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With Trump set to take power, Jayapal backtracks on ending filibuster

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) speaks at a news conference outside of the U.S. Capitol Building on Thursday, June 16, 2022, in Washington, D.C. During the news conference on climate action, House members spoke on the need to increase clean energy investments and be less reliant on foreign oil.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/TNS)
Caitlyn Freeman, The Seattle Times

U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the Democrat who represents most of Seattle, has long been a proponent of ending the filibuster as a tactic to stall bills in the Senate.

But with Republicans poised to control the presidency and Congress, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus said she’s no longer calling for the filibuster’s demise.

At a news conference held Monday by U.S. House progressives, Jayapal was asked how Democrats’ stance on the filibuster would shift, now that the House, Senate and White House appear to be in the other party’s hands.

“Am I championing getting rid of the filibuster now, when the Senate has the trifecta? No,” Jayapal told reporters at the news conference. “But had we had the trifecta, I would have been, because we have to show that government can deliver” — referencing Democrats’ efforts to pass ballot measures on the minimum wage, sick leave and abortion rights.

The filibuster has long been wielded by the minority party to prevent legislation from passing — to controversial effect. It takes 60 votes to end a debate on a bill and move it to a vote. To block a vote on a bill, senators will filibuster to extend the debate period.

While some key U.S. House races had yet to be officially called as of Monday evening, Democrats were bracing for Republican control, coinciding with a second Trump administration.

As recently as September, Jayapal posted on X: “It’s the filibuster OR an assault weapons ban. It’s the filibuster OR codified abortion access. It’s the filibuster OR raising the minimum wage. It’s the filibuster OR protecting voting rights. The choice is clear. Abolish the Jim Crow filibuster.”

Former President Barack Obama had joined with Jayapal in calling the filibuster a “Jim Crow relic,” because it was used in the 1960s to prevent civil rights legislation from passing, according to Politico. In more recent times, the technique has been used to halt congressional oversight and voting rights bills.

Calls to end the filibuster have ebbed and flowed on both sides of the aisle over the years. Kyrsten Sinema, the outgoing independent senator from Arizona, seemingly mocked Jayapal’s new approach in a post on Monday. Sinema, a former Democrat, had supported the filibuster in the past, leading Arizona Democrats to censure her in 2022, NPR reported.

A spokesperson for Jayapal did not immediately provide comment Monday evening.