Democratic Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema will not support eliminating the filibuster and her mind cannot be changed, according to a spokesperson.
As Democrats now control the House, Senate and White House, there has been discussion about possibly voting to eliminate the filibuster. Abolishing the filibuster would allow any legislation to pass with a simple majority. With Sinema coming out against abolishing the filibuster, it makes it highly unlikely it could happen, as Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has also said he will not vote to do so.
“Kyrsten is against eliminating the filibuster, and she is not open to changing her mind about eliminating the filibuster,” a spokesperson for Sinema told the Washington Post on Monday.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., departs from the Senate Floor after a vote on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. (Photo by Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
President Joe Biden has not changed his mind on D.C. statehood or eliminating the filibuster, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters during a Friday briefing. (RELATED: No Changes: Biden Still Opposes Eliminating The Filibuster And Supports DC Statehood, Press Sec Confirms)
Republicans, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have continued to warn of the dangers of eliminating the filibuster, saying it would be detrimental to the Senate.
“This threat to permanently disfigure, to disfigure the Senate, has been the latest growing drumbeat in the modern Democratic Party’s war against our governing institutions,” McConnell said in September, according to The Hill. (RELATED: Even With The Filibuster, Slim Democratic Control Of Congress Keeps Biden’s Agenda Alive)
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has previously said that Democrats would “do what it takes” to advance their policy initiatives, even if that meant abolishing the filibuster.