Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 01:41 pm
President Biden’s announcement that he supports killing the filibuster for voting rights legislation puts crushing pressure on Sens. Manchin and Sinema.
Biden Throws The Weight Of The Presidency Behind Filibuster Reform.
Video of Biden publicly announcing his support for filibuster reform:
In case you missed it, here is President Biden coming out in favor of ending the filibuster on voting rights legislation. He also said that he is in favor of ending the filibuster on "maybe more" issues. Again, he is not in the Senate, but this is huge. pic.twitter.com/uNYGa9IogO
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— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) October 22, 2021
Biden was asked about filibuster reform after his Build Back Better agenda has passed and he answered, “Well, that remains to be seen exactly what that means in terms of fundamentally altering it, whether or not we just end the filibuster straight up. There are certain things that are just sacred rights. One is the sacred obligation that we never are going to renege on a debt. We are the only nation in the world we have never, ever, reneged on a single debt.  Voting rights is consequential.”
Anderson Cooper followed up, “Voting rights, just so I’m clear, though, you would entertain the notion of doing away with the filibuster on that one issue, is that correct?”
Biden answered, “And maybe more.”
Schumer’s Voters And Biden’s Comments Are Part Of A Coordinated Plan To Reform The Filibuster.
The timing of Biden’s comments right after every Senate Democrat voted for the Right To Vote Act was not an accident. Schumer, Pelosi, and Biden have been working on a coordinated campaign to break the resistance to filibuster reform for months.
The Senate vote earlier this week, and President Biden’s comments are part of the big push to change the filibuster that is coming.
Thanks to the President, we now know that once Build Back Better is passed and signed into law, attention will turn to the filibuster and voting rights.
One can’t help but sense that something big is coming soon.
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