Biden Seeks End to Filibuster Rules to Pass Voting Rights Legislation
In a
speech in Atlanta
on Tuesday, President Biden called on the Senate to change Senate rules and eliminate the filibuster in order to pass
voting rights legislation
that Republicans are blocking from debate and votes. Current rules require 60 votes to pass most legislation, a threshold that Senate Democrats cannot meet alone because they have only a 50-50 majority with Vice President Harris to break ties. Republicans unanimously oppose the voting rights bill. The voting rights legislation would be the biggest change in U.S. election laws in decades. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has set Jan. 17, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as the deadline to either pass voting legislation or consider revising the rules.