Rep. Chellie Pingree outside the U.S. Capitol. (Rep. Chellie Pingree via Facebook)
After Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris said Tuesday she would support changing Senate procedure to restore the right to abortion nationally, Maine Democrat U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree voiced her support for the reform.
However Maine’s U.S. senators, independent Angus King and Republican Susan Collins, did not respond to questions about whether they support the change, nor did U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat.
While Senate rules require only a simple majority to pass a bill, a supermajority of 60 votes is needed to end debate on most bills and move to a vote. Harris said in a radio interview on Tuesday that she supports ending this Senate cloture rule, commonly called the filibuster, to get a law passed codifying Roe v. Wade, the constitutional right to an abortion struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022.
Pingree’s spokesperson told Maine Morning Star that the representative is of the same opinion.
“Congresswoman Pingree has long supported abolishing the filibuster, especially to codify Roe and protect abortion access nationwide,” spokesperson Gabrielle Mannino said on Tuesday. “She strongly believes the outdated filibuster has blocked the people’s will to enact action on climate, gun violence prevention, voting rights, LGBTQ+ protections, and reproductive freedom.”
This is not the first time Harris has voiced support for ending the filibuster, either. In 2022, while in her current role of vice president, Harris similarly said she supported ending the political procedure to protect reproductive rights, as well as voting rights. And in 2019, during her first run for president, Harris said she supported ending the filibuster to pass the Green New Deal, legislation to address climate change.
On Tuesday during an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio, Harris said, “I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe, and get us to the point where 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom and for the ability of every person and every woman to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do.”
While King did not respond to a request for comment about his current stance, the senator has previously said he would be open to ending the filibuster to expand voting rights.
In an opinion piece published by the Washington Post in 2021, King wrote, “I believe voting rights are a special case that we must address in light of the nakedly partisan voter-suppression legislation pending in many states. All-out opposition to reasonable voting rights protections cannot be enabled by the filibuster; if forced to choose between a Senate rule and democracy itself, I know where I will come down.”
The filibuster currently only exists in the Senate. In 1806, at the suggestion of Aaron Burr, the Senate stopped allowing a simple majority to force a vote to end debate on legislation and thereafter filibusters became a routine Senate activity.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives got rid of filibusters in 1842 and now strictly limits the amount of time each representative can speak on the floor.
Banning the filibuster in the Senate would hinge on Democrats agreeing to do so and holding on to majority control in the Senate, a difficult feat this November as Republicans could take back the upper chamber.
Support from two-thirds of present, voting members of the Senate would be needed to change the rule. King, who caucuses with Democrats, and Collins, often considered a centrist, could be crucial.
Alternatively, a simple majority of senators could set a new Senate precedent, which is separate from a formal rule but provides guidance regarding how rules have been applied.