Civics Made Easy

Filibuster 101: How One Senator Can Stop Everything

Why do most bills need 60 votes to pass the Senate? Ben Sheehan explains the filibuster’s history, evolution, rules, and potential reforms. Is the filibuster a tool of bipartisan compromise or just a partisan obstruction tactic? Also, if the filibuster isn’t mentioned in the Constitution or set by federal law, how’d we get it in the first place? And what would America’s founders think about it?