Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate will debate and vote on changing the filibuster rules by January 17 if Republicans allow a vote on comprehensive voting rights legislation.
Chuck Schumer emerged from a Democratic Caucus meeting in Washington, D.C. Scott Applewhite
The Associated Press.
In a letter to Democrats Monday, Schumer likened Republicans at the state level to the violent insurrectionists who invaded the U.S. Capitol on January 6 last year.
He said Senate Democrats must take strong action to stop the march.
The Freedom to Vote Act was held up in the Senate last year because Democrats were 10 votes short of the 60 needed to overcome a Republican filibuster.
Schumer said the Senate will debate and consider changes to Senate rules if Republicans don't change course.
Moderates like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have opposed the legislative filibuster in the past, but pressure is mounting from progressive Democrats to get rid of it.
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The events of January 6th were a symptom of a broader illness, and the Senate must advance systemic democracy reforms to repair our republic or else the events of that day will not be an exception.
The key background.
There are strict voting bills spearheaded by the GOP in states such as Georgia, Iowa and Arizona. Critics contend that the rules unfairly target people of color and Black voters. The Freedom to Vote Act was introduced last fall by Democratic senators. The country saw unprecedented attacks on its democracy in a number of states following the 2020 elections, and an immediate federal response is needed. The act has been opposed by Republicans for a long time, with Senate Minority LeaderMitch McConnell describing it as an attempt to have the federal government take over how elections are conducted all over America. The New York Times reported last month that Democrats were aware that several options were on the table when it came to rule changes. They include changing the rules of the floor to make it easier to bring legislation to the floor for consideration, or a recourse that would clear the way for final action on a bill through a simple majority vote.
Schumer is threatening a vote on Senate rules change.
The Senate will vote on changing the voting bill.
If the GOP blocks voting rights, the Senate will change rules.
If Republicans block voting rights law, the Senate will vote on rule change.
Schumer will try to change Senate rules if the GOP doesn't pass a voting bill.
See which states have restricted voter access.
