Senate Dems are strongly signaling they will filibuster Republicans' police reform bill later this week absent more concessions from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Senate Democrats are strongly signaling they will filibuster Republicans’ police reform bill later this week absent more concessions from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Democrats oppose the legislation written by Sen. Tim Scott as inadequate, saying it lacks the strong federal orders needed to spur police departments to change their actions on racial profiling and use of force. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the GOP bill “deeply and fundamentally flawed” on Monday.
So far, there have been few substantive bipartisan negotiations on a compromise bill. McConnell said Monday, “For anyone who actually wants to legislate, it shouldn’t be a difficult call” to advance the bill.Filibustering the legislation isn’t without risks for Democrats. Schumer and his party had urged McConnell to hold a police reform debate in the wake of Floyd’s killing, and they could invite criticism for not trying to improve the GOP bill and instead voting it down.
The Senate Democratic Caucus held a lengthy conference call on Monday debating the best path forward. Many Democrats said afterward they would vote against advancing the bill, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who is on Schumer’s leadership team, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the GOP bill “deeply and fundamentally flawed” on Monday. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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