Mr. Schumer is reluctant to scrap the chamber’s filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes to pass most legislation, knowing that Republicans would some day return to the majority. But he has been informally polling his caucus about what he should do next year, according to Democratic senators who have spoken to him.
In an interview, Mr. Schumer, who is facing immense pressure from the left to let a simple majority rule and is facing a potential primary of his own in 2022, said that while he hoped “Republicans will see the light,” Democrats would push their agenda “with them or without them.”
Mr. Reid, the last Democratic majority leader, was blunter.
“To think that, with what McConnell has done to change the Senate forever, he is going to step in there and things will be just hunky dory, it won’t be,” Mr. Reid said. “If he wants to be a president who wants to be known for getting something done, he can’t need 60 votes for everything.” (It was Mr. Reid who terminated the filibuster on most judicial nominations).
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