DNC Chair Urges Statehood, Filibuster End
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin told a podcast audience this week that Democrats should move to eliminate the Senate filibuster and push for statehood for Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico once the party regains power, and he described the current Trump administration as a "fascist regime." Martin made the remarks on Jaime Harrison’s 'At Our Table' podcast and framed the proposals as part of an aggressive post‑victory agenda tied to the 2026 midterms.
Politics
Elections
🔍 Key Facts
- Ken Martin, DNC chair, said on the 'At Our Table' podcast (Tuesday) that Democrats should eliminate the filibuster and push to admit D.C. and Puerto Rico as states after they regain power.
- Martin described the Trump administration as a "fascist regime" and characterized the 2026 elections as "the most important" of his lifetime, urging aggressive action if Democrats win.
- Remarks referenced byline images and recent DNC events (cited Aug. 5 and Aug. 25, 2025 appearances) and include direct quotes and a public interview format.
📍 Contextual Background
- The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, allowing enforcement of state abortion bans.
- Republicans and Democrats were engaged in negotiations over government funding ahead of an upcoming funding deadline described as occurring on a Tuesday.
- U.S. federal law Section 230 provides online platforms with broad legal protections that allow them to make content-moderation decisions without being held liable for those decisions.
- YouTube and its parent company Alphabet agreed to pay a total of $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Donald J. Trump over the temporary suspension of his YouTube account after the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack.
- During a U.S. federal government shutdown, active-duty military personnel and deployed National Guard members must continue to perform their assigned duties but their pay is delayed until the shutdown ends.
- The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 provides that government employees automatically receive back pay after a government shutdown.