Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that Republicans are trying to take away voting rights from young people, minorities, and the poor.

Chuck Schumer: Republicans Are Trying To Away The Vote

Video of Majority Leader Schumer:

Schumer said on the Senate floor:

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This is Donald Trump’s Republican Party. And it is the one now trying to take away the vote. From younger Black and brown, elderly, minority, and low-income voters. And yet every time we tried to engage our Senate Republican colleagues they resisted.

So we have no choice. We are moving ahead on our own. Once again no one denies the path ahead is an uphill struggle. Republicans have been clear they will entertain no bipartisan compromise on voting rights. But long odds are no excuse for this chamber to avoid this important issue. Again, members of this chamber were elected to debate. And to vote. We’re going to vote. We’re all going to go on the record. And Republicans will have to choose which side they stand on protecting democracy. 

We’re offering their implicit endorsement of Donald Trump’s big lie. For months, Senate Republicans have come up with excuses and subterfuges to avoid doing what they know is the right thing. Just like so many others have come up with similar lame excuses and subterfuges in the past. But its history shows Doing the right thing. Will eventually prevail. Justice will flow like mighty waters. As the Prophet Amos has said. 

Republicans Can’t Hide From Voting Rights

The point of this week is to hopefully devise a path forward on voting rights, but more realistically, this week in the Senate is about moving the voting rights issue forward.

It would be great if Sens. Manchin and Sinema would come to their senses and agree to a filibuster carve out on voting rights, but that is not going to happen.

Republicans have been hiding behind the way too easy filibuster rules for years, and the purpose of the Senate process is to make them stand up in front of the nation and express their belief with their votes that certain people should not be allowed to easily cast their ballots.

The voting rights issue is not going away, and the struggle will go on and history says that freedom can’t be denied forever, no matter how hard Republicans try.

Jason Easley

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