U.S. Sen. Rick Scott called for an end to the Senate filibuster in a letter to the editor published in The Wall Street Journal, arguing that the procedural rule has stifled debate rather than encouraging it.
Scott wrote the response following an op-ed published the previous week by Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah), who argued in favor of preserving the filibuster.
In his letter, titled “Filibuster Abuse Has Destroyed Senate Debate,” Scott stated that current legislative practices have altered the original function of the rule.
“Abuse of the filibuster has stifled open debate in the chamber,” Scott wrote. “It prevents, by design, the results that voters expect us to deliver.”
Scott noted that modern Senate leadership often bypasses extended floor debate through procedural maneuvers.
“Modern majority leaders file cloture before debate begins,” Scott wrote. “The agenda changes at the threat of debate. The iconic final scene from the film ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’ rarely occurs.”
To illustrate historical uses of the rule, Scott referenced the debate surrounding civil rights legislation six decades ago.
“In 1964 opponents of the Civil Rights Act attempted to stop the legislation with a filibuster,” Scott wrote. “The bill’s supporters were initially far short of the 67 votes needed to break the filibuster. But by forcing open debate, the Senate finally forced an answer on Jim Crow.”
Scott argued that the current application of the rule has weakened the Senate’s ability to deliberate effectively and pass legislation.
“The filibuster is a muscle we never exercise. It has atrophied,” Scott wrote. “Senators have lost the implicit understanding that a debate needs to happen before it can end. This legislative body needs to deliver results, not fail while adhering to a prohibitive process. We should end the filibuster and pass the SAVE America Act—or require debate until exhaustion or satisfaction.”
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