But the chamber has operated for decades under rules that were designed to overcome filibusters but are now used to require a 60-vote supermajority for most important bills.

数十年来参议院一直遵守这项克服阻挠议案的原则，但是现在最重大的议案都要求达到60票的绝对多数。

youdao

Far better would be statutory limits on spending increases and debt as a share of GDP, sequesters that automatically cut spending if Congress exceeds those limits, supermajority rules for replacing those limits, and revisions of the budget baseline so that each year's budget begins at last year's spending levels, not with automatic increases.

WSJ: Review & Outlook: The Tea Party's First Victory