Vice President Harris Hints That She Has Discussed Filibuster Changes With Senators
at 11:38 am NPR
With voting rights legislation stalled in the Senate because of Republican opposition, Vice President Harris suggested that she has talked to senators about exceptions to the legislative filibuster but said she will not be publicly negotiating an issue that the White House insists is up to lawmakers, she told NPR in an interview Tuesday. I believe that of all of the issues that the United States Congress can take up, the right to vote is the right that unlocks all the other rights, Harris said. And for that reason, it should be one of its highest priorities.
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Vice President Harris is leading the Biden administration s efforts on voting rights. She spoke to NPR White House correspondent Asma Khalid on Tuesday ahead of President Biden s address on the issue and just before she met with Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled the state in an attempt to block a GOP voting bill.
She discussed efforts on voter education, mobilization and protection, as well as obstacles the administration faces in Congress and the courts as it attempts to combat changes to election laws being enacted by Republicans, many related to former President Donald Trump s false claims about the legitimacy of the 2020 election.
Kamala Harris Hints At Involvement In Voting Rights Filibuster
07/13/21 AT 7:11 PM
In an interview Tuesday with NPR, Vice President Kamala Harris hinted that she had spoken to senators about changes to the filibuster. Harris talked to NPR s Asma Khalid about the Biden administration s voting rights.
The For The People Act, an expansive bill that includes voting access and campaign finance provisions, was backed by all Senate Democrats in June but was blocked by a Republican filibuster. Harris hopes to discuss exceptions they could make to pass the legislation to move the bill along.
However, she said that she would not publicly negotiate something that the White House has been insisting is up to lawmakers.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
toggle caption Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Vice President Harris spoke to NPR on Tuesday about the administration s efforts to protect voting rights. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Vice President Harris is leading the Biden administration s efforts on voting rights. She spoke to NPR White House correspondent Asma Khalid on Tuesday ahead of President Biden s address on the issue and just before she met with Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled the state in an attempt to block a GOP voting bill.
She discussed efforts on voter education, mobilization and protection, as well as obstacles the administration faces in Congress and the courts as it attempts to combat changes to election laws being enacted by Republicans, many related to former President Donald Trump s false claims about the legitimacy of the 2020 election.
13 Jul 2021
Vice President Kamala Harris suggested Tuesday on NPR that she has talked to senators about a voting rights exception to the legislative filibuster suggested to her by House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC).
Host Asma Khalid said, “Congressman Jim Clyburn, who we should point out is a good friend of the White House, is calling for a tweak to the filibuster. He said not to end it entirely but to carve out an exception that could allow Democrats to pass voting rights legislation with a simple majority. He told Politico that he actually explicitly shared his thinking on this with you. So I want to ask, do you support that idea? Do you think it’s something that could work?”