Last updated on June 25th, 2021 at 03:52 am
Vice President Kamala Harris suggested that it was cowardly of Senate Republicans to block debate on voting rights legislation.
Video:
VP Kamala Harris calls out Senate Republican cowardice over the blocking of debate on the For The People Act. pic.twitter.com/wSFgovN4U1
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— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) June 23, 2021
Vice President Harris said:
 There may be some who have been intent on attacking voters’ rights, who will perhaps think that there is some wind in their sails because of what happened last night in terms of the vote. I think it is important, at least for those of us, who know how Senate processes are supposed to work, to point out that opponents of what we are trying to do, in terms of strengthen and protect voting rights, didn’t even have the courage to debate the issues last night.Â
Yes, there was a back and forth, but it was not a debate. Not by senate standards. That is important for us to remember and highlight in terms of the failure to have the courage to debate if you believe your position is in the best interest of your nation. The kinds of efforts that have been made to suppress the vote.
Going to today, the fact is our fight does not look very different, I think than it did yesterday. There are certain things that remain a fact and remain true, which is that we must continue to work on passing federal legislation, the For The People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, to ensure that we have national standards that are in place to protect every American’s right to vote. I said last night when I was talking to the press, this is not a Democrats issue or Republicans issue, this is an American issue.
If Republicans really believed that their position was popular with the American people, they would have not blocked the debate. Republicans know that an overwhelming majority of Americans support expanding voting rights.
Vice President Harris was right. Democrats should seize on the Republican Party’s lack of courage and call them out every single day.
Voter suppression is a losing issue for the GOP, which is why the fight must go on because eventually, democracy will win.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
