2255 San Marco Rd,
Marco Island, Florida 34145
15 September 2021
The Honorable Marco Rubio,
284 Russell Senate Office Building,
Washington DC, 20510
Dear Senator Marco Rubio,
I am writing to you in regards to the current debate over the use of the filibuster in the Senate, I would like to encourage you to vote to abolish the filibuster. I feel that it is unnecessary to filibuster when trying to pass a bill, because it becomes oppressive no matter the political party you represent.The founding fathers never included the filibuster in the constitution, and I think they would have never allowed for this abuse of power.
In recent years the use of the filibuster has adapted to best fit the needs of the political agenda in the minority. One way that this is executed is by a ‘Silent filibuster’ this means that any senator can secretly inform their majority leader, thus making it completely anonymously and further explanation unfeasible.This has allowed for any Senator to covertly stop any bill necessary from following through. In what way is this fair and what the original use of the filibuster was intended for? In some instances, the filibuster has been utilized to stop landmark legislation regarding civil rights which I believe is infringing on the human rights of the American people. In 2012 President Obama attempted to nominated Chuck Hagel, a member of the republican party, as well as a veteran and purple heart owner. However, the 2 parties polarization has grown to be so bad, that it took two separate cloture votes before he was actually accepted. The filibuster has become a game that the minority party will use to stop the majority party due to simple bias, and resentment. The filibuster has now lost all significant value as it is no longer encouraging diplomatic discussion, but rather an antagonistic approach.
I thoroughly believe that the filibuster should be either removed or have stricter restrictions placed on it. At this current point the filibuster has far too much power and control over the Senate. And while I think there should be some way of delaying bills depending on the issue, the filibuster has just turned into a kill-switch for bills. I do like the idea of the filibuster when it comes to the Senators actually debating actively, because I think that without debate we would be unable to come to a compromise that suits both parties. However, over the years the use of the filibuster has become more and more weaponized, and only delays important legislation from being debated and passed. This proves that the more the filibuster is used, the less productive the Senate is. According to the text “The use of the filibuster has skyrocketed in recent decades. In the 2019–20 session of Congress, for example, the Senate considered 298 cloture motions, compared to 6 in 1969–70. From 2009 through 2020, a period of just 11 years, the Senate held 971 cloture votes, more than the 828 it held from 1917 to 2008, a period of 91 years.” The more the filibuster is used the less bills are passed.
Supporters of the filibuster may claim that it is absolutely imperative that the filibuster is permitted in order to allow the minority to have a say. However this is completely inaccurate, considering every state has the same amount of senators actually representing them. This means that a state like Texas with 29 million people, has the same number of senators as Alaska, with just under a million residents. This means that the minority will have just as much of an equal say, as the majority.
I appreciate your time in this matter and hope you will consider my perspective. Since you represent my state I hope that you will take action in sponsoring a bill that will prohibit the use of the filibuster on the Senate floor.
Sincerely, Isabella Portu
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