Glenn Hurst is a family physician in southwest Iowa and a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.
Article One, Section 5 of the U.S. Constitution, gives each legislative body the right to develop its own rules for conducting business. The U.S. Senate currently has 44 rules addressing the expected structure of a legislative day such as the order of business, quorum, and voting procedures. They also open the door for partisan influence on the business of our government and perpetuate a power structure that perpetuates power within the two-party system.
Because of this structure, progressives, and those who cannot bear to align within this narrow illusion of choice, have often been forced to find unique niches in which to attempt to exert influence.
Service and leadership were the hallmark of my upbringing and remain the touchstones of my advocacy. When I ran for city council, I ran to serve my community, but also to put a progressive voice into the Iowa League of Cities. I saw that it was there where I could provide leadership and influence on the state government that has lost its connection to the people of Iowa. Today, I see the U.S. Senate failing to serve the people.
Democratic senators like Joe Manchin and Kirsten Sinema have put the very function of our republic at risk. Their failure to act on the filibuster leaves us in a gridlock that prevents the will of the people from being enacted. Last week, it was used to perpetuate racial discrimination at the ballot box.
But the success of their efforts is rooted in the binary system by which the Senate operates. Because of that system, it requires a one-party supermajority, rather than a multiparty coalition to get business done. The filibuster’s ability to grind the government to a halt is not a useful function in a world with the technology to communicate globally and instantly. It is now a world where constituents can have educated opinions about a vast number of issues germane to a government function.
In a diversified electorate, the perpetuation of a two-party structure fails. It has served its purpose, but it is time for it to be erased from our rule book.
As partisanship influence on the business of the representative government polarizes the body, the filibuster has morphed from a tool to ensure the minority voice is heard, into a politicized weapon to prevent debate from reaching the floor. As Iowa’s U.S. senator, I will unequivocally call for and support the dismantling of this archaic machine.
But ending the filibuster should be just the start of comprehensive Senate rules reform. At the very least, the process of debate should flip the burden of delaying a bill by making the minority voice produce 41 votes to continue debate, instead of requiring the majority to produce 60 votes to end it. There should be no phoning in dissent from the office, as senators are currently allowed to do. There must be a return to requiring those who continue debate to be on the floor.
The American people demand freedom from the failure of a bipartisan system. It is a system where our elected officials are not allowed to represent their constituents. They are forced to get in line behind other representatives who may be better fund-raisers, more connected to industry leaders, or who serve as lemmings to party leaders’ agendas.
I support term limits. But, if we cannot get a constitutional amendment for term limits, we can certainly limit the influence and power of those who we elected to serve our state. The current interpretation of Senate rules gives the majority leader—a partisan position, not a constitutional one—preferential recognition over the other senators. This allows them to set the agenda for the nation, which is not the job they were elected to perform.
To dismantle the unjust two-party stranglehold on our government, we should strike the reference to majority or minority party leaders regarding procedures of debate, the introduction of bills, or committee appointments. Senate rules should not allow party leadership to politicize the national agenda or subvert the will of the people.
Accompanying the end of the filibuster and diminishing partisan influence should come new rules including term limits for roles in Senate committees and sub-committees. Parties should not control committee assignments, and committee membership and leadership should not be based on the number of Senate seats held by each party.
Rules should also assure that the government continues to always work for the people. Reform should also include assuring confirmation hearings are held in a timely manner. Being in the Senate requires taking a position on a nominee, not cowering from the process, or holding it hostage for political gain. The purpose of an appointment is to see that the responsibilities of our government are being always fulfilled. Delaying confirmations stop that work in its tracks.
Put plainly, rules affect outcomes. And it is time for the outcome of our government to be a benefit to the people it represents. As Iowa’s U.S. Senator, I will not only stand for Medicare for All, carbon reductions, and voting rights. I will support Senate rules reform, and if necessary, I will challenge for leadership of the Senate to get those things done.