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GOP blocks voting rights bill in humiliating blow to Biden as filibuster sees off challenge to states’ election laws
SENATE Republicans blocked sweeping voting rights legislation using the filibuster in a blow to the Biden administration's ambitions.
The legislation, a bid by Dems to block state-level voting restrictions that began popping up after the 2020 election, came down to a 50-50 vote along party lines on Tuesday.
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The Democrats would have needed to secure 60 votes, because of the filibuster, to pass the bill, which has been widely slammed by Republicans.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Democrats were showing "disdain for America" with their voting rights proposal, known as the For the People Act.
slammed the proposal as a "transparently partisan" effort that displays the left's "disdain" for American voters.
"Many Democrats would pass [the bill] with the slimmest possible majority, even after its companion faced bipartisan opposition over in the House," McConnell said from the Senate floor on Tuesday.
"What a craven political calculation. What a way to show your disdain for the American people's choices."
Democratic leaders vowed to renew efforts to get voting rights legislation passed after the Tuesday disappointment, though it's unclear how they plan to move forward with no Republican support.
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President Joe Biden has compared efforts made in some GOP-led states to restrict voting access to Jim Crow laws.
Senate Majority Leader on Tuesday blamed Donald Trump for the heavy Republican opposition to the voting rights bill.
"Donald Trump, fresh off a resounding loss in the 2020 presidential election, cried foul and lied — lied — that the election was stolen from him, like a petulant child," Schumer said.
"There is a rot at the center of the modern Republican Party.
"'s big lie has spread like a cancer and threatens to envelop one of America's major political parties," he continued.
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Former President also weighed in on the election law proposal, urging Congress to protect voting rights before it's "too late."
"I have tried to make it a policy not to weigh in on the day-to-day scrum in Washington, but what is happening this week is more than just a particular bill coming up or not coming up to a vote," he told .
"I do want folks who may not be paying close attention to know what’s happening ... to understand the stakes involved here, and why this debate is so vitally important to the future of our country," he added.
Obama stressed that the changes included in the voting rights proposal need to be implemented before the 2022 midterm elections.
"We can't wait until the next election because if we have the same kinds of shenanigans that brought about Jan. 6, if we have that for a couple more election cycles, we're going to have real problems in terms of our democracy long-term," he said.
Passing the bill was a long-shot in the Senate on Tuesday as Republicans heavily opposed it.
Ten Republicans would have needed to side with Democrats in order to avoid a filibuster, and none expressed support for the bill.
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However, Democrats still attempted to push it through with changes made at the request of Democratic Sen Joe Manchin, who initially opposed the bill.
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Included in Manchin's proposed changes are 15 days of early voting and automatic voter registration, a ban on partisan gerrymandering and a voter ID requirement.
Manchin ended up voting in favor of the bill, but the votes were still split 50-50 down party lines.
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