Mitch McConnell (Screen Capture)
Republicans were able to successfully block the debate over voting rights legislation on Tuesday. The vote wasn't for the voting rights legislation, it was only to allow a debate over the legislation.
The vote was a major one for Sens. Joe Manchin (D-VA) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), both of whom have refused to support any evolution in the filibuster law, such as requiring that all filibusters be talking filibusters and not threats to have a filibuster. Currently, the Senate has been brought to a stand-still by Republicans threatening to filibuster legislation, which blocks even debate over the legislation.
Manchin, who has complained that he wouldn't support legislation unless it's bipartisan, confessed that it is Republicans who were holding up the debate, even after Democrats worked with them on the legislation.
"Unfortunately, my Republican colleagues refused to allow debate of this legislation despite the reasonable changes made to focus the bill on the core issues facing our democracy," he said.
"The 50 Democratic senators who support the For the People Act (or least Manchin's compromise) represent 43 million more Americans than the 50 Republican senators who oppose it," said Ari Berman.
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