Robert Byrd: “Never, in my view, had America been led by such a dangerous head of state.”

The reconciliation process was designed to facilitate legislation to reduce deficits. Instead, the process has been used to enact multi-trillion-dollar tax cuts that led to record deficits over the last 8 years.

Never, ever, ever get rid of the filibuster. It is the guardian of minority rights and an essential engine for consensus.

I think that as long as we have respect for the institution and for the Minority to be heard, that this will bring accountability to the process.

Let us clearly understand one thing. The Constitution's Framers never intended for the Senate to function like the House of Representatives.