For the second time in less than a week , President Donald Trump has demanded that Senate Republicans end the filibuster, suggesting that doing so would help the GOP in the midterm races next year.

The filibuster is a Senate rule that allows lawmakers of the minority party to block legislation from passing. Cloture on a filibuster occurs when it obtains 60 votes — meaning that nearly every bill can only pass if it is opposed by 40 senators or less.

Traditionally, the filibuster had been used sparingly. However, its use increased during the Obama administration, when Republicans utilized the rule to block as much legislation as possible , despite Democrats briefly having a majority in both houses of Congress.

Now, with Republicans in charge of both houses, Democrats are filibustering

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