politics

Q&A: Sen. Jeff Merkley Talks Filibuster, 'Nuclear' Option

By Kate Davidson (OPB)
April 6, 2017 9:15 p.m.

On Thursday, the U.S. Senate deployed the so-called nuclear option.

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Related: Merkley Speaks For 15 Hours Opposing Gorsuch Nomination, But Was It A Filibuster?

The Republican majority voted to change longstanding Senate rules allowing the filibuster of Supreme Court nominees.

That gets around a Democratic filibuster of President Trump's nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch.

It also means all future Supreme Court nominees can be confirmed by a simple majority, rather than 60 votes.

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley spoke with OPB "All Things Considered" host Kate Davidson about why he pushed for a filibuster even knowing the nuclear option was likely. Listen to their full conversation by clicking play in the audio player at the top of this article.

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