Study: Filibuster Abuse Paralyzes Senate

The overuse and misuse of the filibuster is crippling Congress, according to a new study from the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law.

The report, "Curbing Filibuster Abuse," found:

• The current Senate passed a record-low 2.8 percent of bills it introduced.
• In the last three Congresses, the percentage of Senate floor activity devoted to cloture votes has been more than 50 percent greater than any other time since at least World War II.
• Since 2006, the Senate filed 385 cloture motions — the only way to forcibly end a filibuster — greater than the total number filed between 1917 and 1988.
• On average, it has taken 188 days to confirm a judicial nominee during the current Congress, creating 32 "judicial emergencies," as designated by the Office of U.S. Courts.

Read the full findings here.

How can we make the government work better? CWA is partnering with Alliance for Justice, Common Cause, AFL-CIO, NAACP and the Sierra Club to lead a broad coalition of progressive organizations — dubbed Fix the Senate Now — to support the Senate rules reform. Read more at www.fixthesenatenow.org.