The Senate failed to amend the filibuster rule on Wednesday night, preventing voting rights legislation from passing with a simple majority.
The tension between Democrats and Republicans.
Filibuster Rule Amendment
Democrats sought a change to Senate rules that would have created a “talking filibuster” for only voting rights legislation. After senators utilized their time to speak to filibuster the bill, final approval would take a 51-vote majority, rather than the usual 60. However, Senate Republicans stopped Democrats from moving forward with voting rights legislation, and Democrats were unable to secure 50 votes to change Senate rules so that the bill could be passed with a simple majority.
President Joe Biden said in a statement following the defeat about his disappointment that the Senate has failed to stand up for democracy but he cleared that he is not deterred. Instead, they continue to advance necessary legislation and push for Senate procedural changes that will protect the fundamental right to vote. On the other hand, The Senate had been unable to end debate on voting rights legislation earlier in the evening, which would have required 60 votes to move forward to final passage and it was a 49-51 vote.
Voting Rights Legislation
In Washington, Senate Democrats aim to push new voting rights safeguards through Congress this week, in an all but-doomed attempt to achieve a crucial element of President Biden’s agenda that has been sabotaged by members of his own party. Furthermore, the Senate urged convened on Wednesday morning on a rare occasion, with all Democrats urged to remain in their seats inside the chamber as they attempted to move forward on voting rights legislation and a challenge to a Senate rule.
According to a CBS News poll released Wednesday, 68 percent of Democrats believe that passing voting rights legislation is “very” necessary. The poll also revealed that a majority of Democrats feel the filibuster should be abolished, while 65 percent of Republicans say it should be preserved.
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