Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is tearing into his Republican colleagues.
During Wednesday’s hearing on voting rights, Schumer accused Republicans of “trying to disenfranchise” voters following the 2020 presidential election.
“Instead of doing what you should be doing when you lose an election in a democracy — attempting to win over those voters in the next election — Republicans instead are trying to disenfranchise those voters,” Schumer said. “Shame on them.”
He also said, “This is infuriating. I would like to ask my Republican colleagues: Why are you so afraid of democracy?”
Additionally, Schumer accused his Republican colleagues of accepting former President Donald Trump’s “big lies” about the election, according to The Hill.
Watch Schumer’s comments below:
Majority Leader Schumer at a hearing on voting rights: "Instead of doing what you should be doing when you lose an election in a democracy—attempting to win over those voters in the next election—Republicans instead are trying to disenfranchise those voters. Shame on them." pic.twitter.com/9rlmWsr3dD
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 24, 2021
The Senate Rules Committee is meeting on Wednesday to discuss a Democratic-backed plan for a sweeping federal elections overhaul. This includes expanding voting rights.
The “For the People Act,” also known as H.R.1, looks to “expand Americans’ access to the ballot box, reduce the influence of big money in politics, strengthen ethics rules for public servants, and implement other anti-corruption measures for the purpose of fortifying our democracy, and for other purposes.”
The bill was passed by the House of Representatives, but so far has no Republican support in the Senate.