Daines, Merkley Announce Sweeping Bipartisan Proposal to “Save the Senate”

End the Senate’s Dysfunction and Deliver Results for the American People

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) today announced the rollout of a sweeping bipartisan proposal that would enact major changes to the Senate’s governing rules. These changes would help restore the Senate’s purpose of robust debate and bipartisan policymaking so that the Senate can legislate effectively and tackle pressing challenges facing the country.

These major reforms will “Save the Senate.”

“For much of our history the American people could rely on the Senate to tackle our hardest challenges. But over the past 50 years, deliberation in the U.S. Senate has all but ground to a halt due to toxic, partisan political culture. As a result, the Senate has become unnecessarily—and unacceptably—diminished as the world’s greatest deliberative body.

“Both parties had a role in creating the Senate’s dysfunction, and both parties have a responsibility to fix it. That’s why we’re working together—a Democrat and a Republican—to put forward this proposal to Save the Senate. 

“Our proposal will incentivize bipartisan cooperation, strengthen committees, empower members of both parties to bring and amend bills on the Senate floor, help prevent government shutdowns, and reduce needless procedural delays. These reforms will help the Senate solve our nation’s problems and deliver results for the American people,” said Daines and Merkley.

Specifically, the proposal would:

• Increase time for debate on more legislation by eliminating cloture votes on nominations, motions to proceed, and amendments. Retains cloture vote prior to final passage under regular order. 

• Create a Senate version of the House “suspension” calendar. Bipartisan bills that have cleared committee would be eligible for swift Senate passage at a two-thirds threshold.

• Create a fast-track tool that would allow bipartisan bills that have cleared committee to be processed, amended, and passed at a simple majority threshold.

• Create another fast-track tool that would allow bipartisan spending bills to be brought to the Senate floor, amended, and passed in two days. 

Read the full details of Daines’ and Merkley’s proposals AQUÍ. 

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