The United States Senate deployed the "nuclear option" on Thursday, instituting a historic change to effectively eliminate filibusters for presidential nominees to positions other than the Supreme Court.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who led the push to eliminate the filibusters, has long referred to such a drastic policy change as the “nuclear option,” but he said he felt compelled after Republican filibusters blocked the appointment of three judicial nominees to the highly influential D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
“It’s time to change the Senate before this institution becomes obsolete,” Reid said in a lengthy floor speech on Thursday morning.
“These nominees deserve at least an up or down vote, yes or no,” Reid continued. “But Republican filibusters deny them a fair vote, any vote, and deny the president his team.”
Under the old rules, a filibuster instituted by a minority party would take 60 votes to break, but under Reid’s new rules, the Senate can end a filibuster with a simple majority of 51 votes. This move effectively cripples the minority party’s ability to filibuster presidential nominations for legislative and judicial offices.
The Senate voted 52-48 to institute the change. Every Republican voted against the nuclear option, and three Senate Democrats voted against the change: Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Mark Pryor, D-Ark.
Senate Drops 'Nuclear Option' And Eliminates Filibusters
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