United States Senate

====Filibuster and cloture====
{{Main|Filibuster in the United States Senate|Reconciliation (United States Congress)}}
{{see also|Clay pigeon floor procedure}}
The [[filibuster]] is a tactic used to defeat bills and motions by prolonging debate indefinitely. A filibuster may entail long speeches, dilatory motions, and an extensive series of proposed amendments. The Senate may end a filibuster by invoking [[cloture]]. In most cases, cloture requires the support of three-fifths of the Senate; however, if the matter before the Senate involves changing the rules of the body&nbsp;– this includes amending provisions regarding the filibuster&nbsp;– a two-thirds majority is required. In practice, the threat of filibuster is more important than its use; almost any motion that does not have the support of three-fifths of the Senate effectively fails. This means that 41 senators can make a filibuster happen. Historically, cloture has rarely been invoked because bipartisan support is usually necessary to obtain the required [[supermajority]], so a bill that already has bipartisan support is rarely subject to threats of filibuster. However, motions for cloture have increased significantly in recent years.

If the Senate invokes cloture, the debate does not necessarily end immediately; instead, it is limited to up to 30 additional hours unless increased by another three-fifths vote. The longest filibuster speech in the Senate's history was delivered by [[Strom Thurmond]] (D-SC), who spoke for over 24 hours in an unsuccessful attempt to block the passage of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1957]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Quinton|first=Jeff|url=http://www.jquinton.com/archives/000171.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614024620/http://www.jquinton.com/archives/000171.html|title=Thurmond's Filibuster|website=Backcountry Conservative|date=July 27, 2003|archive-date=June 14, 2006|access-date=June 19, 2006|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

Under certain circumstances, the [[Congressional Budget Act of 1974]] provides for a process called "[[reconciliation (United States Congress)|reconciliation]]" by which Congress can pass bills related to the budget without those bills being subject to a filibuster. This is accomplished by limiting all Senate floor debate to 20 hours.<ref>Reconciliation, {{USCSub|2|641|e}} (Procedure in the Senate).</ref>

The [[Senate filibuster]] is frequently debated as the Constitution specifies a simple majority threshold to pass legislation, and some critics feel the de facto three-fifths threshold for general legislation prevents beneficial laws from passing. Detractors also note that the filibuster, elevated in importance in 1917, was prominently and persistently wielded in defense of white supremacy.<ref name=":0" />{{dubious|date=September 2023}} The [[nuclear option]] was exercised by both major parties in the 2010s to weaken the filibuster for confirmations. Supporters generally consider the filibuster to be an important protection for the minority views and a check against the unfettered single-party rule when the same party holds the Presidency and a majority in both the House and Senate.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}