‘EXTREME ATTACKS’

Biden to Back Changing Senate Rule to Stop GOP ‘Obstruction’

The move is expected to tee up a battle with Republican lawmakers as Democrats aim to pass voting-rights legislation.

President Joe Biden is on track to throw his support behind overhauling Senate rules in order to pass voting-rights protections that face Republican opposition, The New York Times reports. An unnamed senior administration official told the Times that Biden, in a speech in Atlanta on Tuesday, will call for a “carve-out” of filibuster rules that require 60 votes for legislation to advance. Biden has reportedly cited “repeated obstruction” by Republicans as a reason for the move, saying the ability of the minority party to kill voting-rights legislation has enabled “extreme attacks on the most basic constitutional right.” His announcement is expected to trigger a full-on battle with Republican lawmakers as Democrats prepare to introduce voting-rights measures in the 50-50 Senate. In response to a slew of new voting restrictions enacted in GOP-led legislatures in recent months, two Democratic bills aim to fight back: one that seeks to prevent voter suppression and stop gerrymandering, and another that would restore anti-discrimination protections.