ATLANTA—President Biden put his weight behind congressional Democrats’ push to pass long-stalled elections bills, even if it requires changing Senate rules, in a speech Tuesday designed to build support for the imperiled legislation with votes just days away.While House and Senate Democrats support the proposals, the bills need 60 votes to advance in the 50-50 Senate.Both are expected to fall well short of that mark due to opposition from GOP lawmakers, prompting a parallel effort by Democrats to change the filibuster procedure to ease their passage.But two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have resisted such an approach, leaving any progress uncertain.
Appearing on the grounds of historically Black colleges, Mr.Biden argued Democrats’ case that new federal laws are needed to counter recent Republican-backed state measures, which Democratic lawmakers paint as a threat to access to the polls, particularly for minority voters.
Republicans characterize the proposals as federal overreach and say Democrats are giving a distorted picture of states’ attempts to bolster election integrity.The votes “will mark a turning point in this nation’s history,” Mr.
Biden said.“Will we choose democracy over autocracy, light over shadow, justice over injustice? I know where I stand.… The question is where will the institution of the United States Senate stand?” Mr.Biden, who reprised themes of his speech delivered on the anniversary of the Jan.6 Capitol riot by supporters of former Republican President Donald Trump, said it was time to change Senate rules if needed to pass elections-related legislation.“We have no option,” he said, drawing applause.“To protect our democracy, I support changing the Senate rules whichever way they need to be changed to prevent a minority of senators from blocking action on voting rights,” he said.
“This is the moment to decide.To defend our elections.
To defend our democracy.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) has set a Jan.17 deadline for the Senate to take action on the election legislation before turning to possible Senate rules changes.He has acknowledged the gambit faces an uphill battle.One bill, the Freedom to Vote Act, would make Election Day a national holiday, mandate 15 days of early voting and require all states to allow mail-in voting, among other changes.The other, named after the late Rep.John Lewis (D., Ga.), would give the federal government more control over state voting procedures, after Supreme Court rulings weakened the 1965 Voting Rights Act that gave Washington control over changes to rules in states with a history of racial discrimination.Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) has said that Democrats are using the elections bills as a pretext for weakening the filibuster, which has also held up other Democratic legislation.“A group of politicians are trying to set aside election results, overrule American voters and break, break our institutions to get a political outcome they want,” Mr.
McConnell said on the Senate floor Tuesday.“This is clearly and simply a power grab,” said Sen.John Thune (R., S.D.).The president’s address came less than a week after he gave a forceful speech on the anniversary of the Capitol riot, in which he blamed Mr.
Trump for creating a “web of lies” with his false claims of election fraud.Mr.Biden and other Democrats have tried to draw a direct line between the false claims of fraud, the Jan.6 riot and the need for new federal elections laws.
Video: Political division spills into 2022 (MSNBC) Vigil for victims of Bronx apartment fire Dr.Fauci caught calling Republican senator a ‘moron’ off-camera Biden calls for changing Senate rules to pass voting rights Health officials face criticism from lawmakers in Senate hearing North Korea tests new hypersonic ballistic missile Squash program helping young people realize their potential How to avoid delays in getting your tax refund Protecting yourself against Covid variants: How to choose the right mask DNC Chair on voting rights: ‘The fear is real’ Four people, including infant, survive medical helicopter crash near Philadelphia Fauci, Walensky testify at Senate hearing about pandemic response Growing frustration among voting rights activists in Georgia Biden endorses change to Senate rules to support voting rights bill Costa Rica hydro plant revivified for crypto mining Biden: ‘I’m tired of being quiet’ on voting rights Districts move classrooms outdoors to prevent COVID spread “I think he needs to let the American people know that the filibuster has its place as it relates to policy but it does not have any place when it comes to constitutional issues,” said Rep.James Clyburn (D., S.C.), the No.
3 House Democrat and a top Biden ally.Mr.Clyburn started urging a carve-out for voting-rights legislation last summer.Republicans, who have repeatedly blocked elections-related legislation, said Democrats were overplaying their hand.“The Democrats’ so-called election reform is not about protecting the right to vote,” said Florida Sen.
Rick Scott, the leader of Senate Republicans’ campaign arm.“It’s about making sure that they win the election.” Georgia is among a group of states where GOP lawmakers have pushed more-restrictive voting laws following the 2020 election, citing in part the need for tighter election security.
The laws include limits on mail ballots and drop boxes, following a rise in voting by mail during the pandemic.In Georgia, Texas and Florida, Republican lawmakers added new ID requirements to vote by mail, among other changes.The new law in Georgia enables the State Election Board to, under certain conditions, remove and replace local election superintendents.Republicans say this would require clear wrongdoing or incompetence in a county.Opponents worry that such changes could make it easier for partisan officials to intervene.Activists and Democratic leaders said they were encouraged by the tone and urgency Mr.
Biden showed in his Jan.
6 speech, but some want the president to adopt a more combative style ahead of the midterm elections.“His speech gives an indication that maybe he’s getting it, but I don’t think up until now that he or his White House team has fully recognized the threat to democracy,” said Cliff Albright, executive director of Black Voters Matter, an advocacy group that signed onto a letter saying Mr.Biden shouldn’t arrive in Georgia without a specific plan to enact voting legislation.Some of those groups, including Mr.Albright’s, boycotted the Biden event, demanding action in Washington instead.Also missing was Stacey Abrams, a voting-rights activist and former Georgia Democratic minority leader now running for governor, whose aides cited a conflict.She tweeted thanks to Mr.
Biden for “refusing to relent until the work is finished.” Mr.Biden said he spoke with Ms.Abrams on Tuesday morning.“We have a great relationship,” he said, attributing it to a scheduling mix-up.Mr.Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Atlanta on separate planes with a contingent of Democratic lawmakers, including Sens.Raphael Warnock (D., Ga.), Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.) and Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.).Before the speech, they participated in a wreath laying at the crypt of the Rev.
Martin Luther King Jr.and Coretta Scott King and then visited the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr.
King once preached.Outside the church, Mr.Biden was asked for his message to activists Tuesday.“Keep the faith,” he said, pulling down his mask to be heard.Republicans and other defenders of the filibuster say the rule encourages bipartisan cooperation and limits policy swings from one Congress to the next, when power changes hands.Mr.
Biden, who served in the Senate for decades, has been reluctant to call for changes to the filibuster, frustrating progressives.But late last year, he said he was open to creating an exception to the 60-vote threshold for voting-rights bills.To change Senate rules, Democrats would need the support of 50 Democrats, with Ms.
Harris breaking any ties.
Other floated changes include putting more of the responsibility to block a bill on the minority party, by requiring 41 senators to be present and voting no, rather than 60 senators present and voting yes.
Democrats are also considering eliminating the filibuster threshold for a motion to proceed to a bill, allowing debate and amendments, but leaving the second filibuster threshold in place.To get to 50 votes, party leaders would need to get both Mr.Manchin and Ms.
Sinema on board.Mr.Manchin says any changes should have Republican buy-in, an unlikely prospect.Ms.
Sinema has said she would oppose any change to the 60-vote threshold.Mr.Manchin was noncommittal when asked about changing the filibuster on Tuesday.“The filibuster is what we have, our rules.We need some good rule changes to make this place work better,” Mr.Manchin said.
“Getting rid of the filibuster doesn’t make it work better.” Write to Alex Leary at [email protected] and Eliza Collins at [email protected]..
