There’s something going on in the halls of Congress that isn’t getting much attention, but could mark a significant change in the way business gets done on Capitol Hill.
It’s the fight over the filibuster, and it’s about to come to a head. In fact, just yesterday the filibuster was challenged in a federal court hearing brought forth by four House Democrats and the nonpartisan group Common Cause. They claim the filibuster is an unconstitutional “accident of history” that robs the majority of the right to legislate.
It’s not the first time the courts have heard such a challenge. Yet regardless of the outcome of the case, it’s possible lawmakers could strike a deal on the rules governing the filibuster when the new Congress convenes in January. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said he will use his majority to enact filibuster reform. That has Republicans scrambling to strike a deal to avoid what’s being dubbed the “nuclear option.”
Today on NOW, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) joins us to talk about why he is leading the charge to enact filibuster reform, and why it could mean big changes for the ways of Washington. Alex will join the panel again from DC – we’ll see you at noon ET.
PANEL
David Corn, Washington Bureau Chief, Mother Jones/msnbc Political Analyst (@davidcorndc)
Karen Finney, Fmr. DNC Communications Director/msnbc Political Analyst (@finneyk)
Jim Vandehei, Executive Editor, POLITICO (@jimvandehei) Mark Leibovich, Chief National Correspondent, The New York Times Magazine (@markleibovich) GUEST Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) (@senjeffmerkley)
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