Sen. Tammy Duckworth on Same-Sex Marriage Protections, Potential Rail Strike
Source: WTTW Chicago
Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth says the Respect for Marriage Act is “a great first step” in further protecting same-sex marriage.
Her remarks on the bill came just hours before the Senate approved the measure in a bipartisan 61-36 vote.
Duckworth spoke on a number of legislative issues that U.S. lawmakers are taking up during the lame-duck session before a new Congress is sworn in early next year. Republicans will be taking control of the House in January while Democrats remain in control of the Senate.
In an interview with “Chicago Tonight,” Duckworth said she would be supportive of lifting the filibuster on a case-by-case basis for major pieces of legislation such as the Voting Rights Act and an assault weapons ban, for instance.
On top of that, she would support having a more transparent filibuster process instead of the “secret filibuster we have right now.”
“My position is if you want to filibuster something, then come to the floor of the Senate and speak and let the American people see why you’re opposing something, instead of where we are right now is you can actually say, ‘I’m filibustering a bill’ and then never talk about it and the bill doesn’t move,” Duckworth said. “You can go on vacation in Cancún and nobody would know.”
Separately, President Joe Biden called on Congress to adopt an agreement between railroad workers and operators “without any modifications or delay” that would avert a potential rail strike. Workers are negotiating for benefits like paid sick leave and regularly scheduled weekends.
Duckworth says the best step forward would be to extend the deadline for railroad workers and operators to negotiate further.
“That’s what Congress can do– we can actually extend that deadline by 60 days or 90 days to avert a rail strike,” she said.
By: Eunice Alpasan
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