Heres One Texas Republican Who Wants to See Filibuster Go Away

By Alex Daugherty  WASHINGTON  The filibuster is one of the few lifelines left for Democrats to potentially halt Donald Trumps agenda. Republican U.S. Rep. Roger Williams of Weatherford Texas wants to get rid of it. Theyve got that 60 vote margin over there that hinders a lot of things Williams said. He hasnt told me this but I think President-elect Trump will address that. You know weve got a majority lets use the majority. The filibuster is a legislative tactic used by the minority in the U.S. Senate to prevent bills from coming up for a vote. To overrule a filibuster three-fifths of the Senate must agree on the proposed bill. During President Barack Obamas administration Republican senators like John Cornyn of Texas warned against Democrats repealing the filibuster saying in 2013 that majorities are fleeting. Now that Republicans will control both Congress and the White House Williams is joining a growing chorus of conservative voices in the House of Representatives calling for the filibuster to end. The 60-vote rule is not in the Constitution. It was a gentlemans agreement made back in 1917 Williams said. Weve got to make sure the Senate is ready to receive what we send them. But Williams Republican colleagues in the Senate are not as eager to get rid of the stalling tactic for minority parties. Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Orrin Hatch of Utah have all announced their opposition to ending the filibuster even though it could hamper Republican efforts to overturn legislation passed by Democrats during the Obama administration. Im one of the biggest advocates for the filibuster Hatch said to the Huffington Post. Its the only way to protect the minority and weve been in the minority a lot more than weve been in the majority. Its just a great great protection for the minority. In order for the filibuster to be overturned 51 senators must agree via the nuclear option. That is unlikely without unified Republican agreement in the Senate. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz notably launched a 21-hour-long filibuster against funding Obamacare in 2013 even though he angered some Republicans by contributing to a government shutdown. adaugherty@mcclatchydc.com - HTTP://WWW.MCCLATCHYDC.COM/NEWS/POLITICS-GOVERNMENT/CONGRESS/ARTICLE117002233.HTML