Vice President JD Vance called on Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster, arguing that preserving the procedural rule now would not stop Democrats from abolishing it the next time they gain sufficient power in Washington.
Vance said he has attempted to understand the argument from Republicans who want to preserve the filibuster, but he does not believe their expectation of future cooperation from Democrats is realistic.
“I try to understand their position as well as I can. What they say, and I think they genuinely believe this, I don’t know how, but I think they genuinely believe that if they protect the filibuster for the next couple of years, then let’s say the Democrats take over in four years, the Democrats are going to return the favor and protect the filibuster when they’re in power.”
Vance immediately questioned that assumption.
“I don’t know how anybody believes that.”
The vice president pointed to former Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin as examples of Democrats who resisted efforts to eliminate the filibuster while serving in the Senate.
“We have to remember that if you go back to Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, by the way, two very good public servants, moderate Democrats, I disagreed with them on a lot of issues, but they did protect the filibuster.”
Vance argued that their willingness to preserve the rule did not earn them support from Democratic leadership.
“And what happened to them? Were they promoted by the Democratic Party? No, they were destroyed by Chuck Schumer and the Senate Democrats.”
According to Vance, their experiences sent a broader warning to Democratic senators who might resist party leadership on the issue in the future.
“They sent a message that if you ever dare to stand against the national Senate Democrat leadership, we are going to destroy your career, and that means the filibuster has to go away.”
Vance said there could still be individual Democratic senators willing to preserve the filibuster, but he argued that Democratic leadership would prevent them from doing so.
“I guarantee you, even if there are some good Democrats in the Senate who would preserve the filibuster, you know, to sort of show good faith to their Republican colleagues, they’re never going to be allowed to do it by the Senate leadership.”
He said Republicans should recognize what he considers the political reality surrounding the rule.
“The politics of it are obvious. Senate Democrats are going to destroy the filibuster.”
Vance then outlined what he believes Democrats would pursue if they eliminated the filibuster after regaining control.
“And by the way, they’re not going to do it to protect American election integrity, they’re going to do it to add Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. as states.”
He also argued that Democrats would use the change to alter election policy.
“They’re going to do it to further weaken election integrity.”
Vance directed his criticism specifically toward the smaller group of Senate Republicans who remain committed to keeping the filibuster.
“And this is what I think that, again, it’s not the majority of the Senate GOP, but a few senators have got to wake up to the reality that the Democrats are going to blow up the filibuster and try to destroy the country, pack the Supreme Court.”
The vice president concluded that Republicans should act first rather than preserve a procedural rule that he believes Democrats will eventually eliminate themselves.
“We need to end the filibuster to save American elections.”
Vance characterized that approach as both a practical political decision and a matter of national interest.
“It’s the smart and also the patriotic thing to do.”
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