I've never been so devastated by the defeat of a conservative Republican to the U.S. Senate as I was this Tuesday. It's not just that Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning is a great guy: a warm, humble, often hilarious teddy bear of a man who's the type of person you'd be proud to represent you in Congress.
Newsroom
Mark McKinnon on the Colbert Report
Mark McKinnon sits down with Stephen Colbert to talk No Budget, No Pay and No Labels.
News
U.S. Senate leaders are negotiating an agreement to hold a series of votes this week on various budget proposals, including the latest one passed by the House and another one formed by tea party-backed senators.
May 15, 2012 | in make congress work, no budget no pay
In his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Profiles in Courage,"John F. Kennedy wrote admiringly of U.S. senators who put the national interest ahead of partisanship, ideological purity and regional parochialism. Many sacrificed their careers because of their stands, but Kennedy held them aloft as examples to be emulated for their moral courage, intellectual independence and public candor.
May 15, 2012 | in make congress work
Press Releases
Senate Majority Leader Shifts Stance In Acknowledgement Of Current Congressional Gridlock
Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took to the Senate floor to call for fixes to the filibuster, adding his voice to a growing reform movement. There have been 100 filibusters in the Senate in the last two years alone. Reid's frustration boiled over when senators used a filibuster to oppose routine renewal of the Export-Import Bank's charter and prevent debate on federal student loan rates.
Filibuster reform is point No. 3 in No Labels’ Make Congress Work! action plan and would require real (not virtual) filibusters and end filibusters on motions to proceed.
“Republicans and Democrats alike have abused the filibuster, and it’s long past time to reduce its unwarranted use in the Senate,” said No Labels Co-Founder Bill Galston. “Reid’s willingness to shift his stance on the need for a filibuster fix takes political courage and should be applauded. With neither party knowing who will control the Senate next year, the time is ripe for bipartisan rule reform.”
“We’ve seen the serious misuse by both parties of a maneuver that was originally intended to protect minority rights,” said No Labels Co-Founder Mark McKinnon. “Filibusters are a major cause of congressional gridlock. It wasn't always this way. In the first 50 years of the filibuster it was used only 35 times. Now we've reached a ridiculous point where even routine matters need to clear a 60 vote Senate threshold to break the filibuster.”
For more information on the No Labels Make Congress Work! action plan or to arrange an interview with a No Labels co-founder, please contact Sarah Feldman at press@nolabels.org or (202) 588-1990. To learn more about No Labels, please visit www.NoLabels.org.
###
