As if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) weren’t miserable enough over his failure to repeal and replace Obamacare, President Trump has been badgering him on Twitter about eliminating the 60-vote Senate filibuster.
According to Trump, this procedural relic was to blame for stalling his legislative agenda in Congress: “Republicans in the Senate will NEVER win if they don’t go to a 51 vote majority NOW. They look like fools and are just wasting time…..”
As is often the case, Trump did not entirely grasp the relevant nuances: McConnell tried to pass an Obamacare repeal under a special “reconciliation” rule requiring just 50 votes plus Vice President Pence’s, but couldn’t even muster that many due to defections in his own caucus. The majority leader thus seemed understandably exasperated with the president Wednesday, citing his “excessive expectations.”
And, of course, McConnell shows no signs of agreeing to the rule change Trump impatiently favors.
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