Biden to Back Changing Senate Rule to Stop GOP ‘Obstruction’
‘EXTREME ATTACKS’
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.