Topline

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday accused Senate Democrats of pushing a legislative agenda that’s “designed to fail” in order to push senators wavering on eliminating the filibuster to get on board with the idea.

Key Facts

McConnell said in a floor speech Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has put forth a June agenda that meets the “demands of their radical base” but is “transparently designed to fail.”

McConnell pointed to H.R. 1 – Democrats’ sweeping election reform bill, which even Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) opposes – calling it the “vanguard” of Schumer’s “campaign to destroy the filibuster.”

Schumer had said in a floor speech that both H.R. 1 and the Paycheck Fairness Act will get a vote in June even though both of which are set to fall short of the necessary 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.

But if Schumer moves to scrap the filibuster, he’ll face an uphill battle: Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) both reiterated their opposition to the idea last week.

Crucial Quote

“I want to talk to him about it... I just want to really understand what's at the heart of it. I think I know, but I want to hear it from him personally,” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said of Manchin’s opposition to H.R. 1 and nuking the filibuster, adding, “I just want to maintain my friendship with him… and see if there's anything I can do."

Tangent

Even as Manchin and Sinema dig in their heels on the filibuster, one moderate Democrat signaled the H.R. 1 vote could sway him to turn against the rule. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) said in a CNN interview Sunday that he’s “very reluctant” about it, but added “if it comes down to voting rights and the rights of Americans... versus the filibuster, I will choose democracy.”

What To Watch For

The filibuster debate is likely to extend past June, as the Senate is still set to vote on House-passed bills on gun background check loopholes, LGBTQ rights and immigration, all of which could fall short of 60 votes.