Sen. Kamala Harris of California said that if she's elected president, she will back abolishing the filibuster if Senate Republicans stand in the way of legislation to combat climate change.
Former Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid on Monday called for an end to the legislative filibuster, asserting that removing the procedure would help end the "era of obstruction and inaction" in the Senate.
Senate Democrats are weighing whether to filibuster the annual defense policy bill that is on the floor this week to try to force a vote on an amendment that would require President Donald Trump to get congressional approval before launching war with Iran.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Tuesday the Senate will skip much of its treasured August recess to press ahead confirming the President's nominees and passing government spending bills.
The Senate is scheduled to vote Monday on whether to re-open the government following Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's pledge to take up legislation to address an expiring immigration program in hopes of enticing enough Democrats to come on board.
In a surprisingly close vote, the Senate advanced legislation Tuesday that would keep in place a key electronic surveillance tool the government says it needs to track terrorists, barely overcoming objections from a bipartisan group of civil libertarian-focused senators who wanted to add changes to the bill.
