Iowa senators against proposal to make legislation easier to pass

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - Iowa’s Senate delegation is against a proposal by President Joe Biden to reduce the filibuster, a tool used to slow legislation through the upper chamber.

The president says a limited change is needed to pass important voting rights legislation, though Sen. Chuck Grassley says Republicans will use the change to their own benefit if they get the chance.

“So whether a Republican suggested or a Democrat president suggested it’s a wrong thing to do because it destroys the historic role of the United States Senate being a deliberative body,” said Grassley.

When asked if Republicans would change the filibuster back to its current format if Democrats create an exception, Grassley said no.

“Well , I assume if they change it in the next two or three days, whenever this comes to a vote, it’ll be changed forever,” he said.

Iowa’s other U.S. Senator, Joni Earnst, also blasted the proposal to reduce the filibuster.

“The Senate was created specifically to prevent a mob rule mentality. James Madison, the Father of the Constitution, describe the Senate as the anchor of the federal government,” said Ernst on the U.S. Senate floor Wednesday afternoon.

Not all Democrats support the change, so the president doesn’t have the votes to lower the filibuster right now. But that could change and would make legislation much easier to pass for the Democrats right now.

Right now, it takes 60 senators to agree to end a filibuster, which is an oral or written request to prevent a vote. Biden has stated he supports a limited exception to pass voting rights legislation.