Senators debate fallout of rule change

WASHINGTON—After changing Senate rules Wednesday, Republicans are countering criticism that the move represents a troubling trend toward weakening the power of the minority party in Congress. The Senate voted 51-48 Wednesday to limit debate on nominations for lower-level federal courts and executive appointments, a change that will speed confirmation of President Donald Trump’s nominees. The new rules allow a simple majority in the Senate to break a filibuster of a nominee’s confirmation after two hours instead of 30. The change will not apply to White House appointees to the Cabinet, Supreme Court, or appellate courts.

Democrats unanimously opposed the measure, arguing it compromised one of the few tools available to the minority party. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the change a debasement of the tradition of an empowered minority, saying, “The majority, by taking yet another step to erode that legacy, risks turning this body into … a place where the brute power of the majority ultimately rules.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., argued that Democrats “started this whole thing” by overusing filibusters to obstruct and delay the president’s agenda. “I don’t think anybody ought to be seized with guilt over any institutional damage being done to the United States Senate,” he added.

Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mike Lee of Utah voted against the measure. Lee said he was concerned that revising the rules could lead to lowering the filibuster time on legislation, a change that would give the majority sweeping power. “One reason they call this the ‘nuclear option’ is once it’s set in motion, it can be difficult to control,” Lee said.

In the last decade, the Senate has deployed the so-called nuclear option multiple times to give the majority party more power. Senate rules established in 1917 required a two-thirds majority to end a filibuster. The Senate reduced that number to 60 in 1975, and in 2013 Democrats lowered it to 50 for all executive nominations except to the Supreme Court. In 2017, Republicans changed the rules so Supreme Court nominations only need a simple majority vote to end a filibuster.