Roger Marshall: “I may be one of the Senate's newest Members, but that does not mean I don't understand the importance of the filibuster…”

“I may be one of the Senate's newest Members, but that does not mean I don't understand the importance of the filibuster to this body or to this Nation as a whole. Like Senators before me, I have observed the practice from the other side of the Capitol as a Member of the House and have heard the calls from a frustrated majority to eliminate it for the sake of jamming through an agenda and cashing in the political gain that would come from doing so. But anyone who has an appreciation for our founding knows the purpose of the filibuster is indeed to frustrate the majority, to serve as an additional check in our government, and drive consensus and cooperation. Its purpose is to protect the rights of the minority and prevent the tyranny of the majority--in short, to save us from ourselves. The Senators supporting the majority leader's effort to eliminate the 60-vote threshold seemed to once understand this too. Just a few years ago, 25 of them cosigned a letter opposing ``any effort to curtail the existing rights and prerogatives of Senators to engage in full, robust, and extended debate.'' Sadly, we are now witnessing the most blatant hypocritical policy switch we have ever seen, as many current Democrat Senators and the President have abandoned these principles. This flip-flop appears to be all in the name of greed and power.…”