Private, no accountPrivacy details: browsing privately, no account needed
You're browsing privately, no account needed. Your region stays in this session and your precise location is never stored.What we store
Making laws

cloture

The Senate's only procedure for ending debate over objection. Most legislation needs 60 votes; nominations need a simple majority.

In full

Under Senate Rule XXII, invoking cloture on most legislation takes three-fifths of the full Senate, 60 votes, and even then permits up to 30 further hours of debate. Since 2013 (most nominations) and 2017 (Supreme Court nominations), cloture on nominations takes only a simple majority, which is why judges can be confirmed on party-line votes while ordinary bills still face a 60-vote hurdle.

Where to go next

Written from U.S. Senate Glossary

Keep going

Browse every term in the glossary, or see the vocabulary in motion in the How government works walkthroughs.

A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.