Full Breakdown
Bipartisan Senate Reform Proposal Aims to Speed Up Legislative Process
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Proposal Overview
Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) have introduced a seven-page plan to modify Senate rules that they say hinder timely action. The proposal would eliminate cloture votes—currently requiring a 60-senator supermajority—on “routine business” such as nominations, amendments, and motions to proceed. It also seeks to remove the mandatory “intervening day” that forces a full calendar day between filing a cloture motion and voting on it, and to shorten the post-cloture waiting period that can extend up to 30 hours. For bills that emerge from committee with bipartisan support, the plan creates a fast-track path: after six hours of debate, passage would be possible with a simple majority. A separate two-day fast-track would apply to bipartisan spending bills, with a limit of 20 amendments (10 from each party) and five-minute debate on each.
Background & Context
Under current Senate rules, ending a filibuster requires a cloture motion that must secure 60 votes, a threshold the senators argue is now used to stall legislation. After cloture is invoked, the Senate must wait an “intervening day” and then up to 30 hours before a final vote, giving the minority ample opportunity to delay action. The senators note that more than 650 bipartisan bills have cleared committee but never received floor time because of these procedural constraints.
Key Numbers
- 60-vote threshold for cloture.
- Up to 30 hours of post-cloture delay (proposed cut to 12 hours).
- 650+ bipartisan committee-cleared bills lacking floor consideration.
- Fast-track eligibility requires signatures from 16 senators, including at least one from each party.
- Bipartisan appropriations fast-track would list 20 amendments (10 per side) with five-minute debate per amendment.
- Two-day fast-track for bipartisan spending bills.
Official Statements & Responses
Daines and Merkley argue that the Senate’s “tangled rules” have become “unacceptably diminished” and that the reforms would restore the chamber’s ability to legislate efficiently. In a joint op-ed and statement, they contend that the world’s rapid technological and economic changes demand a Senate that can keep pace. They told Semafor that they have presented the proposal to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both of whom would need to approve any rule changes.
Potential Impact
If adopted, the changes could reduce procedural delays while preserving the 60-vote filibuster for final passage, thereby encouraging bipartisan cooperation on legislation that already enjoys cross-party support. The senators acknowledge that approval is uncertain, but they maintain that the reforms would “get the Senate moving” and enable more effective delivery of policy outcomes for the American people.