.SenSchumer says if GOP obstruction of voting rights bills continues, 'the Senate will debate and consider changes to Senate rules on or before January 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to protect the foundation of our democracy: free and fair elections.'
Though Schumer's letter did not specifically mention the filibuster—which enables the GOP to block most legislation—he wrote:
The Senate was designed to protect the political rights of the minority in the chamber, through the promise of debate and the opportunity to amend. But over the years, those rights have been warped and contorted to obstruct and embarrass the will of [the] majority—something our founders explicitly opposed. The Constitution specified what measures demanded a supermajority—including impeachment or the ratification of treaties.
We must ask ourselves: if the right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy, then how can we in good conscience allow for a situation in which the Republican Party can debate and pass voter suppression laws at the State level with only a simple majority vote, but not allow the United States Senate to do the same?The primary barriers to filibuster reformthat Democratic lawmakers have"met quietly with Manchin to gauge his openness to changing Senate rules," and"while an...
Responding to Schumer's announcement in a statement Monday, Martin Luther King III, chairman of the Drum Major Institute, said that"there is no better way to honor my father's legacy than protecting the right to vote for all Americans." "The King holiday is historically a day of service, and we hope the United States Senate will serve our democracy by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act," he added."We applaud Sen. Schumer for his commitment to expanding voting rights, but we won't halt our plans for action until legislation has been signed."
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