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Democratic senators are leaving the door open to eliminating the Senate filibuster as their party prepares to take control of the chamber, with one lawmaker saying the move must be on the table while another warned it could be a “double-edged sword.”
“Obviously, the filibuster is something that has to be on the table,” Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., told Fox News Digital when asked about Democrats’ plans for the chamber.
But Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., warned that changing the rules could carry consequences long after Democrats leave power.
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Current New Jersey Democratic Senator Andy Kim speaks during hearing on Capitol Hill. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Some of these things that we see here can be very much a double-edged sword,” Kim said. “I’m not saying that’s to deter us from doing it if we decide to do it. But I wanna make sure that everyone’s clear-eyed about what we’re doing.”
Scrapping the Senate’s 60-vote hurdle would allow Democrats to advance most legislation with a simple majority, weakening Republicans’ ability to block their agenda — but also giving the GOP the same advantage if it regains control.
Fox News Digital pressed the senators on whether Democrats would consider changing the rules while President Donald Trump remains in office or wait until a potential Democratic presidential victory in 2028.
“We’re discussing a progressive agenda right now and amongst the other Democratic senators,” Markey said. “So I’ll be listening to everyone’s views on what is the best strategy.”
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Trump pressed Senate Republicans to abolish the filibuster when trying to pass the SAVE America Act, warning that Democrats would eliminate it if the party took back the majority — and now they have.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stayed silent when asked if he would support Democrats getting rid of the filibuster if they win the White House in 2028. Schumer is currently under scrutiny from progressives as the party considers who will lead the Senate after winning back the majority.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., announced Thursday that he will be running against Schumer for Senate Majority Leader and is in favor of terminating the filibuster, even going as far as characterizing it as “anti-democratic.”
“My personal view has been all along that the filibuster is an anti-democratic … provision. It’s not in our Constitution,” Van Hollen said. “It was put in there by senators to enhance their power over the power of the people.”
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Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., speaks to reporters at the “What’s Next” conference in Denver on Nov. 13, 2026, as he campaigns to lead Senate Democrats. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)
Kim cautioned that changing Senate rules could set a precedent Democrats might later regret.
“When you open the door…you gotta be ready,” Kim said. “You don’t wanna shoot from the hip when it comes to really big issues that are affecting our country in this way.”
He suggested pushing legislation “through other means” before jumping to nuking the filibuster.
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“I think we as a caucus would need to think through…what would we want to pass such that that would be an obstacle, you know, and I think we should be pushing as much as we can through other means,” Kim said.