(CNN) Sen. Kamala Harris of California said that if she's elected president, she will back abolishing the filibuster if Senate Republicans stand in the way of legislation to combat climate change.

It's the first time she has said as a 2020 candidate that she supports the end of the filibuster -- the requirement that any legislation get 60 votes to end the Senate's unlimited debate and bring it to a simple majority vote.

During Wednesday's CNN climate crisis town hall, Harris slammed a Senate committee hearing "during which the underlying premise of the hearing was to debate whether science should be the basis of public policy," eliciting murmurs from the crowd.

Harris said she would first seek to work with the GOP. However, she said, "if they fail to act, as president of the United States, I am prepared to get rid of the filibuster to pass a Green New Deal."

Harris' call for a filibuster comes on the heels of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell bluntly warning Democrats last month against weakening the procedure.

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