U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to reporters following the Senate Republicans weekly policy lunch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., October 19, 2021. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

Ben Burke Producer

Politics

Senate blocks voting bill for the third time this year

Oct 21, 2021

Ben Burke Producer

By Ben Burke (Producer)

A vote on a bill that includes sweeping regulations on voting rights failed in the Senate Wednesday afternoon. This is the third time a voting bill has failed to pass in the Senate this year.

On the Senate floor Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the voting bill, known as the Freedom to Vote Act, an “election takeover scheme”.

“The latest umpteenth iteration (of the bill) is only a compromise in the sense that the left and the far-left argued among themselves about exactly how much power to grab and in which areas,” Sen. McConnell said. “The same rotten core is all still there.”

Vice President Kamala Harris expressed disappointment in the Senate following the failed voting bill vote. The video above shows her comments.

“The United States Senate and members of the United States Senate had an opportunity to uphold the importance of every American’s right to exercise their fundamental right in a democracy, which is the right to vote,” Vice President Harris said. “We’re not going to give up. We’re not deterred. But there’s still a lot of work to do, and I think it’s really a sad day.”

In June, President Joe Biden announced Harris would lead the administration’s efforts on voting rights. The effort is in response to state lawmakers across the country pushing for passing tighter voting restrictions.

In a statement ahead of the vote, President Biden implored the Senate to take action, saying “Democracy – the very soul of America – is at stake.”

“It should be simple and straightforward. Let there be a debate and let there be a vote,” Biden said.

Earlier in the week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki also hinted that Biden may be softening his opposition to filibuster changes to get the voting bill through the Senate.

“Are (Republicans) going to protect this fundamental right? Or are they going to continue to be obstreperous — to use a word the president has used in the past — and put Democrats in a position where there’s no alternative but to find another path forward?” Psaki said Monday.

It appears at least one senator is softening his opposition to changing filibuster rules. Independent Sen. Angus King said he “concluded that democracy itself is more important than any Senate rule”.

However, he acknowledged weakening the filibuster could be a “double-edged sword” if Republicans take over the Senate. In addition, key Democratic senators, including Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, still oppose changing filibuster rules.

Tags: Joe Biden

Reporter: “It’s clear that Republicans will not support this.”

Kamala Harris, U.S. Vice President: “Well, let’s start with what just happened, which is the United States Senate and members of the United States Senate had an opportunity to uphold the importance of every American’s right to exercise their fundamental right in a democracy, which is the right to vote. And when presented with this opportunity, the Democrats unanimously upheld the importance of that right. And the Republicans sadly unanimously failed to do so. So we’re not going to give up. We’re not deterred. But there’s still a lot of work to do, and I think it’s really a sad day. I thought that Senator Schumer, the majority leader, he spoke well in reminding us of America’s history, and sadly, we have seen these moments before. I’d like to think that we have evolved as a nation and that we would not have to return to a moment where the United States Senate would have to debate. Yet in this situation, fail as a body to even move forward protections as it relates to the right to vote. So we’re not going to give up. We’ve never given up those of us who have fought for the right of every American to be able to express their voice through their vote. We’re going to continue to do the work.

Reporter: “Can you get a framework done for build back better by next week? And do you think that’s possible to actually get your party together, who is very divided on what the scope of this bill should be?”

Kamala Harris, U.S. Vice President: “So I don’t have an exact time frame, but I will tell you that I think all of us agree that we need to get this done and we’re working out the details. Yesterday the president and I had some very, I think, productive meetings, candid meetings with members of the Democratic caucus, both on the House and the Senate side. And I think there is a meeting of minds in general about what we need to accomplish. But the details have to be worked out.”