Former Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid this week called for an end to the legislative filibuster in a New York Time op-ed, asserting that removing the procedure would help end the “era of obstruction and inaction” in the Senate. In his tenure as Senate majority leader, Reid changed the rules in 2013 to prevent filibusters of most executive branch nominations, but broad use of the procedure has soared in recent years in an increasingly polarized Congress. The Nevada Democrat argues that the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to end debate and hold a final vote has halted broad legislation.