Facing bitter criticism from civil rights leaders, senators are returning to Congress in Washington on Tuesday under intense pressure to change their rules and defeat Republican obstruction of a voting rights law.
The Senate will begin the debate on Tuesday by focusing its attention on two Democrats — Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia — who came under fire Monday as the United States marked Memorial Day for the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther. king jr.
Martin Luther King III, son of the slain activist, compared Sinema and Manchin to the white moderates his father wrote about in the 1950s and 1960s, that is, someone who professes support for giving blacks the right to vote. but it does not participate in actions that lead directly to the electoral reform necessary to achieve that goal.
“History will not be kind to them,” King Jr. said, mentioning Sinema and Manchin by name.
It will be the fifth time this legislative session that the Senate will try to pass the bill, at a time when several Republican states have passed rules that restrict voting. Democrats have charged that the new rules particularly harm black and Hispanic people.
The House of Representatives has already approved the measure, but it is stalled in the Senate where it faces unanimous opposition from Republicans. Because the Senate is split 50-50, Democrats have a razor-thin majority — Vice President Kamala Harris could cast the tiebreaking vote — but they don’t have the 60 votes to beat the Republican blockade known as a “filibuster.”
Once reluctant to change Senate rules, President Joe Biden used the King holiday to do just that. But the initiative, including a speech by Biden the week he compared the Republican blockade to segregationists, was seen as too late, coming as the president’s popularity is slipping in the polls.
On Monday, Biden declared that King not only fought for racial equality but also for “the sacred right to vote, from which all other rights flow.”
“It’s time for every elected official in America to make their position clear. It’s time for every American to raise their voice. Who are you with?” Biden said.
Facing bitter criticism from civil rights leaders, senators are returning to Congress in Washington on Tuesday under intense pressure to change their rules and defeat Republican obstruction of a voting rights law.
The Senate will begin the debate on Tuesday by focusing its attention on two Democrats — Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia — who came under fire Monday as the United States marked Memorial Day for the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther. king jr.
Martin Luther King III, son of the slain activist, compared Sinema and Manchin to the white moderates his father wrote about in the 1950s and 1960s, that is, someone who professes support for giving blacks the right to vote. but it does not participate in actions that lead directly to the electoral reform necessary to achieve that goal.
“History will not be kind to them,” King Jr. said, mentioning Sinema and Manchin by name.
It will be the fifth time this legislative session that the Senate will try to pass the bill, at a time when several Republican states have passed rules that restrict voting. Democrats have charged that the new rules particularly harm black and Hispanic people.
The House of Representatives has already approved the measure, but it is stalled in the Senate where it faces unanimous opposition from Republicans. Because the Senate is split 50-50, Democrats have a razor-thin majority — Vice President Kamala Harris could cast the tiebreaking vote — but they don’t have the 60 votes to break the Republican blockade known as a “filibuster.”
Once reluctant to change Senate rules, President Joe Biden used the King holiday to do just that. But the initiative, including a speech by Biden the week he compared the Republican blockade to segregationists, was seen as too late, coming as the president’s popularity is slipping in the polls.
On Monday, Biden declared that King not only fought for racial equality but also for “the sacred right to vote, from which all other rights flow.”
“It’s time for every elected official in America to make their position clear. It’s time for every American to raise their voice. Who are you with?” Biden said.