President Joe Biden says the Senate has “failed to stand up for our democracy” after Republicans blocked Senate Democrats’ effort to pass voting rights legislation.
Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) dealt a significant blow to Democrats’ efforts to change filibuster rules to pass the voting rights legislation. The vote came out to be 52-48.
Biden issued a statement reacting to the vote, saying, “At the core of our democracy is a basic principle: the right to vote, and to have that vote counted. That principle was assaulted one year ago, when a violent mob attempted a coup seeking to overturn the will of the people.”
He continued, “And today, in state after state, Republican state legislatures are engaged in an unprecedented effort to suppress the sacred right to vote and subvert the American bedrock of free and fair elections.”
The president explained he is “profoundly disappointed that the United States Senate has failed to stand up for our democracy. I am disappointed — but I am not deterred.”
Biden vowed to “never stop fighting to ensure that the heart and soul of our democracy — the right to vote — is protected at all costs.”
His statement goes on, “We will continue to work with allies to advance necessary legislation to protect the right to vote. And to push for Senate procedural changes that will protect the fundamental right to vote.”
Concluding his statement, Biden said Vice President Kamala Harris would continue to lead the effort.
During an appearance on “Good Morning America,” George Stephanopoulos asked Harris what the administration will do now that the legislation is not moving through the Senate.
“We’re not going to give up on legislation because ultimately that is one of the most important aspects of what we must do to correct what has been happening in the various states,” Harris said.
.@VP says she "won't give up" on voting rights legislation: "There is work that we will continue to do that is about convening folks around the country to uplift the message and to include what we need to do to expand the ability of all Americans to understand what's at stake." pic.twitter.com/o2EV62G6ao
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 20, 2022
She added, “There is work that we will continue to do that is about convening folks around the country to uplift the message and to include what we need to do to expand the ability of all Americans to understand what’s at stake.”