U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) called for an end to the Senate filibuster in an opinion piece published by The Wall Street Journal on Mar. 24, arguing that removing the 60-vote threshold is necessary to restore effective lawmaking.
Johnson said that current Senate rules have led to legislative gridlock and hindered Congress from passing meaningful bills. He wrote, “At a minimum, if the SAVE America Act fails to pass, the Senate should vote on a rule change (requiring 67 votes) to end the filibuster. It would be interesting to see whether Democrats would vote yes when Republicans are in power. Forcing them to defend the rule now could politically shame them into preserving it later: It’s the only chance I see of dissuading them from voting yes once they regain power.”
In his op-ed, Johnson described what he sees as ongoing dysfunction within Congress: “The U.S. Senate is broken. That U.S. federal government debt is approaching $39 trillion is only the most obvious evidence proving this point.” He cited statistics showing that since entering Congress in 2011, only six out of a possible 180 appropriations bills have passed on time—a failure rate of over 96 percent.
Johnson argued that while the filibuster has prevented some bad legislation from passing, it also blocks good bills and discourages real debate on amendments: “Lawmakers routinely use the cloture vote today to snuff out discussion and thoughtful consideration of proposed amendments… The result is a charade in which both sides agree to a set number of amendments that will be voted on that are guaranteed to fail.”
According to the official website, Johnson serves Wisconsin residents through flag arrangements flown over the Capitol for special occasions and offers community outreach via mobile office services and assistance programs across Milwaukee, Madison, Oshkosh, and Washington offices.
Johnson resides with his family in Oshkosh and participates in several committees including Finance, Budget, and Special Committee on Aging according to his official site. His work focuses on oversight responsibilities as well as fiscal strategies and support for seniors through these committee roles.
As chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and member of key committees like Finance, Johnson’s emphasis remains oversight and accountability according to his official website. His public service initiatives reflect ongoing engagement with constituents throughout Wisconsin.
