Nuclear fallout: GOP vows no legislation will pass the Senate

Senate Republicans vow no other legislation will pass the Senate until after the next elections if Democrats trigger the “nuclear option” to change the chamber’s rules.

{mosads}Instead, Republicans say they will campaign against the Democrats’ “tyranny of the majority” in hopes of regaining control of the Senate in 2014, when 21 Democrats face reelection.

They are vowing to use their majority control to jam through a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, a repeal of the Wall Street Reform Act and other GOP priorities.

“If Sen. Reid changes the character of the Senate, then the Senate ceases to function. We’ll take our case to the people, we’ll argue for a new majority and then Republicans will be in a position to do whatever Republicans with 51 votes want to do,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who spoke out against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) threat to trigger the nuclear option.

The tactic contemplated by Reid entails changing the Senate’s rules with a simple majority vote to prohibit filibusters against executive and judicial branch nominees.

Alexander, a former member of the GOP leadership who is close to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), said Republicans will use the nuclear option to ram through legislative changes if they regain Senate control.

He said the GOP conference could pass with a simple majority vote legislation to weaken unions, authorization to complete the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline and other items.