Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the chief sponsor of the Equality Act, hinted at support Tuesday for scrapping the legislative filibuster in the U.S.
Senate to advance the comprehensive LGBTQ legislation. Merkley, speaking with the Washington Blade in a phone interview, said the filibuster amounts to a Republican caucus veto when asked whether the Equality Act merits scrapping the 60-vote threshold to advance legislation. “I don’t believe that Mitch McConnell should have a veto over fundamental rights and I’ve been very clear about that over time,” Merkley said.
Merkley, a longtime proponent of filibuster reform, based his grounds for potentially ending the legislative filibuster squarely in terms of the Equality Act, which would amend the