Senator Chuck Schumer, who has been blocked by Republicans on voting rights legislation, gave the clearest indication yet that he will try to force a fundamental change in Senate rules if necessary to enact federal laws to counteract voting restrictions imposed by Republican-led legislatures across the country.
Schumer, the majority leader of the Senate and a New York Democrat, said in a letter to colleagues that the Senate would take up stalled voting rights legislation as soon as the first week of January and that if Republicans continued to filibuster, the Senate would "consider changes to any rules that prevent us from debating and reaching final conclusion on important legislation," as per the New York Times.
Schumer plans on vote for Build Back Better
However, it is unclear how far Democrats will be willing or able to go to get past the 60-vote threshold for most bills and enact voting rights legislation with a simple majority. While some previously hesitant senators have since approved changes to voting procedures, at least two Democratic senators - West Virginia's Joe Manchin III and Arizona's Kyrsten Sinema - have refused.
Concerned about state laws enacted in the aftermath of the 2020 election that appears to make it more difficult for people, especially minorities, to vote, Democrats have tried several times this year to establish federal standards for early and mail-in voting, as well as to limit partisan gerrymandering. However, a Republican roadblock has constantly blocked them.
To this time, Democrats have been silent on the subject. Schumer's new posture, on the other hand, indicates that he is willing to go the next step and launch a rules debate on the Senate floor, despite the fact that he lacks the 50 Democratic votes required to override Republican opposition.
After months of debate with the White House and after the House had passed the measure, Manchin informed Fox News on Sunday that he would not support it. Schumer also stated that the Senate will take up voting rights legislation as early as the first week of the new year. Voting rights legislation has languished in the Senate because it lacks the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster, and Manchin and Sinema are opposed to modifying the Senate rule.
Manchin turns his back on Democrats
"Our job For The People necessitates that we stay at the table to pass the Build Back Better Act," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a message to Democrats on Sunday evening, as per The Independent.
If Manchin has chosen to abandon discussions, White House press secretary Jen Psaki issued a furious 712-word written statement accusing him of making a "sudden and unexplained shift in his views" and called his statements a "breach of his pledges" to Biden and Democratic legislators.
Biden did not react to reporters' shouted questions about Manchin as he returned to the White House from Delaware on Monday. Manchin's Sunday remarks drew further criticism Monday from Democratic colleagues, particularly from leftist senators.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) accused Manchin of "betraying working families across the country" and said his revelation was "an outrageous breach of the president's trust" during a morning television interview, the Washington Post reported. She was alluding to a White House assertion that Manchin had pledged to continue discussions with Biden after presenting a written outline of a package he might support only days before.
Senators will discuss voting rights legislation as early as the first week after they return to Washington in January, according to Schumer's letter. If Republicans continue to obstruct such legislation, Schumer said the chamber will consider changing its rules.
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