Abolish The Senate? DSA Drops Bomb

The Democratic Socialists of America’s top leaders just added “abolish the Senate” to their official platform, and their co-chair is defending it as reasonable.

Story Snapshot

DSA’s leadership voted to add abolishing the United States Senate to its platform.
Co-chair Ashik Siddique publicly defended the stance as part of the organization’s goals.
Changing the Constitution is extremely hard; only 27 of thousands of proposals have succeeded.
The move spotlights anger at a government many see as unresponsive to regular people.

What DSA Leaders Approved and Why It Matters

The Democratic Socialists of America’s 27-member National Political Committee voted in June 2026 to include abolishing the United States Senate in the group’s updated platform, according to coverage describing a razor-thin margin and no released tally. Co-chair Ashik Siddique has publicly defended the idea as part of the organization’s goals, pushing the view that the Senate blocks majority rule and reform. The platform move signals a willingness to challenge long-standing checks that shape how federal power is used.

Conservatives and liberals often disagree on policy, but many share a belief that the federal system is not serving them. To supporters, targeting the Senate taps that frustration by arguing that a chamber giving small states equal power worsens gridlock and shields elites. To critics, scrapping it would upend the balance the Constitution set to cool sudden swings and protect minority interests. The fight ties to a larger question: who government serves and how it should be structured.

How Hard It Is To Change the Constitution

Rewriting the Constitution requires supermajorities in Congress and approval by most states, or a convention of states followed by ratification. That bar is why proposed amendments almost always fail. Since 1789, thousands of proposals have been filed and only 27 became law, according to research tracking amendment efforts. Even strong national campaigns rarely clear the hurdles. That history suggests the DSA’s Senate plan is far from enactment, even as it shapes debate and media attention.

The United States has changed core structures before, but rarely. The Seventeenth Amendment shifted Senate elections to voters in 1913. Other major changes, like Reconstruction Amendments after the Civil War, needed massive national consensus and crisis. Today’s polarized map makes state ratification even tougher. Backers may still see value in staking a clear position to rally members, test messages, and pressure Democrats from the left, while opponents fundraise and mobilize by casting it as a threat to constitutional order.

What Supporters and Critics Are Saying

Supporters frame the Senate as an obstacle that lets a minority block laws supported by most voters, pointing to filibusters and long delays on popular issues. They argue removing it could make government more responsive to workers and families who feel ignored by Washington insiders. They also connect the idea to broader platform planks that aim to shift power away from what they call entrenched interests and toward direct democratic control within federal institutions.

DSA Co-Chair Ashik Siddique: "We just don’t see the point of the Senate, historically it was meant to serve very wealthy people…"

HOST: "Would you like to abolish the senate?"

SIDDIQUE: "That's part of our platform, and we don't think that's extreme." pic.twitter.com/ppQVeM1noq

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 14, 2026

Critics, including many constitutional traditionalists, warn that abolishing the Senate would erase a key check against raw majority power and sideline smaller states. Right-leaning outlets describe the DSA platform as extreme and anti-constitutional, tying it to a larger push to rewrite the system. That reaction fits a long pattern: movements propose sweeping change, while opponents defend guardrails as bulwarks against hasty policy. Both sides gain attention and support from their base, even if the policy itself is unlikely to pass.

The Bigger Picture: A Government Millions Think Is Not Working

Growing numbers across the political spectrum believe Washington serves insiders first. Many on the right blame globalism, high spending, and rules that raise energy and living costs. Many on the left blame corporate power, shrinking safety nets, and deeper inequality. The DSA’s call lands in that shared mood. Whether people applaud or recoil, it highlights a core worry: systems meant to check abuse can also freeze action, and reforms to speed action can weaken the checks that protect liberty.

What Comes Next

Legally, the path is narrow. Without control of Congress, state legislatures, and broad public backing, the proposal will remain a statement of values, not law. Politically, it will shape primaries, fundraising, and media coverage. Republicans will point to it to rally defenders of the Constitution. Democrats will face pressure from their left flank and attacks from the right. For voters who feel the “deep state” serves itself, the debate is another sign that the fight over how America is governed is only getting hotter.