To: Sen. Catherine Cortez Mast (NV-1)
Background checks for gun sales failed. It's time to Fix the Senate.
Fix the Senate Now
The abuse of the filibuster to undermine policies that the minority cannot defeat through normal legislative channels represents a subversion of core democratic principles and Senate traditions, and should not continue.
The defeat of the Manchin-Toomey Amendment to expand background checks for gun sales at gun shows and over the internet is just the latest example of the minority preventing action on legislation that has the strong support of the American public.
Senators intent on blocking popular policies such as expanded background checks should be forced to hold the floor and keep at least 40 of their colleagues on the floor with them. Instead, Senate rules and procedures made opposing Manchin-Toomey essentially costless and accountability-free.
We call on you, and all the members of the Senate, to reform the Senate rules to restore accountability and transparency to Senate debate.
Why is this important?
The vote on the Manchin-Toomey amendment to expand background checks for gun sales at gun shows and over the internet shows that the compromise on rules reform that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid agreed to at the start of this Congress is clearly not working.
Although 86% of Americans supported the Manchin-Toomey amendment and 54 Senators voted to pass it, the amendment failed because, under the Senate rules, it was subject to the same 60-vote threshold ordinarily reserved for ending filibusters.
Enough is enough. Tell Senator Reid that you expect him to use his power as Majority Leader to enact meaningful filibuster reform so that we can end this obstructionism and restore accountability to the U.S. Senate.