Biden admits US push for failure to pass voting rights laws | Joe Biden News

Two Democratic senators are opposed to changing Senate rules to pass reforms, likely to frustrate expectations.

U.S. President Joe Biden has admitted he is unsure whether his Democratic Party can be overtaken milestone in voting rights reform legislation after senior senators doubled their stance against changing Senate rules.

Biden met with Democratic senators on Thursday to seek support for a temporary rule change that would allow a mere majority of the 100-member chamber to pass legislation on voting rights.

Under current rules, a minority of only 41 senators can block the passage of legislation. Today the House is divided into 50-50 Republicans and Democrats, and Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, will vote to decide if there is a tie.

“God’s honest answer is I don’t know if we can do this,” Biden told reporters after the meeting. “As long as I’m in the White House, while I’m engaged, I’m going to fight,” he said.

Admission Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema told reporters she would not approve a “short” change in the rules to allow legislation to pass, with Democrats hoping to have the 50 votes needed to make that change.

Senator Joe Manchin, who was among the lawmakers gathered on Thursday, also reiterated his opposition to changing the ability of a minority of senators to block the passage of legislation, a mechanism known as filibuster.

“It simply came to our notice then. I cannot accept such a dangerous path for this nation, ”he said in a statement after the meeting.

The Biden administration has approved federal reform of voting rights top priority Entering 2022, the president promised in a speech on Tuesday: “I will not give up. I’m not going to shy away. ‘

Attention has been drawn to federal-level reforms after former US President Donald Trump, a Republican, pushed for fraudulent voter claims after directing a campaign to invalidate the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Although unsuccessful, Trump’s rhetoric has resonated in Republican-controlled legislative states across the country, with at least 19 states in 2021. adoption of legislation advocates say it makes it difficult for some citizens to vote.

Democrats are passing two federal laws that would lead to the biggest revision of the U.S. election in a generation, removing barriers to voting accepted in the name of election security, reducing the impact of big money on politics, and limiting party influence. conference districts.