were granted to women under Roe v. Wade, which the Supreme Court overturned in June 2022.
Retiring West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, an independent, ripped Harris’ comments later Tuesday, telling CNN‘s Manu Raju, “Shame on her.” He also said that Harris’ support for ending the filibuster means that he will no longer endorse the vice president in November, despite signaling to CNN last week that he was getting ready to do so.
Retiring U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, left, is shown in Washington, D.C., on June 3, while Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, right, is pictured at the U.S. Capitol on February 5. Both independent lawmakers denounced Vice President Kamala Harris’ calls for an end to the Senate filibuster.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images;Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
“She knows the filibuster is the Holy Grail of democracy,” said Manchin, a longtime moderate Democrat who in May flipped to an independent and is not seeking reelection in November. “It’s the only thing that keeps us talking and working together. If she gets rid of that, then this would be the House [of Representatives] on steroids.”
Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, another former Democrat who registered as an independent, in December 2022, also responded to Harris’ comments in a post to X, formerly Twitter, writing that it was “an absolutely. terrible, shortsighted idea.”
“To state the supremely obvious, eliminating the filibuster to codify Roe v. Wade also enables a future Congress to ban all abortion nationwide,” Sinema added.
Tuesday’s interview is not the first time that the Democratic candidate has supported ending the filibuster to protect reproductive freedoms. Harris called for an end to the 60-vote threshold in September 2022 while speaking at the Democratic National Committee summer meeting. But her statements to Wisconsin Public Radio appear to be the first time Harris has mentioned it since launching her presidential bid.
Manchin and Sinema have been vocal proponents of the filibuster. Defenders of the Senate rule argue that it forces the higher chamber of Congress to reach a consensus on bills, unlike in the House, where a majority vote can push measures through.
Democratic Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania told CNN on Tuesday that “it makes sense to change” the filibuster rule, adding that the 60-vote threshold “has been an impediment to progress on a whole host of fronts” that Democrats have supported.
Casey highlighted Democrats’ efforts to change the filibuster rule in January 2022 in order to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. At the time, Manchin and Sinema voted against the rest of their party, and the changes were not enacted.
President Joe Biden also called for an end to the filibuster in June 2022 after Roe v. Wade was overturned. A simple majority is needed to pass rule changes in the Senate, meaning that at the time, all 50 Democratic senators would have had to agree to the changes.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on Tuesday when asked about Harris’ comments on the filibuster that it was “something our caucus will discuss in the next session of Congress.”
Newsweek has reached out to Harris’ campaign for additional comment on Tuesday.
Former President Donald Trump—Harris’ GOP presidential race opponent in November—called for an end to the filibuster during his tenure in the White House, including suggesting in a closed-door meeting in 2018 that Senate Republicans should end the rule before Democrats move to do so, according to a report from Politico.
Prominent GOP lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have adamantly backed leaving the filibuster in place.
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