Why Senate Democrats Had To Invoke The ‘Nuclear Option’
by Michael Collier on Nov 21, 2013 | Views: 187 | Score: 2
# of Cloture Motions Filed | |
---|---|
112th | 115 |
111th | 137 |
110th | 139 |
109th | 68 |
108th | 62 |
107th | 71 |
106th | 71 |
105th | 69 |
104th | 82 |
103rd | 80 |
102nd | 60 |
101st | 38 |
100th | 54 |
99th | 41 |
98th | 41 |
97th | 31 |
96th | 30 |
95th | 23 |
Sources:
thinkprogress.org, senate.gov
A common mechanism used to gauge the frequency of filibusters is the number of “cloture motions” filed during a particular Congress. "Cloture” is the procedure used to break a filibuster. While filibusters were not unheard of before Democrats gained their majority and Sen. Mitch McConnell became the Republican leader, they spiked the minute McConnell assumed his position (110th Congress)