Originally Posted by
Meadmaker
It shouldn't be so easy to block votes. In the House, the speaker can basically block any vote he wishes to block. In the Senate, it's even easier to block votes. Because of that, we get cliffs.
From Article I Section 5:
"Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings. . . ."
The current rules have not always resulted in such a dysfunctional Congress. It's really up to the voters to punish their representatives for abuse of the rules.