\nSenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced legislation to raise the debt ceiling on Thursday, apparently with the intent of showing that even Democrats would not support such a bill.<\/p>\n
However, McConnell\u2019s plan backfired after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) called for a vote on the legislation, which would have given the president the authority to raise the federal debt ceiling on his own. The top Senate Republican was forced to filibuster his own bill.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we have here is a case of Republicans here in the Senate once again not taking \u2018yes\u2019 for an answer,\u201d Reid said, after McConnell announced his filibuster. \u201cThis morning the Republican leader asked consent to have a vote on this proposal, just now I told everyone we were willing to have that vote \u2014 up or down vote. Now the Republican leader objects to his own idea. So I guess we have a filibuster of his own bill, so I object.\u201d<\/p>\n
…<\/p>\n
Durbin explained \u201cto those who don\u2019t follow the Senate\u201d that by calling for the legislation to be passed by a 60-vote majority, McConnell had filibustered the bill. He said this was probably the first time in history that a senator had filibuster his own proposal.<\/p>\n
Reid and other Democrats have called for the Senate\u2019s filibuster rules to be reformed, claiming that Republicans have abused the parliamentary procedure and obstructed lawmaking.<\/p>\n
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