(HorizonPost.com) – In 1975, the Senate reduced the number of required votes to pass a law from a two-thirds majority down to 60. In a speech in Georgia on January 11, President Joe Biden called for federal changes to voting laws, even if it means circumventing the filibuster requirement to pass legislation. Currently, there are 161 exceptions to the supermajority rule, but the voting proposals don’t fall under any of them. The president encouraged the Senate to find a way to pass the voting rights bills, and said if Republicans blocked the measure, he’d push for a Senate rule change.
He bashed the Senate and said he was “tired of being quiet” about preserving America’s democracy in his speech.
Biden makes push for voting bills and says there is "no option" but to kill the filibuster – CBS News https://t.co/XuvbR8PUiD
— JackMack (@jackthecat11) January 12, 2022
However, the US leader doesn’t have the power to get rid of the filibuster on his own. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) stated he would introduce voting rights bills to the floor and, if they fail, he will attempt to lower the voting threshold to pass the measure with a simple majority.
The New York legislator said he wouldn’t allow the Right to turn the Upper Chamber into a “deep freezer” where nothing moves, but doing so won’t be easy. Schumer must convince Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) to hop on board, and so far neither of them seem keen on changing the Senate rules.
On Thursday, Sinema made her opposition quite clear during a speech on the Senate floor. Biden spoke to reporters after a meeting with Democrats later that day, indicating that he’s “not sure” whether or not the they will succeed. Unless the two Senators change their minds, things don’t look promising for the party’s voting rights plans.
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