Out bisexual Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) recently voiced her belief that the Senate should reinstate the 60-vote threshold to confirm executive and judicial nominees.
“Not only am I committed to the 60-vote threshold,” Sinema reportedly said during a Q&A at the University of Louisville. “I have an incredibly unpopular view. I actually think we should restore the 60-vote threshold for the areas in which it has been eliminated already. We should restore it.”
She continued, “Not everyone likes that because it would make it harder for us to confirm judges and it would make it harder for us to confirm executive appointments in each administration, but I believe that if we did restore it, we would see more of that middle ground in all parts of our governance, which is what, I believe, our forefathers intended.”
Sinema has been been a vocal opponent of reforming the filibuster, the rule that effectively makes 60 votes required to pass any legislation through the Senate. Her opposition, along with that of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), has contributed to the stalled progress of major Democratic legislation, including two voting rights bills and the Equality Act.
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“While it is frustrating as a member of the minority in the United States Senate, and equally as frustrating in the majority, because you must have 60 votes to move forward, that frustration represents solely the short-term angst of not getting what you want,” Sinema said during the Q&A. “We shouldn’t get everything we want in the moment because later, upon cooler reflection, you recognize that it has probably gone too far.”
And it seems she also wants to make Senate confirmations more difficult.
Since taking office, Sinema has disappointed many with her continuous efforts to block Biden’s agenda. In addition to refusing to support filibuster reform, she also would not get on board with his Build Back Better plan.
And despite obstructing the Democrats’ agenda, she hasn’t gained support elsewhere either. A recent poll of Arizona voters found that about the same percentages of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents find her unfavorable.
