WASHINGTON – Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) joined The Hill Sunday with Chris Stirewalt on NewsNation to discuss Chuck Schumer's government shutdown and the termination of the Senate filibuster.
"In 1975, the Senate changed it to 60 votes because they said it was too hard to overcome filibusters. So, they lowered it from 67 votes from 1917 to 60 votes in 1975. And guess what? It's still hard to overcome filibusters":
"Because the Senate filibuster is a creation of Woodrow Wilson. At that time in 1917, Woodrow Wilson is one of the very worst president's the nation has ever had. Americans don't like paying income tax. You know who brought that to us? Woodrow Wilson. But let's get to the filibuster. In 1917, they created a filibuster rule which was 67 votes. In 1975, the Senate changed it to 60 votes because they said it was too hard to overcome filibusters. So, they lowered it from 67 votes from 1917 to 60 votes in 1975. And guess what? It's still hard to overcome filibusters. But here's the core issue: there are many major issues facing the American people over the next 10 years. Our national debt is going to go from 38 trillion dollars to 58 trillion dollars over the next decade. Part of the reason because you cannot get commonsense spending reforms through the United States Senate because Senate Democrats will never agree to meaningful reforms and to spending cuts to actually lower the debt and lower our deficits."
"But we don't do what is necessary for the future of our country based upon [if] we're afraid of terrible policy from the Democratic left":
"I get the arguments about what will happen when the Democrats take control. But we don't do what is necessary for the future of our country based upon [if] we're afraid of terrible policy from the Democratic left. Let me also add to this, when Obama was president, under Harry Reid, they nuked the filibuster for Supreme Court justices. They did that... Look, I am not a Pollyanna. I know that the Democrats are radical in the policies that they want to do, they want D.C. to be a state. But like the president has said, when the Democrats are in control again and they have the trifecta, they're going to do this stuff anyway. Better to put forward commonsense policy that actually works for the American people. And then I trust the genius of Americans, they're going to say to Republicans, 'All right. Their policies make sense. Let's follow them into the future.'”
