Breaking: Republican Senators Block Bill to Form Capitol Riot Commission

- May 28, 2021

A bill to form a commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol riot will not move forward after senators voted 54-35 to block open debate on the measure.

Earlier:

Senate Republicans are preparing to use the filibuster for the first time since President Biden took office to block the establishment of a commission to investigate the events of the Capitol riot, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

The filibuster, once deployed, must garner the votes of 60 senators to end debate and move forward with the bill. Given that the Senate is evenly spit 50-50 between the parties, Democrats have the burden of securing ten additional Republican votes to advance the legislation.

Democrats have expressed disdain with the commission’s lack of popularity among Senate Republicans, claiming the issue should earn unanimous bipartisan support.

"We have a mob overtake the Capitol, and we can't get the Republicans to join us in making historic record of that event? That is sad," said Senator Dick Durbin, the 2nd highest ranked Democrat. "That tells you what's wrong with the Senate and what's wrong with the filibuster."

Republican critics of the commission have argued that its focus should be broader and examine the political violence that took place at Black Lives Matter protests over the summer.

The GOP’s collective decision comes amid calls from some Democrats to abolish the filibuster as an institution or amend its rules to lower the threshold to begin the legislative process. The House already passed the proposal with a number of Republicans departing from expectations for their party to approve it.

"There is no excuse for any Republican to vote against this commission," said Senator Joe Manchin, who supports the panel but also wants to protect the filibuster from Democratic attacks to demolish it.

Senators Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski are the only Republicans to come out in support of the commission. Moderate Republican Senator Susan Collins has indicated willingness to accepted an amended version of the House legislation and says she is working to bring Republicans to compromise.

"I want to see a commission," Collins said Wednesday. "I am working very hard to secure Republican votes."

"What we want is closure," Murkowski said Wednesday.

Collins' revision addresses some Republican concerns with the original bill, requiring the Democratic-appointed chair and the Republican vice chair of the panel to "jointly appoint" staff. Her amendment would also shut down the commission 30 days after a final report is released, instead of 60 days.

However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has dismissed the bill as a “purely political exercise” and doesn’t believe the commission should survive, discouraging to fellow Republicans from backing it.

“They'd like to continue to litigate the former president, into the future,” McConnell said referring to Democrats’ persistence on the panel.

Former President Donald Trump has slammed the commission to probe the facts and events surrounding and preceding the January 6 insurrection, claiming the Republican defectors are betraying the interests of their party and constituents for a “witch hunt.”