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Facing harsh criticism from civil rights leaders, senators return to Capitol Hill under intense pressure to change their rules and break a Republican filibuster that has hopelessly stalled election legislation.
The Senate is set to begin debate Tuesday on the voting bill with attention focused intensely on two key Democrats, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who were singled out with a barrage of criticism during Martin Luther King Jr. Day events for their refusal to change what civil rights leaders call “Jim Crow obstructionism.”
Martin Luther King III, the son of the late civil rights leader, compared Sinema and Manchin to the white moderate his father wrote about during the civil rights battles of the 1950s and 1960s, a person who declared support for black voting rights goals but not the direct actions or demonstrations that ultimately led to the passage of the landmark legislation.
“History will not remember them kindly,” King’s son said, referring to Sinema and Manchin by name.
This will be the fifth time the Senate will attempt to pass election legislation in this Congress, while election officials warn that new state laws make it difficult to vote in some parts of the country.
The House passed the package, but the legislation is stalled in the Senate, opposed by Republicans. With a 50-50 split, Democrats have a narrow majority in the Senate – Vice President Kamala Harris can break the tie – but lack the 60 votes needed to overcome GOP obstructionist maneuvering.
Once reluctant to change Senate rules, President Joe Biden used the King holiday to push senators to do just that. But the White House push, including Biden’s fierce speech last week in Atlanta comparing opponents to segregationists, is seen as too late, as the president ends his first year in office with his popularity slipping.
“It’s time for every elected official in America to make clear where they stand,” Biden said on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. “It’s time for all Americans to stand up. Speak up, make your voice heard – where do you stand?”
The Senate is launching what could become a week-long debate, but the outcome is expected to be no different than previous failed votes on the legislation. Biden has been unable to persuade Sinema and Manchin to join with other Democrats to change the rules to lower the 60-vote threshold.
[Con información de The Associated Press]
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