Page 18 - Rules Change News Today

Changes. now senator manchin released a statement as well, also reiterating where he was there. so democrats really want to try to fix this here and to try to change this to allow them to get voting rights and other major pieces of legislation through but, you know, this is something that is a simple majority threshold to make a rules change. you only have 50 senate democrats and so when two them put their foot down and say no, you know, it doesnt seem like theyre going to be budged. even after ...

>> thats where were headed now, joe. tonight around 6:30 or so, were expected to see the first of these votes. thats actually to move for closure on the voting rights bills you talked about. that is expected to fail, because of of a lack of republican support. then were going to see schumer and democrats move onto voting on a targeted rules change that would bring back a talking filibuster for this package of voting right bills specifically. we know, though, that senator kyrsten sinema is not fo...

Yasmin, majority leader schumer, senate democrats have been facing tremendous pressure by grassroots organizations, particularly with their inability to advance the build back better act and they now turn to voting rights, of course, and on friday, we actually learned that this coming week, theyre going to plan to start to take up the freedom to vote act, which of course is designed and coauthored, actually, by senator joe manchin to be a preventive measure to some of these restrictive measures ...

Do, theyre going to debate the voting rights bill and theyre going to try to cut off debate. and that requires 60 votes as of now. they will not get 60 votes, obviously, because all 50 democrats are on board. but you need 60. no republicans are on board, so that fails. then schumer moves to change the senate rules for what he calls a talking filibuster on this issue which would basically allow -- force the leadership to get 60 votes to cut off debate proactively, but would move to a 50-vote thre...

We did this, as you know the rules very well, as a message from the senate. so we will at least be able to debate the bill. then the vote is, let sondland of a, lets vote. right now, that require 60 votes. as you predicted, if we dont get there, then we will go, i assume, after some debate, to a rules change. >> will the senate be able to go straight to the debate on rules change? after that 60 vote on wednesday? >> i believe we can. and that is our plan. because we have to. we really are left w...

Whats the plan? >> reporter: an uphill climb indeed, christine. look, he wants january 17th, martin luther king, jr., day, to be the day the senate votes on a rules change, a so-called filibuster carveout, so that they could try to pass voting rights legislation with just a simple majority. so all 50 democratic senators could support with kamala harris being the tie-breaking vote. but there is a problem. senator joe manchin and senator kyrsten sinema do not support the so-called rules change, th...

Vote of the senate instead of having to clear a 60-vote procedural threshold. and this morning senator schumer and nine democratic senators met with senator joe manchin for an hour to urge him to support that rules change. after that meeting, joe manchin appeared to be undecided about supporting a rules change. >> whatd you make. presidents speech last night? >> it was a good speech. he gave a good speech. >> reporter: did it change your opinion at all on the senate rules changes? >> were talkin...

The john lewis voting rights advancement exact and the act and the freedom to vote act. they have no way around the 60-vote threshold. senator chuck schumer, the majority leader, plans to call some form of a vote on a rules change, something to pierce the filibuster, to change the rules to allow these two bills to come up for that majority vote threshold. but its abundantly clear at this point that senator joe manchin and senator kyrsten sinema, although they may support the bills, firmly oppose...

That republicans are unanimously opposed to this voting rights package that democrats are trying to get done. which means if you do want to get it done, democrats would have to change the rules, you would need all democrats to support that. you know thats where this issue s. we heard and ive heard behind the scenes discussion that there are more than just senators manchin and sinema that might oppose a rules change. are you confident that its just those two who will defect from the democratic po...

Dont hear anybody else in the amen chorus right now. i think theres other political work that maybe the democrats would be doing to build grass roots ground swell that if history is any indication, might work in pushing a bill like this forward. >> its so interesting. watching the senate floor over the last week, there was a lot of debate i heard from republicans saying look, turnout was up. look how easy voting was for so many people even during a pandemic. see, theres no problem that needs sol...